SMC Barricade 7004/7008BR DSL Router tips

The SMC Barricade 7004BR and 7008BR are inexpensive appliance firewalls with a traditional “small firewall” feature set – 4 port 10/100 ethernet switch, DHCP server, DHCP client, NAT firewall, support for 5 NAT port translations (“Virtual Servers”), support for PPPoE, DSL, and cable modem connections, and browser-based administration. The barricade has some nice features that set it apart from the competition – an LPR print server, hackable outbound FAX modem server support, dial-up backup, FTP/TFTP firmware image transfer and serial port console/CLI access.

The 7004BR is a compact 4 port router, the 7008BR is its larger, metal-cased cousin with 8 ethernet ports. The 7008BR is a favorite of mine because it uses a standard power cord instead of a “brick” transformer.

With time, the firmware has evolved. The router now supports 20 NAT port translations, port range translations, inbound port triggers, performance increases, enhancements for PPTP and IPSEC support, static routes and inbound and outbound packet filtering.

Unfortunately, the 7004BR and 7008BR have been discontinued – the new model, the SMC 7004ABR has different firmware and a different featureset. After watching the firmware mature on the old model, I’m hesitant to upgrade to a new model with new firmware.

The SMC 7004BR is made by AMIT, who also OEMs the router for D-Link, Asante, 3com, and other manufacturers.

Support tips:

To perform a hard reset of the router, turn the router off, short out pins 3 and 8 on the serial port, then turn it on. The M1 light will blink 8 times, then flicker. If you pull the short off before the flicker, you will perform a hard reset. If you wait until the M1 light flickers, the router is in “crash recovery” mode. This mode can be used to upgrade the firmware on a hosed router, or install firmware from another vendor.

If your router seems hosed, use a laplink (or “Null-Modem” serial cable) and communications software to connect your PC to the router. Use the settings 9600 baud, no stop bits, 8 data bits, one parity bit. Connect the PC to the serial port of the router. Turn the router off and back on again. When the M1 light blinks, hit the enter key. You should see AT, then a menu that will allow you to change the IP address, disable/enable DHCP, and change the password.

Printers that require bi-directional communications (which include most new printers which install a system tray icon, provide information regarding paper status, etc) WILL NOT WORK. If your printer manufacturer provides “corporate” drivers, they may not use bi-directional communication and may work.

With Windows 2000, you can use the built-in LPR printer support. Use Raw mode, and enable “Byte Counting”.

To find out how long your router has been up, go to http://192.168.123.254/sysinfo.htm. The u-time field is the uptime.

Links:

Drivers:

The most current AMIT firmware is nbp195j.exe. AMIT is the original equipment manufacturer of the router.

The most current SMC firmware is BR_196h2.zip. SMC has rolled in many of the fixes and features of other manufacturers.

Eusso made the most feature-rich firmware, including some SPI firewall stuff and syslog. Their most current version is UIS1400-A_FW1.96h3.zip

All of the firmware, drivers, utilities, and documentation I’ve collected are available at http://www.kataan.org/public/barricade-files

Have any additions? Please let me know.

Specifications:

  • Firewall security against hackers
  • Simultaneous Internet access for up to 253 PCs on the LAN using only one IP address
  • LAN and IP addresses auto-assigned and easily managed
  • Connect to a cable modem, xDSL router, dial-up modem
  • 4-port 10/100 Mbps switch versatility plus one port for WAN connection
  • All-in-one networking solution provides switching, IP sharing, print server, and firewall security
  • Print server access from any PC on your network.
  • IP routing supports wide range of popular applications

Connectivity

  • Four 10/100 RJ-45 ports
  • One 10 Base-T Broadband WAN port
  • One DB-9 port for PSTN/ISDN connection
  • One DB-25 printer port

Conection Sharing/ Supported Protocols

  • Static IP, Dynamic IP, PPPoE, Dial-up networking

  • TCP/IP, RIP1, RIP2, PPTP (VPN)

LEDs

  • Power
  • Ready/test
  • Link
  • Activity

Print Server

  • Supports Win 95/98/NT with included PRTmate software
  • Native support for Windows NT 4.0/2000/XP/UNIX LPR

Configuration & Management

  • Web-based
  • Win AP monitoring

Maximum Users

  • NAT: 253 PCs

Features

  • DHCP server, VPN
  • Dynamic DNS, UPnP

Size

  • 6.4″ x 4.0″ x 1.1″

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