Cray Communications MatchBox Switches combine high performance, detailed management, RMON and virtual LAN support.ANNAPOLIS JUNCTION, Md.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oct. 16, 1995--Cray Communications today announced its family of MatchBox 24-and 36-port workgroup and enterprise Ethernet switches A device that connects clients and servers to each other in an Ethernet network. See switched Ethernet. . The switches combine high performance and comprehensive management capabilities. They have an internal aggregate bandwith of 2.8 Gbit/second, support for virtual LANs and extremely flexible configuration on a per-port basis that enables network managers to fine-tune network performance. A 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 (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. ) capability uses its own dedicated application specific integrated circuit integrated circuit (IC), electronic circuit built on a semiconductor substrate, usually one of single-crystal silicon. The circuit, often called a chip, is packaged in a hermetically sealed case or a nonhermetic plastic capsule, with leads extending from it for (ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit) Pronounced "a-sick." A chip that is custom designed for a specific application rather than a general-purpose chip such as a microprocessor. ) to gather statistics on every packet that moves through any port at any time. "The MatchBox Switches are the first products of Cray Communications' LANvision switching strategy," said Ulrik Jorring, Cray Communications' director of engineering for 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. products. "LANvision provides a smooth upgrade path from existing bridge-and -router based networks through switched Ethernet An Ethernet network that is controlled by a switch instead of a shared hub. The switch cross connects all clients, servers and network devices, giving each sending-receiving pair the full rated transmission speed. , virtual LANs and ATM. It is based on Cray-developed ASIC technology," he said. The MatchBox Switch family is made up of two products: a 24-port workgroup switch A network switch designed for LAN traffic within an enterprise. Contrast with carrier-class switch. and a 24-port enterprise switch. Both are expandable to 36 ports. The 24-port switches have 24 10Mbps and two 100Mbps ports, and the 36-port switches have 36 10Mbps and one 100 Mbps port. The MatchBox workgroup switches support one Media Access Control (MAC) address per port, and give each workstation a dedicated 10Mbps private Ethernet. One of the ports on the workgroup switches -- either a 10-or 100-Mbps port -- support multiple MAC addresses, so it can be linked to other switches or servers. The MatchBox enterprise switches handle several MAC addresses per port, which enable network managers to connect shared Ethernet Refers to the traditional Ethernet topology in which all stations share the total bandwidth of the network. Whether connected via a common cable (10Base5, 10Base2) or a hub (10Base-T), transmission is on a first-come, first-served basis. hubs and existing network equipment. The MatchBox enterprise switch can support 8,000 MAC addresses throughout a network. Prices and availability The workgroup products are priced at $5,995 or $240 per port for the 24-port and the $7,295 or $197 per port for 36-port switch. The enterprise products are priced at $9.495 or $380 per port for the 24-port switch, and $13,190 or $366 per port for the 36-port switch. Initial product shipments will begin early next year. Configurable on per-port basis The MatchBox family supports all three switching techniques: Fast Forward, which operates at high speed, Store and Forward, which provides data integrity, and Fragment Free Fragment free is a switch forwarding method. Fragment free will ensure that enough bytes are read from the source to detect a collision before forwarding. This is only useful if there is a chance of a collision on the source port - so a fully switched network may not benefit from , which combines speed and data integrity. They can be assigned on a per-port basis. In addition, the Cray Communications MatchBox is the only switch that can filter traffic being switched in Fast Forward mode. This applies a level of security to traffic with no effect on performance, and also can be configured on a per-port basis. This makes it possible to control traffic, even in Fast Forward mode. The MatchBox Switches support full-duplex 10Base-T, which also can be assigned on a per-port basis. This lets users fine tune the MatchBox Switches to match specific network requirements. "Full duplex (Computers) arranged so that the information may be transmitted in both directions simultaneously; - of communications channels between computers; contrasted with The ports share a buffer of 1 Mbyte of memory on the workgroup switches and 8 Mbytes on the enterprise switches. This shared memory (1) Using part of main memory to support a low-cost display circuit that does not have its own memory. See shared video memory. (2) The common memory in a symmetric multiprocessing system that is available to all CPUs. See SMP. 1. can be dynamically used by any port that needs it to handle traffic. "This is a more efficient approach than giving each port a fixed buffer," Durham said. "If one port is receiving a large amount of data, it has access to the entire amount of available memory. That eliminates overflow conditions that can slow traffic." Built-in RMON monitors "every packet, every port, all the time" The MatchBox Switches get their powerful RMON capabilities from a Cray-designed ASIC that is dedicated to monitoring and management functions. "The MatchBox Switches can provide RMON statistics on every packet that moves through every port all the time," Durham said. "This gives network managers the ability to easily find out where bottlenecks occur, and to use the per-port configuration capability to remedy the problem. This lets them fine-tune the network for the best combination of performance and data integrity." Ease of use, ease of ownership The MatchBox Switches will start operating in a default configuration as soon as it is turned on. This makes it easy to install. For customizing the configuration, the MatchBox Switches include a menu-driven configuration system that makes them easy to set up and use. The configuration systems in most other switches use a command line interface, which is harder to use, error prone and requires some training. The MatchBox Switches are compatible with Microsoft SMS (1) (Storage Management System) Software used to routinely back up and archive files. See HSM. (2) (Systems Management Server) Systems management software from Microsoft that runs on Windows NT Server. and HP Open View. Firewalling and true address-based VLANs MatchBox Switch users can implement network firewalls within a switch, based on logical port groups, or true address- or protocol-based virtual LANs, through an optional software upgrade. Based on Cray-designed ASICs The MatchBox Switches derive their features from a Cray-designed set of application specific integrated circuits Integrated circuits Miniature electronic circuits produced within and upon a single semiconductor crystal, usually silicon. Integrated circuits range in complexity from simple logic circuits and amplifiers, about 1/20 in. (1. (ASICs). "Because all our future LANvision products will be built on this architecture, we realized it was important to own the technology they use," Jorring said. "This ASIC technology forms the crux of our LANvision strategy," he said. "It is the basis of our ability to configure a switch on a per-port basis, support comprehensive RMON facilities, fine-tune a network and give users a seamless, scalable upgrade path from Ethernet switching through virtual LANs and ATM. "Because LANvision technology is stable and predictable, it will enable equipment to be upgraded with simple add-in boards or new software capabilities," Jorring said. "For example, our true address-based virtual LAN capabilities will be just a software upgrade." Individual ASICs handle switching, filtering the destination/ source addresses and field types, interfacing to the network and collecting management information. Another ASIC, to support backplane An interconnecting device that has sockets for printed circuit boards to plug into. Passive and Active Although resistors may be used, a "passive" backplane adds no processing in the circuit. cascading, will allow up to eight switches to be stacked. This capability will be available in 1996. Price/performance leader The Cray MatchBox Switches are the price/performance leaders of Ethernet switches. "The old price-per-port metric was fine for hubs, but isn't meaningful with switches," Durham said. "Hubs connect to shared media and have pretty much the same technology. But switches have different architectures with different performance, and this has to be taken into account. The price/ performance metric we use in the cost of throughput, measured on dollars per megabit per second A megabit per second (abbreviated as Mbit/s, Mbps, or mbps) is a unit of data transfer rate equal to 1,000,000 bits per second. Because there are 8 bits in a byte, a transfer speed of 8 megabits per second (8 Mbps) is equivalent to 1,000,000 bytes , of data that can be transmitted in a fully loaded network. We believe this will be the way all Ethernet switches will be compared in the future," he said. Modular switches for System Center also available In addition to the workgroup and enterprise MatchBox Switches, Cray Communications will offer 18- and 36-port switching modules for its System center hub. The modules are priced at $300 and $277 per port, respectively. Initial product shipments will begin early next year. Future LANvision products The MatchBox Switches are the first of Cray Communications' LANvision family of high-speed switching products. The next version, scheduled to be introduced in spring, 1996, will be a true address-based virtual LAN capability that will support features such as overlapping virtual LANs and enable them to be grouped by MAC address and IP address. Products scheduled for introduction in summer, 1996 include automatic configuration of VLANs, an uplink to ATM channels, and a cascade capability, which will enable up to eight MatchBox Switches to be stacked through the backplane. About Cray Communications Cray Communications designs, manufactures and sells worldwide a range of advanced computer networking
Computer networking is the engineering discipline concerned with communication between computer systems or devices. products for both local and wide area networking. Cray Communications' products provide controllable migration from today's networks technology to emerging technologies such as high-speed switching, 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. , Frame Relay A high-speed packet switching protocol used in wide area networks (WANs). Providing a granular service of up to DS3 speed (45 Mbps), it has become popular for LAN to LAN connections across remote distances, and services are offered by most major carriers. and ATM. The company's U.S. headquarters is in Annapolis Junction, Md. Cray Communications is a division of Cray Electronics Holdings Plc, a world wide communications and electronics company based in England, with sales of more than $428 million, and 3,000 employees worldwide. Cray Electronics Holdings Plc is a publicly traded company publicly traded company A company whose shares of common stock are held by the public and are available for purchase by investors. The shares of publicly traded firms are bought and sold on the organized exchanges or in the over-the-counter market. traded on the London Stock Exchange London Stock Exchange London marketplace for securities. It was formed in 1773 by a group of stockbrokers who had been doing business informally in local coffeehouses. under the symbol CYEL. CONTACT: Cray Communications Inc. Liamar Capo-Toth, 301/317-7200 lct@craycom.com or Cray Communications LAN Centre Mark S. Wilson, 45 44 53 01 00 msw@craycom.dk or Geithner/McGowan Inc. Edgar E. Geithner, 508/875-3821 gdotm@ultranet.com |
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