CISCO ADDS IBM APPN SUPPORT TO ROUTERS.

SAN JOSE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 15, 1995--Cisco Systems will implement IBM's Advanced Peer-to-Peer Networking (APPN) on its family of multiprotocol routers in third quarter 1995, allowing the routers to carry both existing SNA traffic and native APPN traffic across networks that incorporate IBM protocols.

Cisco will support APPN over the industry's broadest range of media -- including Ethernet, Token Ring, FDDI, frame relay, SDLC, ATM and direct mainframe channel attachment -- maximizing users' flexibility in designing their networks.

Cisco's APPN support was jointly developed and tested at Cisco's Research Triangle Park, North Carolina, and San Jose, California, facilities.

APPN will be included in the Cisco Internetwork Operating System* (Cisco IOS*), permitting native routing of SNA concurrently with IP, RSRB (remote source-route bridging) and other protocols supported on Cisco routers.

The initial release will offer full Network Node (NN) support, including Dependent Logical Unit Requester (DLUR), which enables existing SNA traffic to be carried over an APPN network; IBM Class of Service (COS), which allows prioritization of SNA traffic by application; and the ability to route APPN data across the mainframe channel, which provides an end-to-end solution by bringing APPN into the data center.

A subsequent APPN release will add High Performance Routing (HPR), dramatically improving the availability and performance of APPN networks by reducing processing in intermediate nodes and routing around network failures with no loss of SNA sessions.

Phase 5 of IBM Internetworking Program

Native APPN delivers on the fifth phase of a five-phase plan inaugurated by Cisco in 1991 to consolidate IBM SNA and LAN traffic. As a result of this program, Cisco offers the industry's broadest array of IBM internetworking options, and, according to International Data Corp., has installed approximately 67 percent of the routers used in IBM internetworking.

APPN joins previously introduced Cisco solutions to form a complete end-to-end solution suite that spans the enterprise network, from remote branch office to corporate headquarters. Available offerings include SDLC tunneling; remote source-route bridging and its follow-on, DLSw+ (an enhanced but fully compliant version of the multivendor data- link switching standard); RFC 1490-based direct transport of SNA over frame relay networks; and the only direct channel attachment between multiprotocol routers and mainframes.

Nick Francis, Cisco's director of IBM internetworking, said, "By adding APPN to the Cisco IOS, we are strengthening our commitment to offer more choices for customers in meeting their IBM internetworking requirements. APPN completes the picture with native SNA routing, direct mainframe attachment and COS, letting users protect their investments in existing 3270 applications while gaining multiprotocol support for client/server applications."

Cisco APPN Based on IBM-Licensed Code

Based on code licensed from IBM, Cisco's APPN implementation, unlike subarea SNA, performs native peer-to-peer processing without requiring a mainframe to initiate connections. APPN brings to the SNA world the key advantages of LAN protocols: location of resources using distributed directory services, automatic discovery and updating of network topology, dynamic route selection for optimum path, and with HPR, dynamic rerouting around network failures.

Cisco's APPN will address customer internetworking requirements at all levels of the enterprise. Users can build or extend a backbone that supports both direct routing between APPN nodes and subarea SNA routing. APPN can be extended beyond the backbone to the branch office via the Cisco 2500 series remote-access routers, and to the data center via the Cisco Channel Interface Processor (CIP). And, because other vendors are also implementing APPN, connectivity will extend to multi-vendor networks.

Cisco has enhanced basic APPN by uniting Class of Service support with two advanced Cisco bandwidth-management features: priority queuing, which lets users prioritize traffic by protocol type, port, logical unit or message size; and custom queuing, which assigns percentages of bandwidth on a user-designated basis. The resulting comprehensive solution both prioritizes multiprotocol traffic and guarantees desired service levels to end users.

APPN Pricing

APPN software will be available third quarter as part of the Cisco IOS for the Cisco 2500, 4000, 4500, 7000, 7010 and AGS+ routers. Pricing will range from $600 to $5,000 (U.S. list), depending on router chassis size.

Cisco Systems, Inc. is the leading global supplier of enterprise networks, including routers, LAN and ATM switches, dial-up access servers and network management software. These products, integrated by the Cisco Internetwork Operating System* (Cisco IOS*) link geographically dispersed LANs, WANs and IBM networks. Cisco is headquartered in San Jose, Calif., and in the U.S. is traded under the NASDAQ symbol CSCO.

CONTACT: Cisco Systems, Inc.

Scott Anderson, 919/472-2323

Ulevich & Orrange, Inc.

William Orrange or Janis Ulevich, 415/329-1590