Configuring Ethernet and serial ports 113IPLink Software Configuration Guide 10 • IP context overview• IP address of the central TFTP server used for configuration upload and downloadSerial interface related informationThe IPLink supports the V.35 and X.21 standard for synchronous serial interfaces with speeds up to 2 Mbps.Devices that communicate over a serial interface are divided into two classes:• Data terminal equipment (DTE)—The device at the user end of the user-to-network interface. The DTEconnects to a data network via data DCE, and typically uses clocking signals generated by the DCE.• Data communications equipment (DCE)—The device at the network end of the user-to-network interface.The DCE provides a physical connection to the network, forwards traffic, and provides a clocking signalused to synchronize data transmission between DCE and DTE devices.The most important difference between these types of devices is that the DCE device supplies the clock signalthat paces the communications on the interface.Note The IPLink serial ports are configured as DTE by default.Before you connect a device to the synchronous serial port, labeled SERIAL 0/0 on IPLink, you need to checkthe following:• Confirm that the device to which you are connecting to is a DCE providing a clock signal on the synchro-nous serial interface.• Type of connector, male or female, required to connect at the device• Signaling protocol required by the device must be X.21 or V.35QoS related informationCheck with your access service provider if there are any QoS related requirements, which you need to knowprior to configuring IPLink software QoS management. Check the following with your access service provider:• What is the dedicated bandwidth, which you have agreed with your access service provider?• How does your provider perform packet classification, e.g. which ToS bits have to be used to define the sup-ported classes of service?Configuring Ethernet and serial portsIn IPLink software, Ethernet and serial ports represent the physical connectors on the IPLink hardware. Sinceports are closely-knit with the physical structure of an IPLink, they cannot be created but have to be configured.The configuration of a port includes parameters for the physical and data link layer such as framing and encapsu-lation formats or media access control. Before any higher-layer user data can flow through a physical port, youmust associate that port with an interface within the IP context. This association is referred to as a binding.For information and examples on how to configure an Ethernet port, refer to chapter 13, “Ethernet port con-figuration” on page 137 or for a serial port to chapter 15, “Serial port configuration” on page 167.Creating and configuring IP interfacesIPLink software supports one instance of the IP context, named router. The number and names of IP interfacesdepend upon your application scenario. In IPLink software, an interface is a logical construct that provides
