Cabletron extends information superhighway to space; Selected for Mir 1 shuttle mission, Spring 1995; First Ethernet Hub in space.ROCHESTER, N.Y.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--January 16, 1995--Cabletron Systems announced today that the National Aeronautics and Space Administration National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), civilian agency of the U.S. federal government with the mission of conducting research and developing operational programs in the areas of space exploration, artificial satellites (see satellite, artificial), (NASA NASA: see National Aeronautics and Space Administration. NASA in full National Aeronautics and Space Administration Independent U.S. ) and the Russian Space Agency (RSA (1) (Rural Service Area) See MSA. (2) (Rivest-Shamir-Adleman) A highly secure cryptography method by RSA Security, Inc., Bedford, MA (www.rsa.com), a division of EMC Corporation since 2006. It uses a two-part key. ) in a joint historic mission will install a Cabletron Ethernet hub A device that all lines on an Ethernet segment are plugged into. 10Base-T and 100Base-T Ethernets are star networks and require a hub for operation. The earlier 10Base5 and 10Base2 Ethernets are bus networks, but are often wired into a star configuration using a central hub for improved aboard the Russian Mir Space Station in the Spektr Laboratory Module. The launch date for the Mir 1 space flight carrying Cabletron's Ethernet hub is scheduled for mid-Spring 1995 from Russia. Next year, a second Cabletron hub will be carried in to space by the NASA Space Shuttle space shuttle, reusable U.S. space vehicle. Developed by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), it consists of a winged orbiter, two solid-rocket boosters, and an external tank. . This will be the first Ethernet hub in space and will network space-based, on-board life science experiments, providing easy transfer of data from inflight experiments to the Mir Space Station telemetry telemetry Highly automated communications process by which data are collected from instruments located at remote or inaccessible points and transmitted to receiving equipment for measurement, monitoring, display, and recording. and then to earth. Cabletron's unit was selected after Ethernet hubs from several different manufacturers were rigorously tested. The Spektr mission is the first of a series of Russian launches and NASA Shuttle flights to the Russian Mir Space Station to conduct joint scientific and technological research, as well as upgrade Mir's onboard equipment. Each mission will rendezvous with the Mir Space Station to exchange crews and technological experiments. Cabletron's SEH-24 Stackable Ethernet Hub will provide connectivity on the Mir Spektr Module to create an Ethernet network for scientific experiments. "We are using the Cabletron hub to create a lab in space with the same Ethernet network used on earth," said Bill Davis, NASA Technical Monitor, Johnson Space Center. "We want a user-friendly interface to assist scientists with the development of space flight hardware that can be flown on multiple spacecraft. The same type of hardware and software used in their labs on earth can now be used in space as well. The savings in training time and improved efficiency will be significant." At present, for each spacecraft platform experimental data must be uniquely packaged to a special down-link before sending it to earth. Interfacing and using this system is complicated and time-consuming. The improved telemetry interface system utilizing Cabletron's hub will allow scientists to gather and manipulate information with a laptop personal computer and easily transfer data to earth. By using a common networking system, scientists, students and businesses will have easier access to space flight and space-based experiments. The Mir Space Station will be a good networking test site for future space station development. The Cabletron hub will allow astronauts to gather and transmit data from blood pressure measurements, muscle reaction response and other life science experiments. The Cabletron hub was rigorously tested over a three month period. It was subjected to electro-magnetic interference (EMI (ElectroMagnetic Interference) An electrical disturbance in a system due to natural phenomena, low-frequency waves from electromechanical devices or high-frequency waves (RFI) from chips and other electronic devices. Allowable limits are governed by the FCC. ), a 40% oxygen environment, 95% humidity, thermal testing from 40 to 104 degrees Fahrenheit, seven GRMS GRMS Global Risk Management Solutions (Price-Waterhouse-Cooper) GRMS Generalized Rate Monotonic Scheduling GRMS Group Risk Management Services GRMS Gauge Restraint Measurement System (rail road tracks) of vibration, bacterial and fungus growth tests as well as a 40 Gs shock test -- the equivalent of banging the hub with a hammer -- on all its axis points. The exterior of the Cabletron hub was redesigned by NASA to fit into a Standard Interface Rack on the Mir Space Station. The rack includes a power bus and data bus. Experiments connect to the rack with a harness tying the experiment into the rack controller. New experiments can be carried up by the NASA Space Shuttle or Russian launch vehicles and installed in the rack with the data networked by Cabletron's hub. Headquartered in Rochester, N.H., Cabletron Systems is the worldwide modular hub market leader in the networking industry (a) Cabletron is 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. 9001-certified and develops, manufactures and markets Ethernet, 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. , Token Ring and ATM networking products based on its Integrated Network Architecture (INA Ina (ē`nä), city (1990 pop. 60,062), Nagano prefecture, central Honshu, Japan, on the Tenryu River. It is an agricultural and industrial center with a famous agricultural school. ). The INA strategy provides standards-based products and services necessary to build and manage a global, distributed platform of interconnected local and wide area networks. Cabletron's common stock is traded on the New York Stock Exchange New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) World's largest marketplace for securities. The exchange began as an informal meeting of 24 men in 1792 on what is now Wall Street in New York City. under the symbol CS. The company reported record revenue of $598.1 million and earnings of $119.2 million for the fiscal year 1994. Cabletron now services more than 63,000 customer sites worldwide -- and in space. -0- (a) Dataquest Incorporated; Feb. 1994. Cabletron Systems and Integrated Network Architecture (INA) are trademarks or registered trademarks of Cabletron Systems. All other products or services mentioned in this document are identified by the trademarks or service marks of their respective companies or organizations. CONTACT: Cabletron Systems Bob Olson, 603/337-3376 |
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