NetWorth introduces FastStack stackable hub system; includes switches, Fast Ethernet and 10BASE-T repeaters.IRVING, Texas--(BUSINESS WIRE)--March 13, 1995--NetWorth 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 :NWTH) introduces the FastStack stackable hub A type of Ethernet hub that can be expanded by daisy chaining additional hubs together via dedicated ports for that purpose. They are designed to stack vertically and be treated as a single domain by the network management software. system, the industry's first fully integrated stackable hub family that combines Ethernet switching, 100BASE-T hubs and economical 10BASE-T hubs. The FastStack stackable hub system combines high-end modular chassis-based hub functionality, such as load-sharing redundant power supplies, intrusion security protection and 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. support, with stackable hub pricing. New Switching Technology At the core of the new FastStack stackable hub system is NetWorth's FastPipes switching technology. NetWorth's first FastPipes offering is a version that supports six 10Mbps connections (five fixed 10BASE-T ports and one modular 10Mbps port that supports 10BASE-T, BNC (hardware) BNC - A connector for coaxial cable such as that used for some video connections and RG58 "cheapernet" connections. A BNC connector has a bayonet-type shell with two small knobs on the female connector which lock into spiral slots in the male connector when it is twisted , AUI (Attachment Unit Interface) The network interface used with the original Ethernet. See 10Base5. 1. (tool, product) AUI - Adaptable User Interface. 2. (networking) AUI - Attachment Unit Interface. or a 10BASE-FL port) and one modular high-speed port with the option of FDDI (Fiber Distributed Data Interface) Often pronounced "fiddy," it was a LAN and MAN access method that had its heyday in the mid-1990s. FDDI was an ANSI standard token passing network that transmitted 100 Mbps over optical fiber up to 10 kilometers. , 100BASE-TX, 100BASE-T4, 100BASE-VG and ATM (OC-3) uplink capabilities. The six-port FastPipes switch also supports 802.1d spanning tree and IP fragmentation Breaking an IP datagram (packet) into pieces in order to be sent across a transmission link with a frame size smaller than the datagram. Performed in a router, the header of the original IP packet is replicated with minor changes to each of the fragments. (when FDDI high-speed port is installed). Priced as low as $3,995, the six-port FastPipes represents a new industry-low entry price for 10/100 switches. As with all FastStack system products, the FastPipes six-port switch will support hot- swappable redundant power supplies. 100Mbps Stackable Hubs -- Provides Universal Cable Compatibility Along with a new switching architecture, the FastStack stackable hub is the first to support both 100BASE-TX and 100BASE-T4 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. wiring standards. Support of both UTP-based Fast Ethernet standards provides users compatibility with all types of common UTP UTP (uridine triphosphate): see uracil. (Unshielded Twisted Pair) See twisted pair. UTP - unshielded twisted pair cabling, including Category 3, 4 and 5. The FastStack 100Mbps stackable hubs are 12-port hubs and can be stacked five units high to support up to 60 users. FlexPlane Architecture Provides 300Mbps of Bandwidth in a Single Stack Each stacked hub is interconnected via NetWorth's FlexPlane backplane cable that supports three 100Mbps data paths and a management backplane. Users may segment a stack of 100Mbps hubs on a per-unit basis externally or through either one of the FlexPlane 100Mbps data paths. ``NetWorth leveraged our heritage in 10Mbps Ethernet segmentation to offer 100Mbps segmentation on a per-unit basis with the FlexPlane backplane. Segmentation increases the bandwidth available per user and limits throughput contention,'' commented Terry Klein, vice president of marketing. 100BASE-TX and T4 versions of the hubs may be mixed in a stack and managed (SNMP (Simple Network Management Protocol) A widely used network monitoring and control protocol. Data are passed from SNMP agents, which are hardware and/or software processes reporting activity in each network device (hub, router, bridge, etc. and RMON) by a single 12-port management hub. An intrusion security feature is also included for sites needing secure network communication. Smart Uplink -- Eliminates Fast Ethernet Cabling Restrictions The 100Mbps stackable FastStack hubs also feature the Smart Uplink daughtercard See daughterboard. daughtercard - daughterdboard option. While most 100BASE-T hubs are limited to two repeaters or stacks per collision domain A group of nodes in an Ethernet network that compete with each other for access. If two or more devices try to access the network at the exact same time, a collision will occur. A collision domain is typically confined to a subnet. , NetWorth's FastStack 100BASE-T repeaters can interconnect any number of repeaters in a data path, up to 100 meters apart by installing Smart Uplink daughtercards into FastStack hubs. Smart Uplink allows for FastStack hubs to be ``dropped'' into any existing 10BASE-T configuration without any change to the cabling infrastructure. ``Competitive solutions will require expensive bridging or routing solutions that will also entail a change to existing cabling plans,'' said John McHale
``Providing 100BASE-T as robust as 10BASE-T configurations will prove to be a major challenge for hub manufacturers producing Fast Ethernet products. NetWorth's Smart Uplink overcomes these distance and repeater hop limitations and can be intermixed with other vendors' 100BASE-T offerings,'' continued McHale. New Low Cost for 10BASE-T Stackables The FastStack stackable hub system will also support a new version of 10BASE-T hub that will list for as low as $62 per port. Fully compatible with existing NetWorth Series 2000 Snappable Hubs, 10Mbps FastStack hubs will utilize the same Extended Repeater Architecture backplane connection found in the Series 2000 hub. Up to 10 FastStack and Snappable hubs may be interconnected via a UTP backplane that can span a distance of 250 feet. 10Mbps FastStack hubs are 16-port devices that support an additional alternate media module for 10BASE-FL, BNC or AUI connections. A single managed 10Mbps FastStack hub provides SNMP management for up to nine other 10Mbps FastStack hubs. Complete Networking Solutions NetWorth's FastStack stackable hub system and SwiftNIC 10/100 network adapters provide an end-to-end solution (jargon) end-to-end solution - (E2ES) A term that suggests that the supplier of an application program or system will provide all the hardware and/or software components and resouces to meet the customer's requirement and no other supplier need be involved. Compare: turn-key solution. for high-speed networking. The SwiftNIC adapter family is the most complete line of 10BASE-T and Fast Ethernet adapters available in the industry. With support for 100BASE-TX and 100BASE-T4, the SwiftNIC adapters support all categories of UTP network cabling. Available with support for ISA (1) (Instruction Set Architecture) See instruction set. (2) (Interactive Services Association) See Internet Alliance. (3) (Internet Security and Acceleration) See .NET. , 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 PCI (1) (Payment Card Industry) See PCI DSS. (2) (Peripheral Component Interconnect) The most widely used I/O bus (peripheral bus). computer buses, NetWorth provides Fast Ethernet connectivity to the majority of PC-based computers. According to DataQuest, NetWorth was the fourth-largest worldwide supplier of Ethernet stackable 10BASE-T hubs in 1994. NetWorth climbed to this market-share position in less than two years after shipping its first stackable hub in 1993. NetWorth's FastStack stackable hub system is the next logical progression for the company as it continues to focus on the expanding stackable-hub market. NetWorth is a participating member of the IEEE 802.3u draft standards committee and a member of the Fast Ethernet Alliance. NetWorth has been shipping a Fast Ethernet repeater and EISA and PCI 10/100 adapters since December 1994. In April, NetWorth plans to be the first vendor to announce and ship a 100BASE-TX and 100BASE-T4 ISA Adapter. NetWorth already leads the industry in shipped Fast Ethernet repeater ports in 1994 and 1995. -0- FastStack Pricing and Availability Switches Price Availability FSP06 -- six-port FastPipe Switch
w/out high-speed uplink $3,995 June
100BASE-TX high-speed uplink $ 995 June
FDDI high-speed uplink (SAS) $1,595 June
Single-Attach Fiber Connection
FDDI high-speed uplink (DAS) $1,995 June
Dual-Attach Fiber Connection
100Mbps Stackable Hubs FSTX12U -- 12-port unmanaged TX hub $1,995 June FSTX12M -- 12-port managed TX hub $2,495 June FST412U -- 12-port unmanaged T4 hub $1,995 June FST412M -- 12-port managed T4 hub $2,495 June SMARTUP -- Smart Uplink daughtercard $ 499 June FastStack FlexPlane $ 95 June 10Mbps Stackable Hubs FS1016U -- 16-port unmanaged 10BASE-T hub $ 995 June FS1016M -- 16-port managed 10BASE-T hub $1,295 June NetWorth is a leading developer, manufacturer and supplier of Novell NetWare-optimized intelligent hubs, switches and related products. NetWorth's products are manufactured under the ISO (1) See ISO speed. (2) (International Organization for Standardization, Geneva, Switzerland, www.iso.ch) An organization that sets international standards, founded in 1946. The U.S. member body is ANSI. 9000 Certified Quality System. Corporate headquarters are located at 8404 Esters Blvd., Irving, Texas 75063; call 214/929-1700 or, toll-free inside the United States and Canada, 800/544-5255, or on-line 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. 214/929-4882. -0- NOTE TO EDITORS: NetWorth is a registered trademark and FastStack, FastPipes, FlexPlane, Smart Uplink and Snappables are trademarks of NetWorth Inc. Novell and NetWare are registered trademarks of Novell Inc. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. CONTACT: NetWorth Inc., Irving Tamye Oshman, 214/929-6927 toshman(at-sign)networth.com (e-mail) 72662,32 (CompuServe) or Network Associates Sherri Walkenhorst, 801/373-7888 74667,3206 (CompuServe) |
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