Equinox SuperSerial Modem Pool available for Novell, NT and UNIX servers; up to 64 internal modems supported from a single slot.SUNRISE, Fla.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 31, 1996--Equinox Systems Inc. (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 :EQNX) Friday began shipping its new SuperSerial Modem Pool. The new Modem Pool provides a low-cost solution for attaching large numbers of modems to Novell, Windows NT and UNIX servers. Using internal modems of the user's choice, the Equinox Modem Pool is an attractive alternative to expensive proprietary modem pools that are available from some major modem vendors. However, these vendors also price the central site modems significantly higher than their commodity versions of the same modem type. Also, due to the proprietary form-factor of central site modems there is no compatibility across vendors. Once installed, the user is locked-in to a specific modem vendor's product. The Equinox SuperSerial Modem Pool accepts any vendor's off-the-shelf internal modems that are COM port compatible. These include modems from US Robotics, Boca Research, Hayes, Zoom, Practical Peripherals and others. The Equinox design preserves the standard software interface presented by an external modem and serial port, and it is compatible with popular communication software. The Equinox Modem Pool consists of a compact, intelligent chassis with 16 ISA (1) (Instruction Set Architecture) See instruction set. (2) (Interactive Services Association) See Internet Alliance. (3) (Internet Security and Acceleration) See .NET. slots into which modems are inserted. It uses an Equinox custom design microprocessor that off-loads modem communications processing from the server. A single cable (up to 300 feet in length) connects the Modem Pool to any Equinox SuperSerial Host card that is installed in the server. Equinox offers Host cards for ISA, PCI (1) (Payment Card Industry) See PCI DSS. (2) (Peripheral Component Interconnect) The most widely used I/O bus (peripheral bus). , EISA (Extended ISA) Pronounced "ee-suh." A PC bus standard that extends the 16-bit ISA bus (AT bus) to 32 bits and provides bus mastering. ISA cards can plug into an EISA slot. and Micro Channel systems, so the Modem Pool can be used with any standard-bus server. Once installed in a server, a single Equinox SST-64 Host card can support up to four Modem Pools, with 16 modems in each. The Host cards use the award-winning Equinox SuperSerial processor to off-load virtually all of the communications burden from the server, allowing all 64 modems to run simultaneously at 115 Kbps with no degradation under load. Suggested U.S. list price for the SuperSerial Modem Pool is $1,695. This includes the chassis, universal power supply, power cord and cable to the Host card. A Modem Pool installation will also require an Equinox SST-64 Host card which can support up to four Modem Pools. A Host card for ISA-bus systems has a suggested list price of $695. An optional Rack Mount Kit is available for $95. Modem Pools can be intermixed on the same Host card with standard Equinox RS-232 Port Modules which support external modems or other serial devices. An SST-128 Host card is also available which is equivalent to two SST-64's on one board. Modem Pool units shipping now include drivers for Novell NetWare and popular UNIX operating systems such as SCO UNIX and SCO Xenix. Windows NT support is scheduled for availability in mid-July. Equinox SuperSerial cards are certified and supported on all major operating systems including Novell NetWare, Microsoft Windows NT, Citrix WinFrame, Citrix WinView, SCO UNIX, SCO XENIX, SCO UnixWare, BSDI BSDI - Berkeley Software Design, Inc. UNIX UNIX Operating system for digital computers, developed by Ken Thompson of Bell Laboratories in 1969. It was initially designed for a single user (the name was a pun on the earlier operating system Multics). , Solaris and others. A Linux driver is in development and is planned for release in June. A sampling of key applications that will run on the Equinox Modem Pool include Novell Netware Connect, Novell MultiProtocol Router, Novell Global MHS (1) (Message Handling Service) An earlier messaging system from Novell that supported multiple operating systems and other messaging protocols, including SMTP, SNADS and X.400. It used the SMF-71 messaging format. , Funk Software WanderLink, Windows NT Remote Access Service (RAS (1) See network access server. (2) (Remote Access Service) A Windows NT/2000 Server feature that allows remote users access to the network from their Windows laptops or desktops via modem. See RRAS and network access server. ), Citrix WinFrame, and Mustang WildCat5 BBS (1) (Bulletin Board System) A computer system used as an information source and forum for a particular interest group. They were widely used in the U.S. . Standard communications protocols such as PPP (Point-to-Point Protocol) The most popular method for transporting IP packets over a serial link between the user and the ISP. Developed in 1994 by the IETF and superseding the SLIP protocol, PPP establishes the session between the user's computer and the ISP using , SLIP, cu, uucp and others are also supported. Equinox, based in Sunrise, designs and markets I/O (Input/Output) The transfer of data between the CPU and a peripheral device. Every transfer is an output from one device and an input to another. See PC input/output. I/O - Input/Output communications products for remote access and multi-user computer systems. The products are available world-wide through distributors and systems integrators. OEM customers who have selected Equinox for their I/O needs include Hewlett-Packard, AT&T and Unisys. -0- NOTE TO EDITORS: All brand names and product names are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective companies. In the Internet/email address noted in this news release, there is an "at" symbol between szykoski and equinox.com. This symbol may not appear properly in some systems. CONTACT: Equinox Systems Inc., Sunrise Susan Zykoski, Marketing Manager 954/746-9000, ext. 218 szykoski@equinox.com |
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