If your primary internet service is down and you wish to utilize a Netopia Backup Configuration, 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 *	5.3.7 and later

* 4541 routers after serial number 9729776 will support Console port backup.
* 4553 G.SHDSL routers after serial number 9882752 will support Console port backup to an external modem.

PLEASE NOTE: The current version of Netopia Firmware for the 4000 series is 5.3.9 R4. If you are running an older firmware version, the Netopia router menus may not match the following step-by-step configuration. We highly recommend updating to current 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.

Options

4000 Series Backup

New Features!

1. 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.
   • Feature not supported on the model 4553 G.SHDSL router until after s/n 9882752.
2. Backup to an external device, such as another router.
   • Supported only on 4000 Series routers (4652, 4622, 4553, 4541 and 4522).
   • Click Here! if your backup device is another router on the local area network.

Configuration for Serial Backup

Step A: Configure the Serial Port:

1. Go into Quick Menus, then Line Configuration.
2. Select Serial Port Setup....
3. For Serial Port Mode choose the option of Modem/Auto
4. For the Data Rate (bps) make the value 57600.
5. Serial Modem Init String is typically AT&F1 for most USR/3Com devices. For other modem dialing strings please consult your modem manufacturer.
6. Leave the Serial Modem Directory Number blank.
7. Press the "Esc" key three times to return to the Main Menu.

Step B: Configuring your Backup:

1. Select Quick Menus
2. Select Backup Config
3. For Backup is... select Automatic.
4. We recommend you do not change the setting Requires Failure of (minutes) 1. This value is the amount of time before you revert to your Backup connection once your Primary connection is lost.
5. 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.
6. Set Recovery to Automatic.
7. 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 switch from the backup interface 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 switch from the backup connection to check whether the primary connection is up.
8. Auto-Recovery on Loss of Layer 2 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 4).
9. 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.
10. 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 #7). 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 #11). If the connection has been idle for 300 seconds, then the teardown process of the backup connection begins.

11. Requires idle time of [seconds]: recommended value 300.

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

Step C: Configure the Backup Profile:

1. Go to Quick Menus, and select Add Connection Profile.
2. Enter the Profile Name of your choice.
3. Encapsulation Type should be set to PPP.
4. Next, select Encapsulation Options.
5. Data Compression should remain set to Standard LZS and Send Authentication should be PAP (unless your ISP is using CHAP for PPP authentication).
6. Enter your Send User Name and Send Password your ISP has assigned you for your dial up account.
7. Escape once back to Add Connection Profile.
8. Select IP Profile Parameters.
9. Set Address Translation Enabled to Yes. Set IP Addressing as Unnumbered. Leave NAT Map List as Easy-PAT List. Leave NAT Server List as Easy-Servers.
10. Leave the Local WAN IP Address: as 0.0.0.0.
11. Set Remote IP Address to 127.0.0.2, and Remote IP Mask to 255.255.255.0.
12. Escape once back to the Add Connection Profile screen, and set Interface Group to Backup.
13. Next, select Telco Options.
14. 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.
15. 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.
16. Escape once back to the Add Connection Profile screen and select Commit.
17. From the Quick Menu screen, select IP Setup.
18. For Backup IP Gateway enter 127.0.0.2.
19. For 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.
20. Go to Utilities/ Diagnostics and choose Restart System and hit enter on Continue.

Configuration for Backup to a LAN Router

This feature lets your router backup to another LAN router, such as an ISDN router connected to an auxiliary ISP. The router must have an ethernet IP address on the same local subnet as the LAN IP of the Netopia 4000 Series router.

Step A: Configuring your Backup Gateway:

1. From the Main Menu, go to Quick Menus...
2. Enter the IP Setup field.
3. In the Backup IP Gateway: field, enter the LAN IP address of the backup router. Hit Enter (or Return).
4. For Secondary Domain Name Server enter in the IP Address for the Name Server (DNS) of your backup ISP.
5. Esc back to the Quick Menu screen.

Step B: Configuring your Backup:

1. Select Quick Menus.
2. Select Backup Config.
3. For Backup is... select Automatic.
4. We recommend you do not change the setting Requires Failure of (minutes) 1. This value is the amount of time before you revert to your Backup connection once your Primary connection is lost.
5. 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 go into backup mode on loss of Layer 3 (Network Layer). If you want the router to go into backup mode 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.
6. Set Recovery to Automatic.
7. 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 switch from the backup interface 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 switch from the backup interface to check whether the primary connection is up.
8. 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 switch out of backup mode to check the primary interface 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 switch out of backup mode to check the primary interface 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 4).
9. Alternatively, you can 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 primary connection.
10. The Clear Backup Call only if idle: field should be left set to No.
11. Data Link Encapsulation cannot be changed from the default setting.
12. Go to Utilities/ Diagnostics and choose Restart System and hit enter on Continue.

This completes the Backup Configuration.

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