Patton Electronics Dialfire 2960

The spectacularly named Dialfire 2960 is a Remote Access Server. This is a special class of device that includes all the components for dial-in networking into one RU of space. The device has dual power supplies, and models exist which are capable of terminating 96 concurrent calls. The SneakyNet unit only has sufficient Digital Signal Processing capacity (DSP) to support 23 concurrent calls. It connects via a T1 Primary Rate Interface (PRI) to the TDM network, and connects via 10/100 Fast Ethernet to the IP network.

The Dialfire handles all the machinery of dynamically connecting an inbound phone call to a modem, negotiating with it to begin a data channel, figuring out what the caller wants and performing sufficient authentication to grant those services. The Dialfire authenticates users using the 802.1X protocol suite, specifically the Remote Access Dial In User Service (RADIUS) protocol.

Surprisingly, the Dialfire is still a production device and Patton Electronics, a Maryland telecom company can still supply spare parts and new components.