Technology Positioning Statement Report

6.1.3 Modems

Category: 6 - Networks   Subcategory: 1 - Enterprise Networks

Vision
Retirement	Containment	Current	Tactical	Strategic

Standards
Industry Usage	SC Usage
K56flex V.90	V.90

Performance Metrics Speed (should be 56kbps rated at a minimum). Internal modem cards should be ACPI compliant.

Usage and Dependencies Industry Usage: Modems, for connecting to the Internet via analog telephone lines, are still in common use in residential and small business environments, and probably will be for a long time, because of the massive installed base of telephone wires. The highest bandwidth for dial-ups is usually limited to 53kbps, although ISDN and other alternatives allow 2 or more times higher bandwidths by using additional wire pairs. Modems are often prohibited in office settings where a LAN is available, because they can introduce security holes and viruses that bypass the network firewall. SC Usage: Modems are used in FAX machines and in portable computers. A J&L Chatterbox communications server provides PC users with dial-in access to the SC LAN. It contains US Robotic modems (12 @ 28.8kbps, 2 @ 14.4kbps). Phone lines are programmed for automatic rollover to an available port. A SynOptics Terminal Server 3395A subsystem is installed in SC's root 3030 concentrator, supplying the user with IP services, including telnet, SLIP, and PPP. There is an 800- number and hunt group associated with the ports configured for telnet session access to the HP 755 server. There are three Castelle FAX servers, two in Germantown and one in the Forrestal building. (1997 data). SC Application Architecture: Indirect. The Flexiplace initiative will require use of modems in dial-up network applications.
Last Update:	Valid Until:
3/29/2001	4/29/2001

References Previous TPS Report