Cisco details comprehensive network management strategy for IBM environments.

RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, N.C.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--July 17, 1995-- The first comprehensive strategy from an internetworking vendor for effective management of IBM routed internetworks has been mapped out by Cisco Systems.

The CiscoWorks(TM) Blue internetwork management program will be implemented as a series of new capabilities, starting in September with Native Service Point support, which will give IBM mainframe operators full visibility into, and control over, Cisco routers.

Subsequent elements of the program will provide for management of SNA routed internetworks using the CiscoWorks Blue suite of management applications; mapping of SNA resources to router ports; improved detection of congestion-related problems; and the design, configuration and simulation of SNA internetworks.

Nick Francis, director of product marketing for Cisco's IBM Internetworking Business Unit, said, "Cisco has led the industry in creating IBM internetworking solutions and holds the majority of this market. Now we are significantly expanding our program for managing the new breed of networks that integrate multiprotocol routing with traditional SNA networking. We spent considerable time working with our IBM-oriented customers to understand their management needs, and came up with a set of strategic offerings we're calling CiscoWorks Blue to address those needs."

CiscoWorks Blue Native Service Point

Native Service Point for the first time will enable IBM host operators to monitor and control the Cisco routed portions of their internetworks, bringing to client/server environments the level of manageability these users have come to expect.

Designed for SNA customers who have invested substantially in IBM's NetView for the mainframe or Sterling Software Inc.'s Netmaster, Native Service Point reduces the need to buy additional PC- or UNIX-based network management systems commonly used in routed internetworks.

Karen Erickson, market owner for IBM's mainframe and centralized management products, said, "The ability to manage Cisco routers has emerged as one of the pressing needs of our customers who have built large networks. Cisco's decision to implement Native Service Point addresses this need by letting those customers protect and leverage the investment they've made in host NetView, and avoid buying special equipment to dedicate solely to Cisco router management."

From an IBM NetView operator console the user can issue any command that normally would be entered at the router console, obtaining router status, monitoring traffic on specific interfaces and invoking debug commands to pinpoint problems. Cisco routers, previously manageable only by an SNMP manager, appear to the VTAM operator as PU 2 devices, forwarding alerts directly to NetView. Routers respond to run commands in the form of NetView network management vector transports (NMVTs), which are generated in the powerful Cisco Internetwork Operating System (Cisco IOS(TM)).

Password access ensures that only designated individuals can issue certain commands, and further security is provided by a status-checking mechanism that reveals which operators are monitoring specific routers.

CiscoWorks Blue Native Service Point requires a router component and a mainframe component. Native Service Point router software is available in September 1995 as part of the IBM Base option of the Cisco IOS. The mainframe component is separately orderable and is priced at $895 (U.S.list).

CiscoWorks Blue Maps

CiscoWorks Blue Maps will allow internetworks that use both the SNA and IP protocols to be managed in their entirety from a single CiscoWorks console. Toward this end, Cisco will introduce a broad array of SNA-related MIB (Management Information Base) variables and a set of applications designed to exploit those MIBs to create and display logical topology maps.

CiscoWorks Blue Maps displays SNA and IP resources on the same management screen, generating a powerful composite logical map that lets the user determine, for example, if an IP internetworking issue is causing a higher-layer SNA problem. The user also can choose to view a region of the network or a specific path. For example, an RSRB (Remote Source-Route Bridging) map provides detailed data on traffic, peer status, etc., for RSRB traffic only. CiscoWorks also can interrogate the SNA MIBs to provide information to the CiscoView application, which depicts physical views of Cisco devices.

Applications for APPN and RSRB will be available in fourth quarter 1995; others to follow include DLSw+, BSTUN, QLLC, SDLLC and STUN. The $4,995 price (U.S. list) initially includes the APPN and RSRB applications; others will be incorporated as they become available.

SNA Control and Correlation

A major unaddressed need in SNA networks is the ability to know which router port a specific SNA resource is attached to. In first quarter 1996 Cisco will provide a new CiscoWorks application, running on top of CiscoWorks Blue logical maps, which maps SNA physical and logical units (PUs and LUs) to actual router ports.

An on-screen display showing connections between SNA devices and routers will eliminate the physical investigation needed today to determine which router is associated with an SNA-related problem. This new capability will greatly speed problem resolution. The application will be based on EView Open technology provided by NetTech, a Raleigh, N.C.-based firm focused on network management products, tools, and services.

Response Time Reporter

Today's performance tools typically give the user only one measure of response time -- from end station to host. Truly effective problem resolution requires the ability to capture response time at each "hop" along the path. Cisco's Response Time Reporter, which examines every link in the network using router-based agents configurable from CiscoWorks, will show the user precisely where the congestion is, and whether the problem lies in the SNA or the IP environment. Available in first quarter 1996, this application will significantly improve the operator's ability to detect problems associated with traffic delays.

Configuration/Design/Simulation

Cisco will provide tools based on technology licensed in January 1995 from NETSYS Technologies, Inc. that enable problem solving, modeling, and design of routed networks in IBM environments. In fourth quarter 1995 the NETSYS Connectivity Tools will be adapted to the IBM NetView for AIX platform, creating a simulation environment that network planners can use to study the potential impact of failed links, configuration changes and other factors on their networks. Long-term plans call for the extension of these tools to include in-depth what-if analyses, and the ability to examine a drawn network and automatically generate the configuration files that users today have to create manually.

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. -0- Note to Editors: NetView and VTAM are trademarks of IBM Corporation

CONTACT: Cisco Systems Inc.

Adam Stein, 408/526-7388