From mcdonc.home.mindspring.com...

Redback is not only the name of the server, it is also the name of the company that makes the server. Their website is here.

In other words, Redback is only the name of the router. These are DSL Routers. There are several companies that make DSL Routers, Redback is only one. Others include Juniper, Cisco, and more.

The major significance of Redback is that it receives the ATM Cells right from the ATM Cloud and is able to strip away the ATM Cell and retain the RVPI/RVCI information so it can route the packets back to the specific customer that requested them. Redback is essentially a gateway into the Mindspring Network.

During authentication, Redback checks with Radius to make sure that a customer has access to our network, and to assign that customer a Mindspring IP address. Redback associates that IP address with the customer's RVPI/RVCI information and this is how it is able to retrace the information about where on the other side of the ATM Cloud it should send the response to a request.

After authentication, Redback knows that a customer has access to use us as a gateway into the internet cloud, so it passes internet requests on to a Cisco router and then out into the Internet Cloud. From that point on, Redback acts as a liason between the ATM Cloud and the Internet Cloud, making sure that packets get routed to the right customer, or that internet requests get sent on to their respective location in the WWW.

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by joepa edited by KeysCapt
last modified: 2003-11-20 21:38:06