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One of the issues that many users of our ACCESS codecs are faced with is having to deal with IP network firewalls or trying to access their codecs which are on a private Local Area Network or LAN. Just as when you are trying to make a telephone call, if you don't know the number, you can't make the call. But what if the number can only be accessed from inside your building, as with a PBX extension? In order to get to that extension from outside of your building, you have to go through the main switchboard which then would route your call to the person at the extension you are trying to call.
In the case of your IP codec, which might be sitting on a private LAN, the "switchboard" in this case is a router or Network Address Translator, commonly referred to as a NAT. By telling the router to forward all of the incoming traffic on certain data ports to your codec situated on the internal LAN, a codec user outside of your building is able to connect to your codec inside the building. This process is known as "port forwarding" which is also used to configure network firewalls that provide additional security protocols to protect your internal network.
Well, configuring your own network is usually manageable... if your IT guy is in a good mood and if you can get him to help you out with this process. But what if you are on a client site trying to do a remote and your client's IT guy doesn't want to put an "unknown" computer on his network? Or what if you're trying to connect back to your studio from a hotel room using the hotel's high-speed Internet connection?
BRIC TS is a server which is maintained by Comrex and located at a secure site. Use of this server is free. A BRIC-enabled device simply needs to apply the one-time license unlock for each device that will be used on BRIC TS. A user or administrator would log on to the BRIC TS website and create an account. Once an account has been created, a group of codecs is defined. Each codec is then identified in the group listing by its MAC (Media Access Control) address. Multiple groups can be created within each account. For example, if you have ten ACCESS codecs and five are used by the News department and five are used by the FM Rock station, you can create two groups: News Department and Rock 101.1. Each group would be able to access only codecs in their own group. However, it is possible for individual codecs to join other groups.
Once the account has been created, the group (or groups) has been defined and codecs identified, each BRIC-TS enabled codec is then configured to "Use Directory Server". When the codec is connected to an Internet connection, it will automatically communicate with the BRIC Traversal Server and sync up. A listing of all of the codecs in that particular group will then be displayed in the "Connections" list on each of the synced codecs. This "Buddy List" of codecs will display the names of the other devices in the group, their connection status (indicated by a colored icon), their IP address and their availability. A codec user can then simply select the device they want to use and hit the "Connect" button. Devices that are not synced with BRIC TS are denoted by the ">" icon.
BRIC TS is available as an optional accessory for ACCESS. It can be purchased through your favorite Comrex dealer and is sold as a license unlock key which can be applied by the user or remotely from Comrex. Contact your dealer for pricing. Also, ACCESS firmware version 2.5 or later is required on each unit that you want to be BRIC TS enabled. The most current version of ACCESS firmware is available for download at www.comrex.com/updates. This free firmware update is also available by contacting Comrex Tech Support at (978) 784-1776.
Without getting bogged down in too much technical detail, let's make it simple. BRIC TS is designed to allow your BRIC codecs (such as ACCESS) to connect with each other without having to have an IT guy onsite everywhere you go.
The diagram to the right shows a typical NAT Router scenario: a codec connecting to BRIC TS "punches a hole" through the NAT or firewall which in turn allows for a return path back to the codec. Once a codec has reached out to another device on the BRIC TS, the two units handshake and exchange all of the "technical details" that they need to send audio back and forth.
These "details" include the specific route that data needs to travel to get to each device. This is really the tricky part since NATs and firewalls can make it difficult for data to get through. However, once the two devices have made contact via the BRIC TS, a "Peer-to-Peer" connection is established and audio is bidirectionally transmitted until either one of the units disconnects or the circuit is terminated.
