Cisco Unveils Strategy for Token Ring Switching; Catalyst Family of Token Ring Switching Solutions Addresses Backbone and Wiring Closet Applications.LAS VEGAS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--March 28, 1995--Cisco Systems, the worldwide leader in LAN switching
LAN switching is a form of packet switching used in local area networks. Switching technologies are crucial to network design, or to that minority of LANs that are used outside the home. , today announced 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. switching products as part of a broad-based Token Ring switching strategy that offers customers a comprehensive migration path from shared to dedicated switching. Over the next 12 months, the strategy will provide products that augment Cisco's current 7000 series backbone switching technologies to address new applications of Token Ring switching. These options include upgrading PC-based bridge backbones with dedicated server connectivity; moving the wiring closet The central distribution or servicing point for cables in a network. See MDF and wire center. from shared to switched internetworking for both clients and servers; and upgrading departmental networks from shared to stackable switching. The first product, the Catalyst 1600 stand-alone Token Ring switch, is designed to replace aging bridge-based backbones with high-performance distributed switching Distributed switching is an architecture in which multiple processor-controlled switching units are distributed. There is often a hierarchy of switching elements, with a centralized host switch and with remote switches located close to concentrations of users. . In the next level of migration, Cisco's new Catalyst 5000 switching system (see accompanying release) with switched Token Ring modules will address the transition of Token Ring wiring closets from shared to switched networking. The Catalyst family of Token Ring solutions is a result of the exclusive RingRunner Token Ring switching technology agreement between Cisco and Madge Networks Madge Networks NV. founded by Robert Madge and best known for its work with Token Ring, was a global leader and pioneer of high speed networking solutions in the mid 1990s, and also made significant contributions to technologies such as Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM) and Ethernet. . "Cisco has extended its LAN switching leadership to offer comprehensive switched internetworking migration options to Token Ring users for applications ranging from desktop to backbone," said Jayshree Ullal, director of marketing for Cisco's Workgroup Business Unit. Catalyst 1600 for High Performance Token Ring Switching The Catalyst 1600 addresses the bandwidth needs of high performance workgroups and server environments, allowing network managers to move to the next phase of Token Ring migration by replacing slow source-route bridges with fast, cost-effective switches. With full-duplex options and low-latency switching between servers and clients across the backbone, application performance is enhanced and network bottlenecks eliminated. The Catalyst 1600 supports up to 12 switched Token Ring ports. An optional 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. connection for high-speed backbone access is designed specifically to interoperate with routed FDDI backbones. The switch is also fully upgradable to ATM. Non-disruptive to the existing Token Ring infrastructure, the Catalyst 1600 supports source routing source routing - source route , making it interoperable with installed end systems and internetworking gear. Virtual LAN capabilities provide for traffic management and control. The Catalyst 1600 can be managed through an integrated application that provides for comprehensive monitoring and control. This application runs on industry-standard platforms, which, along with CiscoWorks, provide integrated management. The Catalyst 1600 will be available in July, with prices starting at $17,600. Future modules for the switch will include FDDI and ATM. Catalyst 5000 Module for Wiring Closet Switching As they upgrade their backbones, network managers will face a growing demand to dedicate Token Ring segments to servers and, ultimately, to move from shared to dedicated switching. This will result in the need to connect ever larger numbers of Token Ring segments in the wiring closet. Toward this end, Cisco will offer a high-density Token Ring switching module for its Catalyst 5000 modular, high- density LAN switch, which also will support Ethernet, 100Base-T Fast Ethernet, 100VG-AnyLAN, FDDI and ATM technologies. The module will be available in the first quarter of 1996. As Token Ring switching migrates to the desktop, Cisco will support the shared-to-switched networking transition at the departmental level in 1996. Cisco Systems, Inc. is the leading global supplier of enterprise networks, including routers, 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 ATM switches, dial-up access servers and network management software. These products, integrated by Cisco's Internetwork Operating System (Cisco IOS) link geographically dispersed LANs, WANs, and 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) networks. Cisco is headquartered in San Jose, Calif., and in the U.S. is traded under the 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 symbol CSCO CSCO Cisco Systems Incorporated (stock symbol) CSCO Chief Supply Chain Officer . CONTACT: Cisco Systems, Inc. Scott Anderson, 919/871-6323 or Ulevich & Orrange, Inc. William Orrange or Janis Ulevich, 415/329-1590 |
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