Routers play an indispensable role in Internet cafes, so Internet cafe router configuration issues should receive full attention from network administrators. So how do you configure a router for a large Internet cafe with 400 computers?
Some Internet cafes are still using the old proxy server method, dedicating one PC as a server, installing proxy software, and having all computers in the cafe share Internet access through this proxy server. The disadvantages of this method are: proxy software installation and settings are complex and difficult for non-professionals to manage well;
it requires a dedicated server, which is expensive鈥攃osting upwards of ten thousand, or at least four to five thousand for a lower-end one鈥攁nd ordinary PC servers have poor reliability and crash easily.
How an Internet Cafe Router Works
(1) Workstation A sends the address 12.0.0.5 of Workstation B along with data information in the form of a data packet to Router 1.
(2) After Router 1 receives the data packet from Workstation A, it first extracts the address 12.0.0.5 from the header and calculates the best path to Workstation B based on the routing table: R1->R2->R5->B; and forwards the data packet to Router 2.
(3) Router 2 repeats the work of Router 1 and forwards the data packet to Router 5.
(4) Router 5 similarly extracts the destination address, finds that 12.0.0.5 is on the network segment directly connected to this router, and then delivers the data packet directly to Workstation B.
(5) Workstation B receives the data packet from Workstation A, and one communication process is declared complete.
In reality, besides the primary function of route selection mentioned above, routers also have network traffic control functions. Some routers support only a single protocol, but most routers