Frequently Asked Questions

Q: How difficult it is to install and implement Traffic Engineering Server in my network?
A: It is not difficult at all. You can open TES User Guide and browse through the installation procedure before you decide to purchase. In brief, TES offers a simple graphical user interface during the installation and implementation phase - that makes the installation to be as easy as installing a Microsoft Windows on your PC. BusinessCom can have the TES unit shipped pre-configured to you, so all you may need is to plug in the cables and power it on.

Q: What expertise and skills are required to run TES?
A: When we designed TES, one of the main concepts was to build a powerful and flexible bandwidth management system that can be run by a person with basic networking skills. The above mentioned graphical user interface is pretty much intuitive and many customers of ours were amazed by it's simplicity. It is also worth to mention that TES was designed to run in the field and to require no advanced knowledge, at the same time not becoming a "black box" like many other automatic bandwidth management solutions are. Once running, it takes less than an hour to get used to the TES design philosophy and you may even refer to the manual rather rarely during it's daily use.

Q: If TES is that easy to install and operate, does that mean it lacks features of more advanced bandwidth management solutions available out there?
A: In fact TES is even more powerful than many other 3rd party solutions. With a standard bandwidth management solution, you are often limited to the functions it's developers have coded in from the beginning. TES is built on a UNIX-like operating system (Linux) and offers all the features the operating system itself is able to support. That is tens of thousands of additional packages - web servers, databases, RADIUS clients and servers, captive portals, VoIP subsystems - PBX, gateways and gatekeepers and everything else you can imagine - even scientific applications! Many thousands Linux packages are even available free of charge, thus you are entering into a whole toolset galaxy to comply with your networking ideas. TES has a full control over each of the mechanism it runs. Please notice that you may need experience running Linux operating system to install packages and configure them. There are myriads of books and online literature available on Linux.

Q: Are you just selling Linux? What is the real difference?
A: The Linux operating system TES is built on is supplied absolutely free of charge. We are selling the TES code (and hardware if that option is purchasd) that has been developed and copyrighted by BusinessCom and includes proprietary QoS and Bandwidth Management procedures - like Throttle Engine with administrative controls, performance enhancing proxies, reporting mechanisms and so on. Not a single Linux distribution alone has all the features TES offers. Besides, getting the same done from scratch on Linux involves months or even years of continuous development with advanced programming and networking skills required. If you are an experienced UNIX systems administrator and programmer, you may want to have everything done yourself from scratch and you may have little interest in TES. If you need to unfold an efficient bandwidth management solution instantly - TES is the way to go.

Q: Does it work with any Internet connections? Is Cable, ISDN, DSL, VSAT or WiFi/WiMAX supported?
A: TES has only a single requirement - your local network has to be Ethernet. Most of ISDN, Cable, DSL, VSAT and Wireless modems support that standard. You may even run exotic connectivity options like GPRS, EDGE, 3G, 4G or anything else you may have there - if it has an Ethernet port and supports Internet Protocol (IP), TES will be able to work in this environment.

Q: If I will have problems with TES, what options do I have?
A: You can contact our technical support to resolve any issue you may have or purchase a TES Remote Administration Service (RAS) that BusinessCom is offering. With a RAS contract, a dedicated BusinessCom engineer will be available to administrate your TES server - it's like having your own experienced systems administrator. The RAS contract offers not only an experienced workforce for your business but saves you cash too. Imagine what would it cost to you to have an experienced UNIX networking engineer in your office all the time. RAS contract is tens to hundreds times less expensive.

Q: How many subscribers can TES serve at maximum?
A: TES-1000 Hardware Solution can serve up to 1000 (one thousand) network subscribers. Traffic Engineering Server Software Only Solution can be run on more powerful hardware and thus serve more than 1000 subscribers.

Q: Can TES be managed remotely?
A: Yes. TES provides Web Admin Panel that can be loaded within any browser and Terminal Access Panel. Both can be accesses directly after strong authentication process. At the same time TES Operator can restrict access to above mentioned panels.

Q: What is the payment method you accept?
A: We normally accept a wire transfer payments, however you can also pay via your credit card. Our processor charges a 5.5% commission for all credit card orders, thus it's a bit more expensive if you go that way, however such possibility is open.