Essential Communications and SEEQ Technology Partner to Develop Single-Chip Solution for Gigabit Ethernet NICs and Switches.FREMONT, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oct. 13, 1997-- Jointly Developed PCI (1) (Payment Card Industry) See PCI DSS. (2) (Peripheral Component Interconnect) The most widely used I/O bus (peripheral bus). NICs and Switches Will Meet Customers' Needs for High Bandwidth and High-Speed Networking Essential Communications, the industry leader of the HIPPI (HIgh Performance Parallel Interface) An ANSI-standard high-speed communications channel that uses a 32-bit or 64-bit cable and transmits at 100 or 200 Mbytes/sec. (High Performance Parallel Interface) protocol, and SEEQ SEEQ Student Evaluation of Educational Quality Technology Inc. (Nasdaq/NM:SEEQ), a leading manufacturer of Fast Ethernet components including Media Access Controllers (MACs) and Physical Layer Transceivers (Phys), Monday announced that the two companies have partnered to develop a one-chip solution for their respective Gigabit Ethernet network interface card (NIC (1) (Network Interface Card) See network adapter. See also InterNIC. (2) (New Internet Computer) An earlier Linux-based computer from The New Internet Computer Company (NICC), Palo Alto, CA. ) and controller product lines. With the new PCI Gigabit Ethernet Controller, Essential and SEEQ can now offer their customers 32- and 64-bit PCI bus interface NICs and MACs for cost-effective high bandwidth and high-speed networking. In developing the new PCI Gigabit Ethernet Controller, SEEQ handled the circuit design and production of the chip, while Essential contributed its hardware design and software driver expertise. This new controller targets customer demands for lower cost Gigabit Ethernet networking in a wide range of applications, including NICs, switches and embedded applications such as servers and test equipment. The high level of integration achieved in this single-chip solution translates directly into reduced board space and lower costs for end users. The PCI Gigabit Ethernet Controller (also called the 8110) provides in a single controller all the capabilities previously delivered by three chips -- the Essential Roadrunner IC, the SEEQ 8100 and the Essential PFC PFC abbr. private first class Noun 1. PFC - a powerful greenhouse gas emitted during the production of aluminum perfluorocarbon IC. "The real strength of this partnership is the way in which it leverages the existing expertise and experience of both companies," said Michael McGowen, CEO (1) (Chief Executive Officer) The highest individual in command of an organization. Typically the president of the company, the CEO reports to the Chairman of the Board. and president of Essential Communications. "SEEQ's strength in designing and delivering MACs with embedded management features, melded with our knowledge of the bus, host, operating systems and drivers, result in sophisticated Gigabit Ethernet products in what is an emerging marketplace." "With this agreement, SEEQ brings its versatile MAC core, developed for the embedded switch market, to address the specific needs of the Gigabit Ethernet NIC market," said Robert Frostholm, vice president of sales and marketing for SEEQ Technology. "The end result is a wide variety of gigabit MAC applications that meet customer needs for speed and bandwidth. "Given the level of expertise of both companies, the potential of this partnership is virtually limitless. We may eventually see multi-channel devices for server applications." Utilizing the new PCI Gigabit Ethernet Controller, Essential is currently manufacturing PCI-based Gigabit Ethernet NICs for SGI (SGI, Sunnyvale, CA, www.sgi.com) A manufacturer of workstations and servers, founded in 1982 by Jim Clark. The company was founded as Silicon Graphics, Inc., but changed to its acronym in 1999. IRIX A Unix-based operating system from SGI that is used in its computer systems from desktop to supercomputer. It is an enhanced version of Unix System V Release 4. IRIX integrates the X Window system with OpenGL, creating the first real time 3D X environment. , DEC 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). , Windows NT, Sun Solaris and IBM AIX systems. The SGI and DEC products are currently shipping; all other drivers will be available by the end of 1997. Essential's NIC product line interoperates with all major Gigabit Ethernet switch vendors, including Foundry, Extreme, XLNT XLNT Excellent and Bay/Rapid City. The product is fully compliant with the IEEE 802.3Z D3.1 specification. SEEQ Technology will ship the PCI Gigabit Ethernet Controller through its existing distribution channels, with a 1,000 piece price of $48 (U.S.). The PCI product offers full 51 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. management counters, VLAN See virtual LAN. VLAN - Virtual Local Area Network support and flow control, enabling developers to use the full-featured controller for switch development as well as NICs. The 8110 is fully compliant with the IEEE 802.3Z D3.2 specification and runs in full duplex mode. Full duplex allows users to implement shared LANs that operate at wire speed, unlike half duplex which has several cabling length restrictions. Essential Communications, founded in 1992, is a leading provider of affordable, end-to-end gigabit networking solutions used in workgroups, backbones, cluster computing, storage management and visual computing. For more information about the company and its products, contact Essential at 800/278-7897 or visit its Web site at http://www.esscom.com . SEEQ Technology is a leading manufacturer of data communications semiconductor products. With headquarters in Fremont, the company is a 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. pioneer, having introduced the first integrated Ethernet controller in 1982. SEEQ's product families include Gigabit Ethernet, Fast Ethernet (100Base-T), and ATM components. SEEQ leads the Ethernet Media Access Controller (MAC) market, and offers the broadest line of Fast Ethernet MACs and Phys in the industry. The company's Ethernet solutions are used in industry-leading applications including network interface cards, hubs/bridges/routers, switches and test equipment. For further information about SEEQ and its products, visit the company's World Wide Web site at http://www.seeq.com . -0- NOTE: All trademarks and registered trademarks are the property of their respective companies. CONTACT: SEEQ Technology Inc., Fremont Robert Frostholm, 510/226-7400 or Essential Communications Dru Popper-Lopez, 505/344-0080 |
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