After all, what is soft routing, and what are the advantages and disadvantages

1. What is soft routing

Broadly speaking, soft routing is not far from people. For example, adding a piece of router-related information to the home computer operating system can also be regarded as an electronic device with a primary soft routing effect. The unit's network server, which is used to connect to the external network and allocate IP addresses internally, can also be regarded as a soft router. In this way, everyone can have a basic understanding of soft routing.

The positioning of soft routing is obviously the same as that of hard routing, and its function is to replace hard routing. The upper end is connected to the external network, and the lower end is connected to the internal local area network. Then the electronic device of soft routing needs to use at least dual network cards, preferably a combination of gigabit network cards. There is no need to worry if the external end is optical fiber access, the server is still compatible with optical port connections.

Summary: Soft routing is a general term for machines and equipment that use software installation to make electronic devices or servers have the function of simulating routers.

Second, the advantages and disadvantages of soft routing compared to hard routing

1. Advantages of hardware configuration

The hardware configuration architecture of the soft routing is based on the current mainstream PC or server, and the processor function using the X86 architecture is much stronger than that of the general router device. And the pc computer is highly scalable, and it is easier to add memory to enhance the overall data information throughput. The price of soft routing to achieve the same function is much lower than that of hard routing.

2. Expansion advantage

According to the software installed in Windows and Linux systems, the scalability is stronger than that of traditional routers. To advertise, build a server, password-free access, etc., as long as you can think of functions, you can use software to achieve. Hard routing is limited by the speed of the manufacturer's version update, and the flexibility is general.

3. Poor stability

Soft routing is suitable for personal use, but not suitable for operators or unit LANs. One of the main reasons is the general stability, limited by the state of the hardware configuration server. Generally, it is converted from old servers and idle computers, and the phenomenon of crashes cannot be controlled, and the stability is much worse than that of hard routing.

4. High cost of learning and high power consumption

The expansion advantages of soft routing are mentioned above, which means more diversified operations, and the learning cost of getting started is high, which is not suitable for all users. At the same time, the power consumption of personal computers or servers is significantly higher than that of routers, and power consumption is also a factor.

Scenarios for Soft Routing

Now you can directly buy the soft routing equipment assembled by others, without having to assemble it manually. However, the adoption scenarios of soft routing are extremely limited. As mentioned above, it is not suitable for operators, units and other places, so only individual home users are left. It is not recommended for individual home users unless they are extreme enthusiasts. It is much more convenient to buy a router.

Soft routing can only belong to a niche product, and maybe one day it will completely disappear from our sight.