User`s guide

Configure Digi devices
105
Remote management settings
The Remote Management configuration page sets up the connection to the iDigi Platform remote
management server so the Digi device knows how to connect to the server. The iDigi Platform
allows devices to be configured and managed from remote locations. To use the iDigi Platform as a
remote manager of a Digi device, follow the procedures that begin on page 50.
There are two pages of remote management settings: Connections and Advanced settings.
Connection settings
The Connection settings configure how the Digi device connects to a remote management server.
These settings include information about communication between client and server and the
connection methods used by the various interfaces on the system.
About client-initiated and server-initiated connections
Digi devices can be configured to connect to and communicate with a remote management server
through client-initiated or server-initiated connections. To illustrate how both types of connections
work, here is a configuration scenario featuring Digi devices communicating over a cellular
network with a remote management server running in the home office.
Addresses for Digi devices can be publicly known, or private and dynamic, or handled through
Network Address Translation (NAT). NAT reduces the need for a large amount of publicly known
IP addresses by creating a separation between publicly known and privately known IP addresses.
NAT allows a single device, such as a router, to act as an agent between a public network, such as
the Internet or a wireless network, and a private, or local, network. This means that only one
unique IP address is needed to represent an entire group of computers. Addresses handled through
NAT can access the rest of “the world,” but “the world” cannot access them.
In a client-initiated connection, the Digi device attempts to connect to the network, and will
continue attempts to reach the remote management server to establish the connection. To maintain
the connection, the Digi device sends keep-alive messages over the connection. The frequency
with which keep-alive messages are sent is configurable. An advantage of client-initiated
connections is that they can be used in any cellular network, whether public or private IP addresses
are used, or even if NAT is used. A disadvantage is that you can be charged for the Digi device
sending the keep-alives, depending on your cellular/mobile service plan.