In April 2017, the all-new MRO series of compact, high-performance professional routers is due to be launched by M2M and IoT solutions specialist INSYS icom.
MRO series routers are based on the established MRX modular router platform and support edge as well as cloud computing.
Chief among the various cutting-edge features of the MRO is the built-in icom SmartBox, an LXC-based Linux environment for edge computing: the icom SmartBox allows for local storage and processing of data and enables programs and scripts to be executed regardless of the router operating system and configuration.
This is made possible by Linux containers (LXC) which run different applications independently and completely closed off from each other. Since every individual container has its own IP and MAC address, it can be addressed directly as a virtual device behind the router. Additional peripherals can also be virtualised to save costs. This solution also allows for implementing encryption as well as direct communication between containers, eg via APIs.
INSYS icom experts have developed the MRO series based on the same high-performance hardware that has been used for the modular MRX series.
Users will also find the same tools to be available, namely a profile manager that facilitates quick and easy configuration changes, testing configurations and reverting to previous configurations if necessary.
In addition, automatic switching between several stored configurations can be done manually via the key switch function or be triggered by customisable pre-set events. New user roles also allow for flexible access levels to the router.
The MRO series offers a wide range of other IT security features as well. These include, eg, event-based messages, which users of all other INSYS routers will be familiar with.
A firewall, MAC filtering and VPN provide maximum security. For instance, multiple parallel VPN tunnels can be set up and remote maintenance access connections can be segregated from each other by a firewall in the VPN tunnel. To enable a secure subdivision of local networks, the five LAN ports can be separated into up to five IP networks (WAN or LAN). Of course, the MRO series also supports the INSYS VPN service quick start.