Instant Broadband® Series

Important: You must have at least one Firewall Router on one end of the VPN tunnel. At the other end of the VPN tunnel, you must have a second Firewall Router or a computer with VPN client software that supports IPSec.

Computer (using VPN client software that supports IPSec) to Firewall Router

The following is an example of a computer-to-Firewall Router VPN. (See Figure 2-2.) In her hotel room, a traveling businesswoman dials up her ISP. Her notebook computer has VPN client software that is configured with her office's VPN settings. She accesses the VPN client software that supports IPSec and connects to the Firewall Router at the central office. As VPNs utilize the Internet, distance is not a factor. Using the VPN, the businesswoman now has a secure connection to the central office's network, as if she were physically connected.

Figure 2-2

For additional information and instructions about creating your own VPN, please visit Linksys’s website at www.linksys.com or refer to “Appendix C: Configuring IPSec between a Microsoft Windows 2000 or XP PC and the Firewall Router.”

EtherFast® Cable/DSL Firewall Router with 4-Port Switch/VPN Endpoint

Chapter 3: Getting to Know the EtherFast Cable/DSL Firewall Router

The Router’s Back Panel

The Router’s ports, shown in Figure 3-1, are where network cables are con- nected

 

Figure 3-1

WAN

The WAN (Wide Area Network) port is where you connect

 

your cable or DSL modem through an Ethernet cable. Your

 

modem connection will not work from any other port.

Ports 1-3

These three LAN (Local Area Network) ports are where you

 

will connect networked devices, such as PCs, print servers,

 

switches, and anything else you want to put on your network.

 

(These ports auto-detect crossover and straight-through

 

cables.)

Port 4/DMZ

Port 4/DMZ operates like a regular LAN port to connect with

 

network devices, unless DMZ is enabled through the

 

Cable/DSL Firewall Router’s web-based utility. Once DMZ is

 

enabled, this port will be accessible with NO PROTECTION

 

from the firewall. Be sure to disable the DMZ function through

 

the web-based utility if you want this port shielded by the

 

Cable/DSL Firewall Router’s firewall. (This port auto-detects

 

crossover and straight-through cables.)

Power

The Power port is where you will connect the power adapter.

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Linksys BEFSX41 manual Router’s Back Panel, Modem connection will not work from any other port, Ports, Port 4/DMZ, Power