Hypercom gateway optimizes SNA over Frame Relay branch networks; Aids downsizing of FEPs; Streamlines migration to frame.

PHOENIX--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sept. 1, 1995--Hypercom Network Systems Friday announced its Physical Unit (PU) Concentrator Gateway, a device that aids in the conversion of multi-drop leased line networks to packet based Frame Relay solutions.

The software reduces traffic on the WAN, the mainframe gateway (IBM 3172) costs and mainframe network definition requirements, making Frame Relay even more cost efficient.

"The marketplace views Frame Relay as a lower cost leased line replacement. The new concentrator advances that cost justification by directly reducing the volume of PU sessions and traffic across the WAN. In very large branch networks, this reduction can reduce the Committed Information Rate (CIR) users subscribe to from the carriers," said Paul Wickre, vice president of marketing and business development.

"Secondly, a primary design goal of our Integrated Enterprise Network (IEN) architecture has always been to reduce the operating costs associated with the front end processor, thereby extending the life of legacy applications."

PU concentration is an optional value-added facility available on Hypercom's IEN 5000, used at central data site. It acts as a sophisticated ACF/VTAM emulation facility, providing SNA systems Services Control Point (SSCP) functions, usually only available with ACF/VTAM or high-end SNA/LAN Gateways such as IBM's Comms Manager/2 or Novell's Netware for SAA.

Many-to-One PU Imaging Simplifies Migration to Frame Relay

The PU Concentrator allows multiple branch IENs to be logically concentrated at the central data site. For example, up to 50 SNA PUs are presented to the mainframe as a single PU with multiple logical units (LUs). Each remote IEN branch device appears as a SNA node.

This many-to-one PU image concentration simplifies migration to Frame Relay by reducing the number of PUs to be defined and supported by the mainframe gateway and mainframe, both 37xx or 3x72. This reduction in turn reduces the number of network definitions as the Frame Relay network is brought up, as well as the number of permanently active SSCP-PU control sessions that have to be supported across the WAN between the mainframe and remote PUs.

Making 50 PUs appear as a single active SSCP-PU session reduces by thousands the sessions and related front-end and mainframe processing in large banking, retail, insurance or brokerage organizations. SSCP-PU session reduction does not compromise Netview/390 management; full visibility and control of the real SNA PUs are preserved. The PU message remains in tact as network management alerts (NMVTs) generated by real PUs are relayed by the gateway to the mainframe.

Anura Guruge, an independent analyst specializing in SNA/APPN internetworking said PU concentration advances the market for Frame Relay. "PU concentration complements Hypercom's other SNA value added features such as guaranteed delivery, traffic metering, bandwidth allocation and prioritization.

"This is a very powerful capability that can be used to realize significant cost savings," Guruge commented. "Hypercom continues to differentiate itself from other Frame Relay vendors. This confirms their commitment to developing the SNA/APPN community."

Network-wide Cost Reductions Explained

PU Concentration extends LAN-to-mainframe gateway capabilities, such as those offered by IBM's 3172 Interconnect Controller or 3174 Enterprise Controller to larger branch networks with thousands of PUs. The controllers have an upward limit of 1020 and 254 PUs, respectively.

Consequently, such cost-effective gateways could previously only be used in relatively small SNA networks. By increasing this capability with 50:1 concentration, Hypercom's PU Gateway makes it possible to support 10,000 actual PUs interacting with a mainframe via a single 3172. The resulting savings from downsized FEP environments, controller extension and migration flexibility increase the ability of Frame Relay to provide "more for less."

"We have always maintained that the total cost of ownership of wide area networking is the only rational framework for evaluating technologies," Wickre said. "In the past, users have been skittish about combining LAN and legacy traffic over a single PVC. Coupled with our Service Address Point (SAP) multiplexing and prioritization, the PU Concentrator gateway overcomes this hesitation by allowing customers to efficiently use only one PVC for multiprotocol branch networks. At market rates of $31 to $101 per PVC, very large branch environments can really optimize their Frame Relay expenditures."

About Hypercom

Founded in 1978, Hypercom Inc. is a multinational company headquarterd 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 legacy SNA networks and PC/LAN networks into a manageable single resource. Hypercom products are sold in more than 30 countries and produce revenues of more than $200 million annually.

CONTACT: Hypercom Network Systems

Paul Wickre, 301/961-1562

or

Hammond Farrell Inc.

Lisa Kurtz, 212/995-5680, ext. 210