Enterprises cut costs with open-source routers

Early adopters gain flexibility and big savings

Open-source is everywhere -- operating systems, application software, development tools. So why not routers, too?

It's a question that Sam Noble, senior network system administrator for New Mexico Supreme Court's Judicial Information Division, pondered while looking for a way to connect courthouses statewide to a new centralized case management system. Noble sought a DSL router that would be affordable and customizable, but found that the ISP-supplied modem lacked remote monitoring of local link status. This was vital, in his opinion, so the division could monitor the status of the DSL connection at each of several layers lower than just the 'Can I pass traffic?' test that one is limited to using the ISP's modems, Noble explains.

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