Black Box 5000 Server User Manual


 
Multiserver 5000
26
3.1 Initial Considerations
The Multiserver 5000 offers the ability to connect
one of the following units and their associated links:
• Multiserver (1000 or 5000) via an Interconnect
Link.
• Feeder Mux (Communication Box II or Statplex
Multiplexor) via a Mux Link or an X.21 Link
The interconnect link can be connected using the
integral MS1 56K CSU/DSU module. Any of the
links can be connected using an external ISU or
modem. If the external devices are not
RS-232, the appropriate converters are required.
The Multiserver 5000 supports four types of
network topologies:
• Point-to-point
• String
• Star
• Distributed Star
Utilizing these topologies, the Multiserver 5000 can
serve as either a terminated node (traffic is
terminated in, or attached to the local node) or a
switching hub (no local attached devices). Without
local traffic (data/voice/LAN), the Multiserver’s
link capacity increases.
There are three elements to be considered when
putting together a Multiserver 5000 network:
Channel Performance
Burst 288 Kbps
Link Capacity
Terminated 72 Kbps
Switched 192 Kbps
Delay (varies Do not exceed six link
between channel hops in any network
type and protocol) path (6 node hops)
Important
You cannot have a closed loop in a
Multiserver network.
When designing a Multiserver network, it helps to
keep in mind the different capabilities of the
Multiserver 1000 and Multiserver 5000. A summary
of these are detailed in Table 3-1.
3. Network Design and Topologies
Table 3-1. Comparison of the Multiserver 1000 and the Multiserver 5000
Multiserver 1000 Multiserver 5000
Number of possible interconnect links 1 (A1) 3 (A1 to A3)
Speed: interconnect link 1.2 to 64 Kbps 1.2 to 72 Kbps
Number of possible feeder-mux links 1 (A1) 5 (A1 to A5)
Speed: feeder-mux link Up to 19.2 Kbps Up to 19.2 Kbps
Max. number of data channels 41 41
Max. number of sync data channels 1 10
Sync protocol speeds (most applications) 1.2 to 19.2 Kbps 1.2 to 38.4 Kbps
Max. number of voice/fax channels 4 8
Dual-link load balancing capability no yes
Multi-point capability no yes