Netopia - Analog and ISDN Backup Options for Netopia Routers

If your primary internet service is down and you wish to utilize a Netopia Backup kit (Analog or ISDN), or your external modem with the Netopia router, here are some options for you to consider.

Parameters:

Below is a list of hardware and firmware loads that this Technical Note is based upon:

Hardware	Firmware/Version
4000 Series Routers ¹	5.3.7 and later
R-Series Routers ²	4.8.4 and later

¹Console port backup supported on 4541 routers after serial number 9729776.
²Feature not supported on the R910 Ethernet router.

PLEASE NOTE: The current version of Netopia Firmware for the 4000 series is 5.3.7, and for the R-Series it is 4.11.3. If you are running an older firmware version, the Netopia router menus may not match the following step-by-step configuration.

Note: Backup functionality was introduced in firmware version 4.3.4. However we highly recommend updating to current version firmware due to firmware fixes and changes in the Netopia menu layout.

To update your router firmware, go to our firmware update page. Firmware upgrade instructions can be found in technote NQG_021.

If you are using Network Address Translation for your primary internet connection please also refer to the Addendum, NQG_043 to this technote.

Options:

4000 Series Backup

New Feature! Backup to an external device, such as another router.
- Supported only on 4000 Series routers (4652, 4622, 4553, 4541 and 4522).
Backup to a modem attached to the console port.
- Console port max speed setting is 57600.
- Feature not supported on the model 4541 until after s/n 9729776.

R-Series Backup

Purchase a TER/20 Analog Module. (This can be done via Netopia Customer Service or an authorized online reseller).
Purchase a TER/31 ISDN Module.
For option 1. or 2. use Installing a TER/XX module as Backup or Fully Converting to R2000 or R3100 router.
Purchase a TE6/DB25 to use in conjunction with your external analog modem (i.e. USR/3Com). See below for the Configuration Steps for TE6/DB25 with your External Modem.

Installing a TER/XX module as Backup:

If you have purchased a TER/20 Analog card or TER/31 ISDN card for the Wan 2 module (i.e. R7120, 7131) you will first need to install the wanlet according to the documentation that came with your Netopia wanlet. See the following technote NQG_105 for installation instructions if you do not have the installation instructions.
After the wanlet has been properly installed please restart the router and telnet or console back into the device. You will now see the router report R7120, R7131, XX20, or XX31.

Configuring your router for Backup Mode:

Go to Quick Menus, and select Add Connection Profile.
Enter the Profile Name of your choice.
Data Link Encapsulation should be set to PPP.
Next, select Encapsulation Options.
Data Compression should remain set to Standard LZS and Send Authentication should be PAP (unless your ISP is using CHAP for PPP authentication).
Enter your Send User Name and Send Password your ISP has assigned you for your dial up account.
Escape once back to Add Connection Profile.
Select IP Profile Parameters.
Set Address Translation Enabled to Yes.
Set Remote IP Address to 127.0.0.2, and Remote IP Mask to 255.255.255.0.
Escape once back to the Add Connection Profile screen, and set Interface Group to Backup.
Next, select Telco Options.
Enter a Number to Dial, or the phone number you use to dial your ISP. If you wish, enter an Alternate Site to Dial, or an alternative phone number from your ISP to be dialed when a connection to the first number fails. An alternate phone number is not required.
If you wish, change your Idle Timeout timer, or the time in seconds it takes to disconnect the backup PPP connection when inactive. The default of 300 seconds is equal to 5 minutes.
Escape once back to the Add Connection Profile screen and select Add Profile Now.
From the Quick Menu screen, select IP Setup.
For Backup IP Gateway enter 127.0.0.2.
For Secondary Domain Name Server enter in the IP Address for the Domain Name Server (DNS) of your backup ISP. Escape once back to Quick Menus.
Select Backup Config.
For Backup to Internal Modem select Automatic.
We recommend you do not change the setting Requires Failure of (minutes): set to 1. This value is the amount of time before you revert to your Backup connection once your Primary connection is lost.
In the Ping Host Name or IP Address field it is recommended that you enter the router's Default Gateway. This will ensure that the router will initiate backup connection on loss of Layer 3 (Network Layer). If you want the router to initiate the backup connection on loss of Layer 1 or 2 (Physical or Data link Layer), leave Ping Host Name or IP Address blank.

Note: Do not use 0.0.0.0 in this field. Hit the space bar or delete key to CLEAR the field totally. Leaving 0.0.0.0 in this field tells the router to ping an address that is nonexistent.
Note: If you are configuring an R9100 for line backup, you MUST enter the router's Gateway as the IP Address to ping to ensure that the backup connection will be initiated when your router loses connection to your ISP. Since the R9100 is an Ethernet to Ethernet router, it is not likely you will have physical or data link line failure.
Set Recovery to Automatic.
The recommended setting for Requires Recovery of [minutes] is 15 .
1. If the router's primary connection fails at layer 1, the Requires Recovery of [minutes] parameter determines the amount of time the primary layer 1 connection must be up (recovered) before the router will tear down the backup connection and revert to the primary interface.
2. If Auto-Recovery on loss of Layer 2 (see description below) is set to Yes, then the Requires Recovery of (minutes) parameter determines the amount of time before the router will tear down the backup connection to check whether the primary connection is up.
Auto-Recovery on Loss of Layer Two should be set to YES.
1. If this value is set to NO you will have to manually force recovery on the Primary Interface. The only exception to this is when failure occurs at Layer 1 (Physical Layer). In this case, the router will auto recover even with Auto-Recovery on loss of Layer 2 set to NO because the router will recover at the physical layer for which it failed.
2. If Auto-Recovery on loss of Layer 2 is set to Yes, and if the Data Link Protocol on the line is Frame Relay with LMI (Local Management Interface), and if the Netopia stops receiving LMI signaling, the router will fail at Layer 2 (Data Link Layer) and revert to backup mode. The router will then tear down the backup connection every "x" minutes, where "x" equals the parameter set in the Requires Recovery of (minutes) field.
3. If Auto-Recovery on loss of Layer 2 is set to Yes, and if the Data Link Protocol is PPP, and if the Netopia stops receiving LCP echo responses from the upstream device, the router will fail at Layer 2 (Data Link Layer), and revert to backup mode. The router will then tear down the backup connection every "x" minutes, where "x" equals the parameter set in the Requires Recovery of (minutes) field.
4. If Auto-Recovery on loss of Layer 2 is set to Yes, and there is no LMI or LCP Echo on the line (i.e. RFC1483 or HDLC), then you must specify an IP address or host name in the Ping Host Name or IP Address field (see step 22).
The Layer 2 Failure Timer is used to specify a shorter amount of time spent attempting to recover, thus reducing network downtime. The Layer 2 Failure Timer specifies the amount of time the router spends determining whether layer 2 is up on the primary interface. For instance, if you set the Layer 2 Failure Timer to 30 seconds, the router, when it tears down the backup connection to check the primary, will spend 30 seconds in primary mode, checking to see if layer 2 is up. Setting Layer 2 Failure Timer to zero will cause it to be equal to the Requires Failure Of value. The suggested number of seconds to set for the Layer 2 Failure Timer will vary, based on the type of primary connection. This is because some primary connections take longer to come up than others (i.e. RFC1483 bridged vs. PPP with PAP authentication). 30 seconds is a good interval to try. The maximum allowed setting for the Layer 2 Failure Timer is 65535.
Setting the Clear Backup Call Only if Idle: field to YES will keep the router from bringing down your backup connection while a data transfer is in place.
Note: The Clear Backup Call only if Idle timer is a separate timer from the Requires Recovery of (minutes) timer. The Netopia router will first reach the Requires Recovery of (minutes) counter and count down 15 minutes (or the time set in step #24). The Netopia will then consult the Clear Backup Call only if Idle timer to learn if the backup connection has been idle for 300 seconds (or the time set in step #28). If the connection has been idle for 300 seconds, then the teardown process of the backup connection begins.
Requires idle time of [Seconds]: recommended value 300.
Data Link Encapsulation should be set to Async PPP.

If you have a TER/31 ISDN module card you will have to perform one extra step.

Go to Quick Menus.
Go to Line Configuration.
Go to the ISDN/U (Wan Module 2) Setup
For Switch Type... choose the switch type given to you by your telephone company. If you are unsure choose National ISDN (NI-1)
For Directory Number 1: enter the first Directory Number supplied to you by your phone company and hit Enter
For SPID 1: enter the first SPID supplied to you by your phone company.
Repeat the above for Directory Number 2 and SPID 2.
Leave the PBX blank unless your ISDN line is dialing through a PBX.
Escape three times back to the Main Menu and go to Utilities/Diagnostics and Restart System.

Note: you should now see a Green Ready light on WAN 2 if your ISDN line and Netopia Router wanlet are communicating properly

Your Netopia router should now be setup to utilize your new backup configuration

Fully Converting to an R2000 Analog or R3100 ISDN router:

This is for installing the TER/20 Analog card or the TER/31 ISDN card to fully convert your router into an R3100 or R2000. If you know that you will not be using the primary wanlet, Wan 1, connection for an extended period of time please do the following.

Open the Netopia router case (According to installation/ re-installation instructions supplied with the TER module kits or with the following technote, NQG_105).
Remove the Wan 1 DSL module (store it in a safe place for later use) and replace it with your new analog (TER/20) or ISDN (TER/31) backup module in Wan 1 according to the TER module installation instructions.
Please restart and telnet or console back into the router.
You now will follow NQG_085 for connecting to your ISP with a generic NAT (Network Address Translation) Account. Your router is now considered a switched dial on demand (DOD) router if in Analog or ISDN state. Your router will now be an R2000 or R3100 router if you properly installed the module in the Wan 1 module slot.

Configuration Steps for TE6/DB25 with your External Modem:

If you have the TE6/DB25 cable purchased from Netopia or you have made a cable yourself (see this technote for the following instructions on how to make your own cable, NIR_042):

Netopia Tech Support recommends using an external modem with a db25 interface, NOT a db9 connection. Some db9 to db25 converters may be problematic and are considered unsupported. Netopia recommends any standard Hayes/USR 56k modem with a db25 interface.

Please connect the HD15 (smaller sized end of TE6/DB25 cable) to the AUX port in the back of the Netopia. The DB25 end will connect to your external modem in its DB25 interface. The external modem will have a dedicated phone line plugged into its phone line port and the external modem should be powered on at this point.

Step by Step Configuration:

Go into Quick Menus, then Line Configuration.
Choose the options for Auxiliary Serial Port....
For Aux Serial Port choose the option of Asynch Modem
For the Data Rate (kbps) make the value 2 X's the speed of the modem (i.e. 56k x 2= 115.2).
Aux Modem Init String is typically AT&F1 for most USR/3Com devices. For other modem dialing strings please consult your modem manufacturer.
Leave the Aux Modem Directory Number blank.

After the router has been restarted, telnet or console back into the router. You are now ready to configure the backup profile.

Step A: Configuring your router for Backup Mode:

Select Quick Menus
Select Backup Config
For 'Backup to Internal Modem' , 'Backup to ISDN', or 'Backup to Auxiliary' select Automatic.
We recommend you do not change the setting 'Requires Failure of (minutes)' 1. This value is the amount of time before your revert to your backup connection once your Primary connection is lost.
In the Ping Host Name or IP Address field it is recommended that you enter the router's Default Gateway. This will ensure that the router will initiate backup connection on loss of Layer 3 (Network Layer). If you want the router to initiate the backup connection on loss of Layer 1 or 2 (Physical or Data link Layer), leave Ping Host Name or IP Address blank.
Note: Do not use 0.0.0.0 in this field. Hit the space bar or delete key to CLEAR the field totally. Leaving 0.0.0.0 in this field tells the router to ping an address that is nonexistent. If you are an ex-Northpoint customer your router may remain trained to the DSLAM on physical layer . Because of this USE THE DEFAULT GATEWAY AS THE HOST NAME TO PING.
If you are configuring an R9100 for line backup, you MUST enter the router's Default Gateway as the IP Address to ping to ensure that the backup connection will be initiated when your router loses connection to your ISP. Since the R9100 is an Ethernet to Ethernet router, it is not likely you will have physical or data link line failure.
Set Recovery to Manual. (This will allow you to fail over to the backup connection automatically but require that you manually telnet or console into the router and establish the Wan 1 connection to re-establish the Wan 1 primary connection.
Data Link Encapsulation should be set to Async PPP.

This completes the Backup Configuration. You now need to create a Backup Connection Profile. See Step B for these instructions.

Step B: Configuration of the Backup profile:

Go to Quick Menus, and select Add Connection Profile.
Enter the Profile Name of your choice.
Data Link Encapsulation should be set to PPP.
Next, select Data Link Options.
Data Compression should remain set to Standard LZS and Send Authentication should be PAP (unless your ISP is using CHAP for PPP authentication).
Enter your Send User Name and Send Password your ISP has assigned you for your dial up account.
Escape once back to Add Connection Profile.
Select IP Profile Parameters.
Set Address Translation Enabled to Yes. Leave IP Addressing as Unnumbered. Leave NAT Map List as Easy-PAT List. Leave NAT Server List as Easy-Servers.
Set Remote IP Address to 127.0.0.2, and Remote IP Mask to 255.255.255.0.
Escape once back to the Add Connection Profile screen, and set Interface Group to Backup.
Next, select Telco Options.
Enter a Number to Dial, or the phone number you use to dial your ISP. If you wish, enter an Alternate Site to Dial, or an alternative phone number from your ISP to be dialed when a connection to the first number fails. An alternate phone number is not required.
If you wish, change your Idle Timeout timer, or the time in seconds it takes to disconnect the backup PPP connection when inactive. The default of 300 seconds is equal to 5 minutes. If you are unsure leave it at 300 secs and contact your network administrator for questions on what to use for your dial on demand timer.
Escape once back to the Add Connection Profile screen and select Commit.
From the Quick Menu screen, select IP Setup.
For Backup IP Gateway enter 127.0.0.2.
For Primary and Secondary Domain Name Server enter in the IP Address for the Name Server (DNS) of your backup ISP. Hit Escape twice and you will be back at the main menu. Go to Utilities/ Diagnostics and choose Restart System and hit enter on Continue.

Your Netopia router should now be setup to utilize your new backup configuration.

Analog and ISDN Backup Options for Netopia Routers

NQG_036