Adaptec announces 10 new ATM network interface cards; ATM NICs designed to relieve throughput bottlenecks.MILPITAS, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb. 6, 1995--Adaptec (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 :ADPT ADPT Automated Data Processing/Telecommunications ADPT Adaptec Corporation (stock symbol) ADPT Adaptive Prediction ADPT Auger Depth Profiling Technique ADPT Automated Data Processing Telecommunications ADPT Adapter ) Monday announced the introduction of 10 ATM network interface cards that enable desktop computers and departmental servers to connect to corporate computing resources and the enterprise network backbone -- with the scalability and performance advantages of asynchronous transfer mode See ATM. (communications) Asynchronous Transfer Mode - (ATM, or "fast packet") A method for the dynamic allocation of bandwidth using a fixed-size packet (called a cell). See also ATM Forum, Wideband ATM. ATM acronyms. Indiana acronyms. (ATM). These ATM adapters represent the company's long-term strategy to relieve networking bottlenecks for desktop computers and network servers, and are the first to be developed by Adaptec's InterNetworking Technology (INTO) business unit. Adaptec's 10 new network interface cards (NICs) operate at the industry-standard speed of 155 Mbps or the Desktop ATM25 Alliance's 25.6 Mbps speed, currently in review by the ATM Forum A membership organization founded in 1991 to promote ATM networking technology. It worked with ANSI and the ITU to set standards. Its first specification in 1992 defined the User-Network Interface (UNI). In 2004, the Forum merged with the MPLS and Frame Relay Alliance. . This initial wave of products is part of Adaptec's new NIOBE (network input/output bottleneck eliminator) family of ATM NICs. The NIOBE NICs have undergone exhaustive interoperability testing for seamless compatibility with ATM Forum-compliant products. Introducing the NIOBE family of ATM NICs The NIOBE ATM NICs will be available in three product lines: the Server/High-Performance line, the PowerDesktop line and the Desktop25 line. The Server/High-Performance NICs are designed for enterprise network servers and corporate computing resources. The PowerDesktop line is designed for departmental servers and both Intel and RISC-based workstations. The Desktop25 line satisfies the demands of decision-support systems, including the new Pentium systems and SPARCstations as well as 486-based computers. Adaptec's initial PowerDesktop and Desktop25 NICs are designed for PCI-, SBus- and Micro Channel-based computers. For PCI (1) (Payment Card Industry) See PCI DSS. (2) (Peripheral Component Interconnect) The most widely used I/O bus (peripheral bus). computers, there are the ANA-5940 multimode fiber (MMF See multimode fiber. ), ANA-5930 (UTP UTP (uridine triphosphate): see uracil. (Unshielded Twisted Pair) See twisted pair. UTP - unshielded twisted pair 5) and ANA-5910 (UTP3) NICs with the former two running at 155 Mbps and the latter running at 25.6 Mbps. For the SBus, the ANA-5240 supports MMF while the ANA-5230 supports Category 5 UTP at 155 Mbps and the ANA-5210 operates over Category 3 UTP at 25.6 Mbps. The ANA-5610 is a Micro Channel product that supports 25.6 Mbps operation over Category 3 UTP. "By working closely with our customers, Adaptec has defined a broad ATM NIC product family to meet the diverse end user requirements for this emerging high-speed networking technology," said Clay Marr, vice president and general manager of Adaptec's INTO business unit. "The NIOBE family of products will ship with extensive software and will be fully interoperable with leading ATM switches, routers and edge devices." Advanced Software Drivers Adaptec's NIOBE ATM NICs are bundled with communications software that conforms to the ATM Forum UNI 3.0 specifications for the private user to network interface. Software conforming to the UNI 3.1 specification will ship in the second quarter of 1995. LAN Emulation and Classical IP over ATM (RFC-1577) ensure industry-wide compatibility with a full range of ATM products enabling users to maintain their investment in legacy LAN technology. For the PCI platform, the NICs will initially provide complete ATM software for the Windows NT operating system environment. This will be followed by NetWare, OS/2, AIX (Advanced Interactive eXecutive) IBM's Unix-based operating system which runs on its Intellistation workstations and pSeries, p5, iSeries and i5 server families. , OSF See Open Group. OSF - Open Software Foundation and UNIX UNIX Operating system for digital computers, developed by Ken Thompson of Bell Laboratories in 1969. It was initially designed for a single user (the name was a pun on the earlier operating system Multics). driver support. The SBus NICs will initially provide complete ATM software for Solaris 2.3 and 2.4, with Sun OS 4.1.X support to follow. The Micro Channel card is based on the same core architecture as the PCI cards, and will initially ship with OS/2 driver support, followed closely by DOS/Windows and Windows NT. Advanced Hardware All products are single-slot adapters with a high-performance architecture that implements the ATM adaption adaption see adaptation. layer (AAL (ATM Adaption Layer) The part of the ATM protocol that breaks up application packets into 48-byte payloads which become ATM cells when the 5-byte headers are attached. The AAL resides between the higher layer transport protocols and the ATM layer. ) 5 protocol-conversion feature. This feature allows non-ATM traffic to traverse ATM networks. Each NIC (1) (Network Interface Card) See network adapter. See also InterNIC. (2) (New Internet Computer) An earlier Linux-based computer from The New Internet Computer Company (NICC), Palo Alto, CA. provides either 25.6 or 155 Mbps of data stream capacity, full duplex, and up to 1,024 virtual channel identifiers. Interoperability Interoperability is one of Adaptec's strengths and it is critical to market acceptance of ATM. Extensive interoperability testing is a key component of engineering development and all Adaptec NICs will interoperate with key network vendors' ATM products. Pricing and availability Initial manufacturer's suggested retail pricing (MSRP MSRP Manufacturer's Suggested Retail Price MSRP Message Session Relay Protocol MSRP Multi-Species Recovery Plan (US Fish & Wildlife Service) MSRP Member of the Society for Radiological Protection (UK) ) for Adaptec's ATM NICs is as follows: -0- PowerDesktop Line (MSRP) (PCI products) ANA-5940 (512K on-board buffer memory, 155 Mbps, MMF) $995 ANA-5930 (512K, 155 Mbps, UTP 5) $895 (SBus products) ANA-5240 (512K, 155 Mbps, MMF) $995 ANA-5230 (512K, 155 Mbps, UTP 5) $895 Desktop25 Line (PCI products) ANA-5910 (128K, 25.6 Mbps, UTP 3) $349 ANA-5910 (512K, 25.6 Mbps, UTP 3) $449 (SBus products) ANA-5210 (128K, 25.6 Mbps, UTP 3) $349 ANA-5210 (512K, 25.6 Mbps, UTP 3) $449 (Micro Channel products) ANA-5610 (128K, 25.6 Mbps, UTP 3) $449 ANA-5610 (512K, 25.6 Mbps, UTP 3) $549 Note: All 10 NICs will be available in Q2 1995. -0- Adaptec Inc. (NASDAQ:ADPT), designs, manufactures and markets IOware solutions to eliminate performance bottlenecks between microcomputers, networks, and peripherals. Solutions range from simple connectivity products for single-user and small-office desktops, to intelligent subsystem, high-performance SCSI SCSI in full Small Computer System Interface Once common standard for connecting peripheral devices (disks, modems, printers, etc.) to small and medium-sized computers. SCSI has given way to faster standards, such as Firewire and USB. , RAID and ATM products for enterprise-wide computing and networked environments. Adaptec I/O (Input/Output) The transfer of data between the CPU and a peripheral device. Every transfer is an output from one device and an input to another. See PC input/output. I/O - Input/Output solutions are incorporated into the products of virtually all the major computer and peripheral manufacturers around the world. Founded in 1981 and headquartered in Milpitas, Adaptec is a recognized market leader in high-performance I/O technology. Adaptec currently employs approximately 1,700 people, and with its global distribution network, serves customers worldwide. -0- Note to Editors: Adaptec, IOware and NIOBE are trademarks of Adaptec Inc., which may be registered in some jurisdictions. All other trademarks used are owned by their respective owners. -0- For product information: Literature, 800/934-2766 Presales, 408/945-8600 CONTACT: Adaptec Inc. Ben Gibson, 408/957-6638 |
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