Advanced Telecommunications Modules Inc. Announces Low Cost ATM PC Workgroup Solutions; Networking Technology Enables Shared Multimedia Applications.SUNNYVALE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--April 26, 1995--A complete high-speed networking solution that for the first time brings affordable ATM networking to the PC workgroup was introduced today by Advanced Telecommunications Modules Inc. (ATM Inc.) Three categories of products form the new Virata family -- Windows-compatible PC network interface cards (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. ), an ATM PC workgroup switch A network switch designed for LAN traffic within an enterprise. Contrast with carrier-class switch. and a multimedia file server. This 25.6 Mbps product line represents the first time that ATM technology has been affordable in the personal computer workgroup environment. The result is an ATM solution that: -- is compatible with existing local networks on currently installed wire; -- fits easily within the PC hardware/software environment; and, -- also fits into the larger enterprise network and links to the "campus" network backbone. Already the new ATM Inc. products are proving their usefulness in applications as diverse as the Cambridge (U.K.) Interactive Cable Television trials, where it is supporting ATM network users for multiple content services, and at Olivetti Research Labs where it is supporting video conferencing See videoconferencing. (communications) video conferencing - A discussion between two or more groups of people who are in different places but can see and hear each other using electronic communications. and mailservices. The architecture can be extended to handle additional modules, such as video cameras and audio components. This long awaited development immediately brings all of the graphics and video networking capabilities of ATM down to the small, networked PC work team. In the long term, it makes real such important new applications as video mail, video conferencing and massive quantities of audio or video data on demand. "There is a pressing need for people to be able to share not just data, but also graphics and video," said Pat O'Hearn, ATM Inc. president. "The current solution, Ethernet, simply doesn't have the performance or the bandwidth for the job. ATM, with its low latency Low latency allows human-unnoticeable delays between an input being processed and the corresponding output providing real time characteristics. This can be especially important for internet connections utilizing services such as online gaming and VOIP - VOIP is not as important as , QOS, scalability and wide bandwidth does have what it takes. It is the optimal solution for the task at hand." ATM's technical superiority over Ethernet has long been recognized -- but the biggest obstacle to general use of ATM has been its price. "The problem has been it has cost $2,000 or more per seat to implement ATM. That's four times the price of switched Ethernet An Ethernet network that is controlled by a switch instead of a shared hub. The switch cross connects all clients, servers and network devices, giving each sending-receiving pair the full rated transmission speed. and much too expensive for the average user," said Fred Sammartino, ATM Inc. vice president of business development. "By bridging that gap with a new hardware/software solution, ATM Inc. has now made the jump to ATM not only affordable, but also easy to do -- all at per-seat switched Ethernet prices." At the heart of the new ATM Inc. family is a common soft, scalable architecture and operating system operating system (OS) Software that controls the operation of a computer, directs the input and output of data, keeps track of files, and controls the processing of computer programs. , with features that include: -- Inexpensive, programmable ARM RISC processors and ATM Inc.-developed 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. devices. This combination not only drives down the current price of the products, but also allows for future cost reductions through higher integration. It also allows for upgrades through software alone. -- Improved performance through a unique and proprietary combination of hardware and software for optimal transfer of information over the network. In particular, the processor reads header information and directs the payload to the appropriate ASIC while concurrently managing circuit set up and other housekeeping functions. Thus, ATM Inc.'s technology offers high performance, high availability Also called "RAS" (reliability, availability, serviceability) or "fault resilient," it refers to a multiprocessing system that can quickly recover from a failure. There may be a minute or two of downtime while one system switches over to another, but processing will continue. and low cost. -- The ATMos real time operating system A master control program that can provide immediate response to input signals and transactions. See real time system and embedded Linux. (implemented in the ARM processor) enables each system component to operate in concert or individually to optimize the handling of specific mixed media data streams -- including graphics, text, video and audio -- all within an ATM standards compliant environment. Virata Family of ATM Workgroup Products Unlike past offerings in this technology, the ATM Inc. announcement is a complete user solution -- not just a single switch or adapter, but a suite of three complementary product families: Virata Link -- The first ATM network adapter A printed circuit board that plugs into the bus of both user machines (clients) and servers in a local area network (LAN). Also commonly called a "network interface card" (NIC) or "LAN card," the network adapter transmits data onto the network and receives data from the network. available is an affordable low-cost PC card that simplifies the deployment of a multimedia workgroup 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. . The Virata Link operates over Category 3 (voice grade) UTP UTP (uridine triphosphate): see uracil. (Unshielded Twisted Pair) See twisted pair. UTP - unshielded twisted pair cable at 25.6 Mb/s. It is fully compliant with ATM25 25.6 Mb/s ATM and 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. UNI 3.0 & 3.1, as well as in full conformance with Microsoft (Windows for Workgroup and Windows95), Novell and Intel plug and play specifications. The result is a PC card adapter (1) A PC Card used as a drive that accepts a removable module. Typically used for flash memory cards, such as CompactFlash and SmartMedia, the PC Card adapter plugs into the PC Card slot of the computer, and the memory card plugs into the adapter. See CompactFlash and SmartMedia. family that works in personal computing workgroups. Virata Switch -- ATM Inc. is introducing a low-cost, high-performance ATM switch for PC workgroups. The Virata Switch is easy to install and operate. It has a switching capacity of 1.6 million cells per second to support multimedia and other network intensive applications. Desktop interfaces from the switch feature all widely supported ATM physical interface standards. The switch, offering up to twenty-four 25.6 Mb/s full-duplex ports and several expansion options, uses existing voice-grade UTP 3 cable at 25 Mbps to link multimedia PCs in a workgroup environment. An Ethernet LAN emulation switch adapter even allows the ATM switch to connect easily to an existing ethernet LAN. ATM Inc. also provides an SNMP (Simple Network Management Protocol) A widely used network monitoring and control protocol. Data are passed from SNMP agents, which are hardware and/or software processes reporting activity in each network device (hub, router, bridge, etc. MIB (1) (Management Information Base) The hierarchical database used by the simple network management protocol (SNMP) to describe the particular device being monitored. MIB objects are identified using ASN.1 syntax. See SNMP, RMON, OID and ASN.1. for local management and control in a Windows environment. Virata Store -- The new ATM Inc. solution also includes an innovative, high-capacity multimedia file-server and storage module, with a direct ATM network connection, that offer enormous capacity for audio-video data -- on low-cost Winchester drives. Thus, Virata Store is highly cost-effective for such applications as a local multimedia repository, as a video mail server and as a video-on- demand server. The Virata Store features multiple 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. drives in a RAID-3 configuration attached to a 155 Mbs ATM port, single-drive failure protection, real-time filing system and Windows compatibility. It can support up to 40 video streams at 1.5 Mbs each. The Virata Store offers storage capacity of 8 Gbytes. The unit's ATM physical interface is based on the ATM Forum 155 Mbs SONET/SDH specification. "Each of these product lines represents a rethinking of ATM and its new role in the world of the PC workgroup," said Tom Cooper, vice president of sales and marketing, ATM Inc. "Rather than trying to force an expensive format onto a cost-conscious market, we've taken the pragmatic approach that ATM has to come to PCs, not the other way around." "That's why, as impressive as each of these products are, the real achievement is the way they work together. For a price comparable to what a workgroup paid last year for an ATM switch alone, a user can now implement a working multimedia network -- today." -0- Pricing and Availability Product Description List Price Available VL1000 Virata Link PC ISA Adapter, ATM 25 $395 May VL2000 Virata Link PC PCI Adapter, ATM 25 $495 Q4 '95 VM1000 Virata Switch Base $6,500 May VM2100 4XATM25 Switch Adapter $1,200 May VM2200 2XATM155 UTP-5 Switch Adapter $2,000 May VM3200 2XATM155 MMF Switch Adapter $3,000 May VM8100 Ethernet Switch Adapter $1,500 Q4 '95 VS3200 Virata Store 8 GB 155mbs MMF Server $25,000 Q3 '95-0- About ATM Inc. Founded in 1993, Advanced Telecommunications Modules is a pioneer in the development of low-cost 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) technology. The company's technology has a rich pedigree: begun in the Cambridge Ring and further developed by Olivetti Research Labs, it was exclusively licensed to ATM Inc. to mold into commercial products. Olivetti & C. SpA Olivetti & C. SpA Historic Italian electronics and telecommunications company. Founded in 1908 by Camillo Olivetti (1868–1943), the firm began by making typewriters. Camillo's son Adriano studied manufacturing and plant management in the U.S. remains one of the company's major backers. ATM Inc. manufactures and markets affordable ATM products designed for the PC workgroup. The company has offices in Cambridge, England and at 1130 E. Arques Ave., Sunnyvale, California, 94086. In North America, the company operates as ATM Inc. -0- Note to Editors: Virata and ATMos are trademarks of Advanced Telecommunications Modules. Windows is a trademark of the Microsoft Corporation. All other company and product names are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective holders. CONTACT: Advanced Telecommunications Modules Tom Cooper, 408/523-1400 or Matthew Quint 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 Matthew Quint, 510/651-9744 |
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