Asante Introduces Full Line of State-of-the Art Switches; New Switch Products Help Relieve Network Congestion And Offer Cost-Effective Migration Path to 100 Mbps Fast Ethernet Networking.SAN JOSE San Jose, city, United States San Jose (sănəzā`, săn hōzā`), city (1990 pop. 782,248), seat of Santa Clara co., W central Calif.; founded 1777, inc. 1850. , Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 6, 1996--Asante Technologies, Inc. (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 : ASNT ASNT American Society of Non-destructive Testing ASNT American Society for Neural Transplantation ASNT Astrological Association of North Texas (Dallas - Fort Worth Metroplex) ASNT Application Sharing Nt ), a leading provider of 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 Ethernet networking products, today announced plans for three new switch products available starting in June. The new products include two 16-port 10 Mbps switches with full-duplex Fast Ethernet "fat pipes" and a new dual-speed switch product with 100 Mbps or 10 Mbps switching on every port. Asante is now offering a comprehensive line of switches that provide customers with the solutions they need for increasing aggregate bandwidth and laying the foundation for new high-speed workgroups. The new products include the Asante 5216 Switch, the Asante 5216xp Switch - with expansion modules for optional Fast Ethernet connections to Category 5 UTP UTP (uridine triphosphate): see uracil. (Unshielded Twisted Pair) See twisted pair. UTP - unshielded twisted pair , FX, or 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. uplinks - and the Asante 71010xp 10/100 Switch, the first product based on the company's newly-developed custom ASIC A redundant reference to an ASIC chip. ASICs are already customized for a specific use. See ASIC. . "Over the past year, we have seen explosive demand for switch products," said Paul Smith, vice president of marketing at Asante. "The huge growth in 10 Mbps switching last year is now driving a similar urgency for 100 Mbps "fat pipes" as network bandwidth needs rapidly escalate. "Asante is taking a leadership role in designing state-of-the-art products for both the network of today and the future," Smith said. "While switched 10 Mbps Ethernet is clearly the technology of choice today for network segmentation Network segmentation in computer networking is the act or profession of splitting a computer network into subnetworks, each being a network segment or network layer. Advantages of such splitting are primarily for boosting performance and improving security. , industry trends also suggest a move by the year 2000 toward low-cost shared and switched Fast Ethernet as the leading high-speed solutions at all levels of the network." Asante 5216 Switches Help Relieve Network Congestion In data networking and queueing theory, network congestion occurs when a link or node is carrying so much data that its quality of service deteriorates. Typical effects include queueing delay, packet loss or the blocking of new connections. Scheduled for release beginning next month, the two 5216 switches are designed for fast-growing medium- to large-sized networks (typically with 200-1000 nodes) that need an effective way to improve network performance and reduce network congestion. Both products are 16-port segmentation switches that offer advanced network management capabilities and include two full-duplex Fast Ethernet uplinks. Unlike other segmentation switches, the 5216 products offer total network control by delivering the most complete implementation of VLAN See virtual LAN. VLAN - Virtual Local Area Network , RMON (Remote MONitoring) Enhancements to the management information base (MIB) structure used by the simple network management protocol (SNMP). In 1991, RMON added comprehensive network monitoring capabilities. and port mirroring management on the market. The first 5216 switch will ship with both high-speed ports configured for 100BASE-TX. This will be followed by the "xp" model, which includes single-port expansions configured for either switched 100BASE-TX, 100BASE-FX, or FDDI, and a four-port expansion module for shared 100BASE-TX. The 5216 switches have enough ports to operate as desktop switches, but are especially effective for network segmentation - helping to reduce traffic congestion The condition of a network when there is not enough bandwidth to support the current traffic load. congestion - When the offered load of a data communication path exceeds the capacity. while offering additional ports to satisfy network power users. Features of the 5216 switches include: - Two full-duplex switched Fast Ethernet uplinks, providing up to 200 Mbps of throughput per port. - Support for VLAN allows computers on physically different LANs to appear and operate as if they are on the same 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. . Benefits include security, reduced traffic, and the ability to easily add, move or change people in the VLAN. Virtual LANs can be defined by port, MAC address or IP address. VLANs can also be configured across multiple switches. - RMON (based on the IETF See Internet Engineering Task Force. IETF - Internet Engineering Task Force RFC (Request For Comments) A document that describes the specifications for a recommended technology. Although the word "request" is in the title, if the specification is ratified, it becomes a standards document. 1757 standard for remote monitoring (protocol) remote monitoring - (RMON) A network management protocol that allows network information to be gathered at a single computer. Whereas SNMP gathers network data from a single type of Management Information Base (MIB), RMON 1 defines nine additional MIBs that provide a MIBs). Supports all nine groups of RMON, including statistics, history, alarm, host, host TopN, matrix, filter, packet capture, and events. The 5216 offers extensive 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. MIBs support as well. - Port Mirroring. Allows any of the 16 10 Mbps ports to operate as a traffic analyzer port (TAP) in order to mirror and monitor traffic on another port. - Optional support in the 5216xp for FX fiber connections for longer distances and noise immunity. Fiber optic cabling allows distances of up to two kilometers between switches. The 5216xp's mixed-media support allows organizations to implement Fast Ethernet backbones in high-rise buildings and campus environments that have already invested in fiber optic cabling. - Optional FDDI module for the 5216xp, supporting single or dual-attached connections, allows easy integration with existing FDDI backbones and enables link distances up to 2000 meters. - IEEE 802.1d standard Spanning Tree algorithm An algorithm used in transparent bridges that dynamically determines the best path from source to destination. It avoids bridge loops (two or more paths linking one segment to another), which can cause the bridges to misinterpret results. support allows maximization of bandwidth and increased network efficiency through protection against path redundancy. - Supports up to 1,024 Media Access Control (MAC) addresses per port. - Optional redundant power supply available, ensuring higher reliability. Asante 71010xp Offers Dual-Speed 10/100 Operation At $750/Port The 5216 switch products will be followed in the fall by the 71010xp 10/100 Switch, which includes eight 100BASE-TX or 10BASE-T ports and two expansion TX or FX connections. "The 71010xp will be priced competitively at less than $750 per port, providing a future-proof networking solution that allows our customers to transition effectively to 100 Mbps Fast Ethernet from 10 Mbps Ethernet as their networking needs evolve and change over time," said Smith. The Asante 71010xp is the first in a series of Ethernet switches that will leverage Asante's new high-performance custom ASIC switching processor. Inherent advantages of Asante's ASIC-based switching engine are increased performance, reduced cost and scalability. The 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. also represents a strategic move for the company, allowing it to provide a variety of competitive products in the future. "This is the beginning of a new market segment for 10/100 switches, and Asante is one of the first to jump in," said Trudy Barker, analyst at Dataquest, a subsidiary of the Gartner Group. "With switched networking booming with triple-digit growth rates Growth Rates The compounded annualized rate of growth of a company's revenues, earnings, dividends, or other figures. Notes: Remember, historically high growth rates don't always mean a high rate of growth looking into the future. , Asante is catching the wave of a very hot market." Flexibility in Network Configuration The Asante 71010xp offers either 100 or 10 Mbps, in half or full duplex mode with auto-negotiation on every port, allowing network managers to build infrastructures with the desired mix of Ethernet and Fast Ethernet LAN segments. Because customers have the option of continuing to use existing 10 Mbps hardware, their investments in existing Ethernet equipment are preserved. As users completely migrate their networks to Fast Ethernet over time, all ports on the Asante 71010xp can be used to connect clients, servers or hubs at 100 Mbps. The Asante 71010xp 10/100 Switch also allows the addition of two ports for 10/100 TX or 10/100 FX (fiber) connections. The TX and FX options will be sold as low-cost Media Independent Interface (MII 1. (body) MII - A consortium of Microsoft, IBM, and Intel. 2. (storage) MII - A broadcast component video tape format licensed by Panasonic. ) modules that slide into the front of the switch. Advanced Features Of The 71010xp Switch High-end features combined with ease-of-use functionality - offered at nearly half the cost of other high-end switches - are a hallmark of the Asante 71010xp. - Support for up to 8,000 MAC addresses enables large network configurations. - IEEE 802.1d standard Spanning Tree algorithm support allows maximization of bandwidth and increased network efficiency through protection against path redundancy. - Enhanced performance through store and forward or fragment free switching modes and dynamically allocated packet buffers. - 802.1 standard transmit time checking and back pressure flow control provide error-free packet transmission. - Flash memory makes upgrades for the latest technology instantly available, enabling end users to upgrade system software themselves. - Full compatibility with the IEEE 802.3u standards for both 100BASE-TX and FX networks. - Management from any SNMP console or Telnet provides flexible management options. The SNMP agent in the switch supports database objects that are defined in management information bases (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. ) including MIB II, Bridge MIB and Asante's own MIB. About Asante Switching The Asante 5216 Switch, 5216xp and 71010xp 10/100 Switch are the latest additions to Asante's new family of switch products. In December 1995, the company released ReadySwitch 5104, a switched hub with four 10BASE-T ports and one 100BASE-TX Fast Ethernet uplink for high speed server and backbone access. ReadySwitch, list priced at $2,195, is ideal for small- to medium-sized networks as a cost-effective and easy way to reduce LAN congestion, while providing a 100 Mbps Fast Ethernet "fat pipe." Asante also recently announced an FX version of the ReadySwitch. Pricing & Availability Asante will ship the 5216 Switch in June at a list price of $5,595, or $311 per port. The 5216xp, priced at $6,995 and $437 per port, will ship in July. Pricing of the product's expansion modules will be announced at that time. The 71010xp 10/100 Switch, scheduled for release in the fall, will be priced at less than $750 per port list. Asante's switch products are covered under a three year warranty program, guaranteeing free technical support and replacement of defective parts. About Asante Founded in 1988, Asant Technologies Inc. (NASDAQ: ASNT) designs, manufactures and markets a full line of high-performance products for Fast Ethernet and Ethernet networks, including adapter cards, intelligent and non-intelligent hubs, switches, bridge products and network management software. Asante products are available through a worldwide network of VARs, national resellers, system integrators and distributors. For additional information, contact Asante Technologies at 800-662-9686 or browse the company's World Wide Web home page at http://www.asante.com. CONTACT: Asante Technologies Jennifer C. Doettling, 408/435-8401, ext. 282 jdoettli@asante.com or Walt & Company Communications Erin Curtis/Heather Prophet, 408/496-0900 ecurtis@walt.com/hprophet@walt.com |
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