Chipcom's new ONsemble StackSystem family extends high-reliability, fault-tolerant networking to remote sites.SOUTHBOROUGH, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan. 16, 1995--Chipcom Corp. (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 : CHPM CHPM Center for High Performance Manufacturing ) today unveiled its ONsemble StackSystem family, a new line of high-end Token Ring A local area network (LAN) access method developed by IBM. Conforming to the IEEE 802.5 standard, Token Ring uses a token ring access method and connects up to 255 nodes in a star topology at 4, 16 or 100 Mbps. and Ethernet stackable hubs targeted at the remote sites of an enterprise network that pack the features typically found in chassis-based hubs into a low-cost, stackable architecture. With this announcement, Chipcom's ONsemble family allows network managers to extend high-end functionality, such as fault tolerance See fault tolerant. (architecture) fault tolerance - 1. The ability of a system or component to continue normal operation despite the presence of hardware or software faults. This often involves some degree of redundancy. 2. , sophisticated network management and internetworking, to hundreds -- even thousands -- of remote sites. Unlike other stackable hubs which are typically low price-per-port "box" solutions, Chipcom's ONsemble StackSystem family was conceived and designed as a systems solution. It brings high-end networking capabilities to remote sites, facility wiring closets and workgroups of large enterprise networks, yet in a competitively priced package. The ONsemble StackSystem family is comprised of Token Ring and Ethernet Management and Expansion Hubs, and internetworking and back-up power supply components. Similar to a "best-in-class" stereo system, all components are stackable and are viewed as a single, unified group. Each StackSystem can have up to eight interchangeable hubs, supporting from 16 to 128 Token Ring users and from 24 to 200 Ethernet users. "Remote sites are where the business of most organizations gets done," said Frank Fuller For the baseball player, see . Frank Fuller (born August 8, 1929 in DuBois, Pennsylvania) is a former American football defensive tackle who played nine seasons in the NFL. He attended the University of Kentucky. , director, product marketing, at Chipcom. "They are the frontier of networking, and a new breed of stackables is required to meet their needs. The ONsemble StackSystem Token Ring and Ethernet families were created to fulfill the increasingly higher network functionality requirements of this vital part of the enterprise network. The ONsemble StackSystem, together with our mid-range ONline System Concentrator and high-end ONcore Switching System, allows us to offer customers a comprehensive and seamless array of fault-tolerant hub products that address virtually every remote site or campus need." According to according to prep. 1. As stated or indicated by; on the authority of: according to historians. 2. In keeping with: according to instructions. 3. Chip Pettirossi, Senior Analyst, Local Area Networks Program, at International Data Corp., a Framingham, Mass.-based market research and consulting firm Noun 1. consulting firm - a firm of experts providing professional advice to an organization for a fee consulting company business firm, firm, house - the members of a business organization that owns or operates one or more establishments; "he worked for a , "Chipcom's stackable hub strategy has been significantly bolstered by this announcement. By focusing on the high-end, Chipcom is poised to leverage its current success with its ONline/ONcore products with these new stackables. In addition, these products are well-positioned to move through Chipcom's existing VAR channels, especially those resellers targeting remote office applications." Reliable Networking at Remote Sites As the SNA/mainframe-centric applications running at remote sites migrate to the client-server environment, network managers are demanding the local area network (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. ) and wide area network (WAN) environments deliver these same levels of reliability. The ONsemble StackSystem design reflects Chipcom's pioneering fault-tolerant philosophy, with capabilities such as a backup power An additional power source that can be used in the event of power failure. See UPS and backup.  A Half Minute of Backup This roomful of lead acid batteries stands ready to drain itself entirely in less than a minute. supply component, redundant links and dual WAN connections to circumvent outages to the public network. Sophisticated Management for Problem Circumvention and Troubleshooting The ONsemble StackSystem family enables organizations to extend the sophisticated management capabilities usually associated with high-end hubs to remote sites. Because no company can afford to staff a network specialist at every remote location, the StackSystem line incorporates a multi-level network management architecture that scales from SNMP-based (Simple Network Management Protocol) management, to an ExpertPlus level of full 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. (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 ) management capability that permits network managers to select the appropriate level of management expertise required at each site. This allows managers to quickly troubleshoot and prevent problems from occurring, particularly at those sites executing mission-critical applications where network uptime is crucial. Another management feature that sets the StackSystem family apart from competitive stackable offerings is its use of Signature Memory for automated inventory tracking and rapid troubleshooting. Signature Memory saves hours of administrative time by automatically storing the hub model number, serial number and software version in non-volatile memory Refers to memory chips that hold their content without power being applied. It may refer to chips that are not changeable, such as ROMs and PROMs, or to chips that can be rewritten many times such as flash memory. . Chipcom's ONdemand Network Control System (NCS (Network Call Signaling) CableLabs version of MGCP. See MGCP/MEGACO. NCS - Network Computing System: Apollo's RPC system used by DEC and Hewlett-Packard.The protocol has been adopted by OSF. ) network management software can then automatically maintain a complete inventory of ONsemble StackSystem components for every location in an enterprise, without the need of a physical inspection. All ONsemble StackSystem Token Ring and Ethernet components can be managed remotely or locally by any SNMP-compliant management application, including Chipcom's multi-platform ONdemand NCS package, or via Telnet. According to Wayne Arnold, manager of technical support at Baptist Hospital in Nashville, Tenn., "The broad range of flexibility found in the architecture of Chipcom's new ONsemble StackSystem will allow me to incorporate these products into my existing Chipcom-based network without having to deal with a whole new learning curve. I am also very impressed that the StackSystem family has the same network management `look-and-feel' as Chipcom's other hub products, so I can easily manage my entire network using the company's ONdemand NCS management software." Flexible Internetworking Options The ONsemble StackSystem is also competitively distinguished by the degree of choice and internetworking options it offers customers. Through the innovative Chipcom OpenHub Program, the StackSystem will offer a wide range of third-party internetworking options, such as a Cisco router, remote access, SNA/LAN Frame Node and ISDN ISDN in full Integrated Services Digital Network Digital telecommunications network that operates over standard copper telephone wires or other media. offerings. The first-of-a-kind OpenHub Program makes it easy for third-party network product vendors to incorporate their technology and functionality into all of Chipcom's stackable and chassis-based switching hub A device that acts as a central switch or PBX, connecting one line to another. In a local area network (LAN), a switching hub gives any two stations on the network the full bandwidth of the line. platforms for enterprise-wide consistency. ONsemble StackSystem Token Ring Line Beyond its core fault-tolerant capabilities, the Token Ring StackSystem design incorporates Chipcom's unique PowerRing technology which makes it possible for network managers to have the most robust Token Ring networks available. PowerRing technology includes advanced features -- such as active re-timing, automatic beacon recovery, wrong speed detection, dual ring recovery and jitter A flicker or fluctuation in a transmission signal or display image. The term is used in several ways, but it always refers to some offset of time and space from the norm. For example, in a network transmission, jitter would be a bit arriving either ahead or behind a standard clock cycle elimination -- designed to make Token Ring networking "bullet-proof" and worry-free. With PowerRing technology, remote Token Ring LANs can now run as reliably as Ethernet LANs on unshielded Adj. 1. unshielded - (used especially of machinery) not protected by a shield unprotected - lacking protection or defense twisted-pair cable. Both the Management and Expansion Token Ring Hubs support 16 users, and units are available in both Passive and Active versions. The Management Hub includes a user-installable uplink slot that accepts Fiber and Copper Ring-in/Ring-out Modules. These can connect to other ONsemble Hubs, ONline Concentrators and ONcore Systems to create an extended facility backbone. In addition, through its ongoing, strategic development and marketing alliance with IBM (International Business Machines Corporation, Armonk, NY, www.ibm.com) The world's largest computer company. IBM's product lines include the S/390 mainframes (zSeries), AS/400 midrange business systems (iSeries), RS/6000 workstations and servers (pSeries), Intel-based servers (xSeries) , Chipcom has built in full compatibility between the ONsemble StackSystem Token Ring Hub and IBM's 8230 Controlled Access Unit, 8250 Multiprotocol Intelligent Hub A network device that performs a variety of processing functions, including network management, bridging, routing and switching. Contrast with passive hub and active hub. See hub. and 8260 Intelligent Switching Hub. ONsemble StackSystem Ethernet Family The ONsemble StackSystem Ethernet family consists of fully managed, 24-Port 10BASE-T Management and Expansion Hubs. The Management Hub supports user-installable Uplink Modules for 10BASE-FL (fiber), 10BASE-2 (BNC (hardware) BNC - A connector for coaxial cable such as that used for some video connections and RG58 "cheapernet" connections. A BNC connector has a bayonet-type shell with two small knobs on the female connector which lock into spiral slots in the male connector when it is twisted ), 10BASE-5 (AUI (Attachment Unit Interface) The network interface used with the original Ethernet. See 10Base5. 1. (tool, product) AUI - Adaptable User Interface. 2. (networking) AUI - Attachment Unit Interface. ) and 10BASE-T (twisted pair A thin-diameter wire (22 to 26 gauge) commonly used for telephone and network cabling. The wires are twisted around each other to minimize interference from other twisted pairs in the cable (Alexander Graham Bell invented this and was awarded a patent for it in 1881). ) cable connections that allow network managers to easily and inexpensively tailor the ONsemble StackSystem Hubs to their particular requirements. The StackSystem Management Hub and Expansion Hubs are linked with StackWay connectors, providing up to 40 Megabits per second (unit) megabits per second - (Mbps, Mb/s) Millions of bits per second. A unit of data rate. 1 Mb/s = 1,000,000 bits per second (not 1,048,576). E.g. Ethernet can carry 10 Mbps. (Mbps) of bandwidth via four independent Ethernet segments. Under software control, any hub in the stack can be switched to any of these four segments, providing a level of configuration flexibility typically found only in high-end, chassis-based hubs. Chipcom's Future Stackable Hub Direction Throughout 1995, Chipcom plans to extend its reach into the high-end stackable hub area with the introduction of a number of additional products to be included as part of the ONsemble StackSystem family. These products will focus on the higher speed needs of the main facility, and will include 100 Mbps 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. hubs, a 100VG hub, and Switch and ATM products. Pricing and Availability The ONsemble StackSystem components are available at the following North American North American named after North America. North American blastomycosis see North American blastomycosis. North American cattle tick see boophilusannulatus. list prices in the timeframes indicated. All ONsemble StackSystem Token Ring and Ethernet Management and Expansion Hubs are backed by a limited lifetime warranty.
Availa-
Model Description Price bility
Token Ring ----------
4216MH-P 16-Port ONsemble StackSystem Token $3,395 60 days
Ring Management Hub (Passive Ports)
4216MH-A 16-Port ONsemble StackSystem Token $4,195 90 days
Ring Management Hub (Active Ports)
4216EH-P 16-Port ONsemble StackSystem Token $1,795 60 days
Ring Expansion Hub (Passive Ports)
4216EH-A 16-Port ONsemble StackSystem Token $2,595 90 days
Ring Expansion Hub (Active Ports)
4200M-FR Token Ring Fiber Ring-in/Ring-out Module $1,595 60 days Ethernet --------
4124MH 24-Port ONsemble StackSystem Ethernet $2,195 75 days
Management Hub
4124EH 24-Port ONsemble StackSystem Ethernet $1,595 75 days
Expansion Hub
4101UP-FL Ethernet 10BASE-FL Uplink Module $ 345 75 days 4101UP-BNC Ethernet 10BASE-2 Uplink Module $ 195 75 days 4101UP-AUI Ethernet 10BASE-5 Uplink Module $ 75 75 days 4101UP-TP Ethernet 10BASE-T Uplink Module $ 145 75 days Founded in 1983, Chipcom Corp. designs, manufactures, markets and supports fault-tolerant intelligent switching systems, including hub, internetworking and network management products, for remote sites, facility and enterprise network computing environments. The Southborough, Mass.-based company reported record revenue of $185 million for the first nine months of its 1994 fiscal year, ended Sept. 24, a 65 percent increase over the same period of 1993. Together with its resellers, Chipcom has a presence in more than 40 countries, and the company employs over 800 people worldwide. -0- Chipcom and ONcore are registered trademarks and the Chipcom logo, Chipcom OpenHub, ONdemand, ONline, ONsemble, PowerRing, StackSystem and StackWay are trademarks of Chipcom Corp. CONTACT: Chipcom Corp. John H. Ricciardone, 508/624-6840 or Beaupre & Co. 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 Glen M. Zimmerman, 603/436-6690 |
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