The SoftRouter allows multiple users to share a single Internet Account and connection, reducing costs and increasing flexibility. In it basic version, the SoftRouter allows any five client machines on your network to simultaneously access the Internet by sharing a single IP address. Ten and unlimited user configurations are available as options.

Network Address Translation (NAT) to performs all necessary address translations transparently. Therefore, clients need not even know they are accessing the Internet through the server. As a result, network administrators are able to give users any IP address for internal use and only use an "Internet assigned" address for external communications. This is particularly valuable given the shortage of Internet addresses, as well as the time and cost of obtaining multiple addresses.

A good way to explain how this works is to give a simple example:

A user on the local network wants to view a web page available at CNN's web site, www.cnn.com: the user enters the web address into their browser, which requests the page from the CNN web server.

This request is passed to the server, as this is designated as your connection to the Internet. The server does it's bit of magic and modifies the request from the browser of your internal machine to look like it comes from the server itself, then sends it to the CNN web server.

This request is fulfilled, and the requested page comes back. The server receives this returned piece of information, processes it, remembers who requested it on the local network, then sends it to that machine. The browser doesn't know any different, and neither does the web server. The server does this for all requests out onto the Internet from machines on the local network.

NAT has considerable advantages over traditional proxy based systems, such as:

	Speed Of Access - Because Vicomsoft's Internet connectivity server products processes Internet requests in real time, there is no performance difference from the client machine being directly connected, obviously within the limitations of the type of Internet connection.
	Client software support - Being true TCP/IP Router based, Vicomsoft's server products has no compatibility problems with any software running on the client machines, and requires no proprietary client configuration or software.

There is a table available providing a comprehensive comparison of Vicomsoft NAT solutions against traditional proxy servers.

If you want to know more about NAT, see the Vicomsoft KnowledgeShare document on NAT.

Almost any connection method can be used, including modem, cable modem, DSL, T1, leased line, Telco Return systems and the latest generation of wireless connectivity. Direct support for PPPoE (Point to Point Protocol over Ethernet) is included, without requiring any third-party client software, or special client configuration. With this flexibility also comes the ability to connect and route TCP/IP information between different network types, such as Ethernet Network, 802.11 Wireless Networks (such as Apple's AirPort) and Token Ring networks.

If you want to know more about Cable Modems or DSL, see the Vicomsoft KnowledgeShare resources on Cable Modems and DSL technology.

Shared Internet Access also acts as a Firewall, preventing unauthorized access back into the local network from the Internet.

If Shared Internet Access is not required - in the case of a purchased range of IP numbers for example - the server can be used as a true TCP/IP router for connecting to the Internet.

If you want to know more about PPPoE, please see our KnowledgeShare document on the subject