3Com Unveils PRODUCT Rollout Plan for Enterprise-wide Switching Solutions; New products based on customer needs for high performance, cost-effective switching across all network media.SANTA CLARA Santa Clara, city, Cuba Santa Clara (sän`tä klä`rä), city (1994 est. pop. 217,000), capital of Villa Clara prov., central Cuba. , Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dec. 5, 1994--3Com Corporation, the market leader in LAN switching
LAN switching is a form of packet switching used in local area networks. Switching technologies are crucial to network design, or to that minority of LANs that are used outside the home. , Monday announced a comprehensive 18-month switching product rollout plan to help customers build simpler, high performance, scalable networks. The product roadmap, covering enterprise-wide switching solutions for customer networks of all sizes, includes data center, collapsed backbone A network configuration that provides a backbone in a centralized location, to which all subnetworks are attached. A collapsed backbone is implemented in a router or switch that uses a high-speed backplane that can handle the simultaneous traffic of all or most of its ports at full wire and departmental/workgroup switching products for Ethernet, Token Ring A local area network (LAN) access method developed by IBM. Conforming to the IEEE 802.5 standard, Token Ring uses a token ring access method and connects up to 255 nodes in a star topology at 4, 16 or 100 Mbps. , FDDI (Fiber Distributed Data Interface) Often pronounced "fiddy," it was a LAN and MAN access method that had its heyday in the mid-1990s. FDDI was an ANSI standard token passing network that transmitted 100 Mbps over optical fiber up to 10 kilometers. , Fast Ethernet An earlier name for 100Mbps Ethernet. See 100Base-T. (networking) Fast Ethernet - A version of Ethernet developed in the 1990s(?) which can carry 100 Mbps compared with standard Ethernet's 10 Mbps. It requires upgraded network cards and hubs. and ATM. 3Com also today announced the first product deliverables in this plan: the LANplex 2000 series of switching hubs, offering unprecedented price/performance and functionality for departmental/workgroup and small collapsed backbone environments (see Business Wire story (3COM-2) which ran today). Building on market-proven switching technology, 3Com is extending its switching leadership through superior application-specific integrated circuit (hardware) Application-Specific Integrated Circuit - (ASIC) An integrated circuit designed to perform a particular function by defining the interconnection of a set of basic circuit building blocks drawn from a library provided by the circuit manufacturer. (ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit) Pronounced "a-sick." A chip that is custom designed for a specific application rather than a general-purpose chip such as a microprocessor. ) development, breadth of switching product offerings and unsurpassed price/performance. 3Com is the market revenue leader in LAN switching according to according to prep. 1. As stated or indicated by; on the authority of: according to historians. 2. In keeping with: according to instructions. 3. the Yankee Group's 1993 market survey and Dataquest's mid-year 1994 market review. Today's announcements enable 3Com to offer customers the industry's broadest LAN (Local Area Network) A communications network that serves users within a confined geographical area. The "clients" are the user's workstations typically running Windows, although Mac and Linux clients are also used. and ATM switching product line, best performance and lowest cost of ownership. "By the end of 1995, 3Com will have the one of the broadest line of switching products available," said Mary Petrosky of The Burton Group. "I'm impressed that 3Com's switching strategy has LAN switching at its core, where customers will deploy switching first, and provides a flexible migration path to ATM and other high speed technologies." "3Com's comprehensive switching initiative provides every solution that today's mixed environment networks need for improved performance, reliability, security and scalability," said Bob Finocchio finocchio: see fennel. , 3Com's executive vice president, Network Systems Operations. "Our expertise in switching allow us to build cost-effective solutions for customers' applications, while preserving their existing network investments." 3Com Product Rollout 3Com's "best in class" switching product offerings are ideally suited for both data center and departmental applications and are further enhanced by primary downlink technology for FDDI, ATM, Fast Ethernet, and Ethernet-only. The following outlines 3Com's switching product plans: Key: 1Q = First Quarter, calendar year 1H = First Half, calendar year 2H = Second Half, calendar year FDDI Departmental: - LinkSwitch 1000 FDDI (now available in SuperStack format and as a module for LinkBuilder MSH MSH melanocyte-stimulating hormone. MSH abbr. melanocyte-stimulating hormone MSH, n See hormone, melanocyte-stimulating. MSH melanocyte-stimulating hormone. ) - LANplex 2500 (Q1/95) - LinkSwitch Token Ring Switch (2H/95). FDDI Data Center: - LANplex 6000 (now available) - LANplex 5000 (now available) - LANplex 2000 Token Ring Module (2H/95) ATM Departmental: - LinkSwitch Ethernet Switch (1H/95) - LinkSwitch Token Ring Switch (1H/96) ATM Data Center: - CELLplex ATM Switch (1H/95) - LANplex 6000 (2H/95). Fast Ethernet Departmental: - LinkSwitch Ethernet Switch (2H/95). Fast Ethernet Data Center: - LANplex 6000 (2H/95). Ethernet-only Departmental: - LANplex 2016 (Q1/95) - LinkSwitch for SuperStack (1H/95). Switching and 3Com's HPSN HPSN Hot-Pressed Silicon Nitride HPSN High Performance Scalable Networking Architecture LAN and ATM switching are integral components of 3Com's High Performance Scalable Networking (HPSN) architecture, the framework that includes all segments of a network including the workgroup, the building or campus backbone, and remote or personal offices over wide area links. HPSN provides customers with a full range of connectivity solutions and Transcend network management. LAN and ATM switching are strategic building blocks for today's high Today's High The intra-day high trading price. Notes: In other words, this is the highest price that a stock traded at during the course of the day. More often than not this is higher than the closing price. See also: Today's Low performance client/server network infrastructure. Compared with traditional, fully routed solutions, LAN switching solutions are faster, lower cost and simpler for scaling bandwidth. LAN switching is fully interoperable with customers' installed base of adapters, hubs, and routers as well as with today's network standards. LAN switching also offers a cost-effective migration path to ATM. 3Com's HPSN is designed to help customers implement cost-effective LAN and ATM switching solutions. HPSN Stage 2 supports floor-based switching and switching and/or routing in the basement. With higher performance switching solutions on the floor, HPSN positions routing in the basement, using fewer but higher speed routing ports for a more cost-effective solution. 3Com's Technology Leadership 3Com's switching solutions cover a broad spectrum of network environments. The foundation for 3Com's technology leadership is its superior ASIC development efforts for Ethernet, Token Ring, FDDI, Fast Ethernet and ATM. Leading-edge ASIC technology is the competitive advantage that enables 3Com to drive switching to new price/performance and functionality levels. 3Com's Intelligent Switching Engine, or ISE Ise (ē`sā), city (1990 pop. 104,164), Mie prefecture, S Honshu, Japan, on Ise Bay. It is one of the foremost religious centers of Shinto, the site of the shrines of Ise. chip, illustrates the company's superior ASIC development. Optimized for Ethernet and FDDI networks, the ISE chip is the heart of 3Com's new LANplex 2000 series of switching hubs. The ISE chip offers unprecedented switching performance, while delivering all the intelligent switching functions that has made 3Com the market leader. In addition to the ISE chip, 3Com has developed the ZipChip1 for ATM networks and the BRASICA chip for Fast Ethernet networks. These ASIC designs are the basis for new levels of network performance, quality and function, as well as a low cost of ownership. 3Com's Switching Product Families 3Com delivers switching solutions through three product families: LANplex, LinkSwitch and CELLplex. 3Com's LANplex family includes robust bandwidth-aggregation switches that offer broad data link and media options for switched Ethernet, Token Ring, FDDI, Fast Ethernet and ATM networks. 3Com became the market leader in 1993 through widespread customer use of the flagship LANplex 6000 and 5000 chassis-based switches. The LANplex 2000 series, introduced today, includes the LANplex 2500 and LANplex 2016 switches. Combining the robust LANplex feature set and the new ISE chip technology, the LANplex 2500 and 2016 offer customers a revolutionary price/performance point for modular LAN switches. The popular LinkSwitch line delivers low-cost, plug-and-play switching for departmental applications. LinkSwitch provides a flexible and affordable solution for entry level departmental Ethernet switching and FDDI connectivity. It is available as part of 3Com's SuperStack family and as a module for 3Com's LinkBuilder MSH chassis hubs. 3Com plans to offer Token Ring, Fast Ethernet and ATM support for LinkSwitch in 1995. The CELLplex family offers unmatched power, flexibility and resilience features within a range of modular ATM switches. Non-blocking architecture ensures optimal ATM network performance under all traffic conditions. Designed to meet all ATM standards, the CELLplex family complements the LANplex and LinkSwitch families and offers customers the perfect migration path to ATM switched networks. 3Com will announce more specific product, pricing and delivery plans over the next year. 3Com Makes Switching Cost Effective Switching is a strategic investment for boosting performance and future-proofing today's networks. Leveraging its development, manufacturing and distribution expertise, 3Com is making the benefits of these switching solutions more affordable to a broader range of customers. 3Com has successfully applied its volume manufacturing expertise to drive down the cost of ownership of other leading-edge networking products, including EtherLink adapters, NETBuilder routers and LinkBuilder FMS FMS - Flexible Manufacturing System (factory automation). stackable hubs. 3Com now plans to combine its volume manufacturing and technology expertise and to drive down the price of switching per port while increasing performance, functionality, and scalability. Founded in 1979, 3Com Corporation (NASDAQ NASDAQ in full National Association of Securities Dealers Automated Quotations U.S. market for over-the-counter securities. Established in 1971 by the National Association of Securities Dealers (NASD), NASDAQ is an automated quotation system that reports on :COMS COMS 3Com Corporation (stock symbol) COMS Certified Orientation and Mobility Specialist COMS Continuous Opacity Monitoring Systems COMS City of Manchester Stadium (UK) ) pioneered the data networking industry. Today, 3Com offers customers a broad range of ISO (1) See ISO speed. (2) (International Organization for Standardization, Geneva, Switzerland, www.iso.ch) An organization that sets international standards, founded in 1946. The U.S. member body is ANSI. 9000-compliant global data networking solutions that include routers, hubs, switches and adapters for Ethernet, Token Ring and high-speed networks. Headquartered in Santa Clara, Calif., 3Com, a Fortune 500 company, has worldwide research and development, manufacturing, marketing, sales and support capabilities. CONTACT: 3Com Public Relations public relations, activities and policies used to create public interest in a person, idea, product, institution, or business establishment. By its nature, public relations is devoted to serving particular interests by presenting them to the public in the most
Dan Chmielewski, 508/262-1492
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