Planning for WAN Connections

Planning is the key to easy installation of WAN connections. Basic planning for WAN connections involves the following:

• Deciding what type of links you want
• Learning what requirements the service provider imposes on the service

Time spent in planning your network, coordinating with service providers, and gathering the information you will need saves time during the installation and configuration procedures.

This topic contains the following sections:

• Contacting Service Providers
• Using NIASCFG

Contacting Service Providers

If you have difficulty in finding a service provider for packet-switched networks, contact your local telephone company for assistance in finding the type of service you want.

Using NIASCFG

The Novell Internet Access Server Configuration utility (NIASCFG) is a menu-driven utility used to configure the Novell Internet Access Server 4.1 WAN protocols. It is installed during the installation of Novell Internet Access Server 4.1.

NIASCFG uses a series of menus to configure related sets of parameters. This configuration interface allows you to define LAN and WAN adapter boards, configure LAN and WAN protocols, and bind the protocols to be used for a specific link or connection to the appropriate adapters. You can enter names for new interfaces, specify parameters, and override defaults without using a command line.

Items in NIASCFG correspond to the steps used to configure Novell Internet Access Server 4.1 protocols and routing software. These items should be configured in the order presented in the procedures provided in this guide.