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Managing Your Access Server As Part of the LAT Network
17-2 Managing the Access Server
Managing Your Access Server As Part of the LAT Network
Introduction
The network manager should coordinate the activities of service nodes and access
servers. This section describes a set of configuration guidelines that helps maximize
performance from your LAT network. All the guidelines presented are optional;
however, failure to follow these guidelines might result in unnecessary performance
degradation.
Distributing Devices on Access Servers
With the LAT protocol, the network bandwidth use is optimized when a high number
of terminals (or other devices) are placed on every access server. If only one or two
terminals are in use on each access server, the LAT protocol accounts for a higher
proportion of the total Ethernet usage.
Controlling the Number of Known Service Nodes
Minimize the number of service nodes that are accessed from any one access server by
keeping a single access server from accessing many different service nodes for its
users. Having every access server user connecting to a different service node uses more
of the data link bandwidth than many access server users connecting to few service
nodes. To reduce the number of service nodes accessed from a particular access server,
assign users to the access server based on their need for common services and then
assign the appropriate authorized groups for the access server ports.
Checking LAT Service Accessibility
The node limit characteristic specifies the number of service nodes that can be
simultaneously stored in the database for the access server. When the node limit is
reached, messages from additional nodes are discarded. The node limit must be in the
range of 1 to 2000. If you specify a node limit of NONE, there is no limit to the number
of nodes stored. In this case, the node limit is subject to memory constraints. The
default is 200 nodes.
If a user on the access server is experiencing response time problems with accessing
LAT services, you can adjust the node limit characteristic. There is a faster connection
when a user connects to a host that is defined in the access server database, as opposed
to a host not in the database.
A higher node limit uses more of the access server memory. A lower node limit uses
less memory. However, a lower node limit can potentially increase the time to make a
connection to nodes that are not in the service database. You need to decide the optimal
number for your needs.