Hypercom expands WAN products for enhanced carrier services; ISDN support increases IEN carrier flexibility; high speed back-up.PHOENIX--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan. 9, 1995--Hypercom Network Systems, the leader in SNA/LAN integration, Monday announced expansion of its carrier interfaces, higher data rate dial back-up and migration path to ISDN ISDN in full Integrated Services Digital Network Digital telecommunications network that operates over standard copper telephone wires or other media. . These additions are part of Hypercom's flagship product A primary product of a company, which is typically why the company was founded and/or what made it well known. For example, MS-DOS, Windows and the Microsoft Office suite have been flagship products of Microsoft. CorelDRAW is a flagship product of Corel Corporation. , Integrated Enterprise Network (IEN IEN - Internet Experiment Note ) primary asset. The IEN's strength is in flexible carrier attachment and the ability to support multiple carrier offerings simultaneously. This gives network users and planners the greatest versatility with regards to rapidly changing carrier services and price optimization. All Hypercom's IEN products have a sophisticated dial back-up restoral scheme for mission critical SNA (Systems Network Architecture) IBM's mainframe network standards introduced in 1974. Originally a centralized architecture with a host computer controlling many terminals, enhancements, such as APPN and APPC (LU 6. sessions. This is currently provided through an integrated V.32 bis modem which is bus connected to SNA port processors. Each port processor is capable of handling multiple 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) cluster controllers at a branch location. In the event of a WAN interface or line failure, the SNA port processor initiates a rapid dial back-up routine while continuing to poll the controller, maintaining the session. Incoming data is buffered until the dial call is made, through the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN (Public Switched Telephone Network) The worldwide voice telephone network. Once only an analog system, the heart of most telephone networks today is all digital. In the U.S. ), to the corresponding IEN host node connected to the front end. Once established, data is sent at 14.4 kbps in the back-up mode until the primary link is restored. Due to the IEN's ability to send multiple protocols in native mode (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. , SNA), higher data rates have been required. Thus, a data compression data compression Process of reducing the amount of data needed for storage or transmission of a given piece of information (text, graphics, video, sound, etc.), typically by use of encoding techniques. option can be invoked to increase the analog facility to 38 kbps. From this basic foundation, ISDN support is offered as a higher data rate with the value-added of extremely fast call set-up times. The new card can be inserted into the IEN modular chassis arrangement when ISDN is available locally. The ISDN offering replaces the analog service through the use of Hypercom Basic Rate Interface (BRI See ISDN. BRI - Basic Rate Interface ) at the remote branch and Primary Rate Interface (PRI PRI: see Institutional Revolutionary party. (Primary Rate Interface) An ISDN service that provides 23 64 Kbps B (Bearer) channels and one 64 Kbps D (Data) channel (23B+D), which is equivalent to the 24 channels of a T1 line. ) at the host location. Current speed of the card is 56/64 kbps with full 23B+D support (T-1) at the host side for multiple site aggregation. When ISDN back-up is combined with Frame Relay service, high speed digital facilities are in place for both primary and back-up. "The value of this is in the use of all digital carrier services as they are rolled out on a local basis," said Paul K. Wickre, Hypercom's vice president of sales and marketing. "For mission critical applications, a back-up strategy must be included in the product design, not just an add-on. "By supporting Frame Relay direct with ISDN on back-up, we have achieved call set-up on connection times less than the time-out parameters on the NCP (1) (Network Control Program) See SNA and network control program. (2) (NetWare Core Protocol) The file sharing protocol used in a NetWare network. . This means no loss of data and no session drops when the network fails." Although ISDN has not yet achieved the service ubiquity of the popular Frame Relay service, the IEN's flexibility allows use of analog back-up with compression where ISDN is not available, and a simple card swap to the ISDN when it is available. "Due to our modular architecture, we can provide the user with multiple WAN interfaces, depending on tariffs and changing RBOC (Regional Bell Operating Company) The Bell telephone companies that were spun off of AT&T by court order in 1984 (the Divestiture). Also known as the "Baby Bells," the initial seven RBOCs were Nynex, Bell Atlantic, BellSouth, Southwestern Bell, US West, price structures," said George R. Wallner, Hypercom's chief technologist. "Based on carrier pricing, the remote branch could use ISDN for the primary link, Frame Relay in some cases, or a mix and match. "As access vendors, we support a complete range of remote connectivity including Frame Relay, ISDN, 950 service, X.25, V.32 bis or any combination." Family of Integrated Hybrid Routers The ISDN upgrade is applicable to the complete line of integrated routers which include the IEN 1000, IEN 3000, and IEN 5000. Hypercom's IEN is a multi-tiered network integration approach employing a unique transport technology that overcomes the fundamental incompatibility between SNA and the internetworking protocols. IEN products combine Ethernet and Token Ring intelligent hub and router functions, legacy protocol support, drop-and-insert voice, DSU/CSU (Digital (or Data) Service Unit/Channel Service Unit) A pair of communications devices that connect an inhouse line to an external digital circuit (T1, DDS, etc.). , dial back-up modem, and data encryption and compression in a single, compact, rack-mounted enclosure, eliminating the multiple access devices and parallel networks Fortune 1000 companies now use to independently transport SNA, LAN and voice traffic between branch offices. The Hypercom products protect their SNA hardware investment, greatly reduce recurring leased line costs, simplify network management and provide a smooth migration path to future technologies. Hypercom Founded in 1978, Hypercom Inc. is a multinational company headquartered in Phoenix. Hypercom provides advanced technology data communications systems and components to the financial and banking sectors and other Fortune 1000 industries. Hypercom's primary mission is to allow customers to integrate SNA and other legacy networks and PC/LAN networks into a manageable single resource. Hypercom products are sold in 29 countries and produce revenues of more than $160 million annually. CONTACT: Hypercom Inc.
Paul Wickre, 602/866-5399
or
Ketchum Public Relations
Nancy Prater, 415/984-6305
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