3Com Ships Its First Fiber Ethernet Network Interface Cards,
Extending Award-Winning Performance, Intelligence and Manageability
to Fiber Networks - 08:26 p.m Jul 13, 1998 Eastern
Networking Leader Also Reaffirms Commitment to Small Business Networks,
Adding Parallel Tasking(R) II Performance to its EtherLink(R) XL PCI Cards
SANTA CLARA, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--July 13, 1998-- With the
growth of fiber to the desktop and in server area networks, 3Com
Corporation (NASDAQ:COMS) today introduced its first fiber network
interface cards (NICs) for 10Mbps and 100Mbps Ethernet networks.
Building on the industry's best-selling line of high performance NICs,
3Com's new EtherLink(R) and Fast EtherLink(R) XL PCI Fiber NICs feature
the company's proven solutions for increased network performance,
intelligence and manageability, while offering network administrators
the extended reach and reduced interference benefits of multimedia-ready
fiber networks.
3Com today also reaffirmed its commitment to the small businesses
10Mbs Ethernet market by incorporating its patented Parallel Tasking(R)
II technology into the company's 10Mbps-only EtherLink XL PCI NICs.
"3Com's focus is to bring reliable, intelligent and manageable
connections to many different types of network environments," said
Jim Jones, director of marketing for 3Com's Ethernet Products
Division. "The EtherLink and Fast EtherLink XL PCI Fiber NICs and the
EtherLink XL PCI NIC further enhance our NIC portfolio and cater to
the specific networking requirements our customers have for quality
connectivity."
New Fiber NICs Extend Network Access, Connectivity
Operating over multi-mode fiber, 3Com's new EtherLink and Fast EtherLink
XL Fiber NICs are ideal for desktop-to-network LAN connectivity over
longer distances, helping network administrators extend the reach of
the campus network. With the convergence of voice, video and data
signals, fiber provides a future-proofed network that has the available
bandwidth to transmit all of these signal types over one wire. 3Com's
fiber NICs offer users network access from as far as two kilometers
away, operating at full-duplex (simultaneous send and receive)
transmissions.
In addition, fiber offers more flexibility in network designs, delivering
a highly available, secure network that is immune to outside electrical
signals and interference. This makes fiber particularly suitable for
unusually noisy environments and for secure areas where copper-based
signals can be disrupted or degraded, such as in the manufacturing,
government and financial industries.
Fiber NICs Feature Latest 3Com Technology, Performance Gains
Delivering the industry's most advanced performance features for fiber
Ethernet and Fast Ethernet networks, 3Com now offers the industry's
broadest array of Ethernet-based NICs for all standardized cable
environments - 100BASE-TX and 100BASE-T4 for UTP cables and 10BASE-FL
and 100BASE-FX for fiber cable. Supporting the company's total
Ethernet/Fast Ethernet solution of NICs, hubs, switches, modems and
network management software, 3Com's new fiber cards were designed
using the company's latest NIC technology and innovations. Like the
award-winning 3Com Fast EtherLink XL PCI 10/100 NIC, 3Com's new fiber
NICs feature:
-- Parallel Tasking II performance - Reduces CPU utilization and
eliminates PCI bus bottlenecks by bursting full packets across
the PCI bus. Results in improved application response time for
users, including high-bandwidth multimedia and imaging transfers.
-- Reduced TCO through Manageability - Fully manageable fiber NIC
provides Remote Wake Up for after-hours PC administration.
Features DMI 2.0 compliance and Managed PC Boot Agent (MBA) for
centralized systems planning, configuration and management, and
disaster recovery.
-- DynamicAccess(R) software - Features standards-based Traffic
Prioritization, allowing network administrators to specify levels
of priority for mission-critical or multimedia applications and
dRMON SmartAgent(R) software for collecting and reporting network
performance and Fast IP for eliminating router bottlenecks in
high-traffic IP networks.
Parallel Tasking II Performance Added to EtherLink XL PCI NIC
Driving the migration towards the higher-performing, easy-to-use
PCI bus and continuing to help make 10Mbps NICs affordable and
available to small businesses and 10Mbps-only corporate networks, 3Com
is pleased to announce the addition of Parallel Tasking II technology
(see description above) to the existing EtherLink XL PCI NIC. Initiating
the networking shift to PCI with an aggressive 46 percent price
reduction in April, 3Com has lowered the price of its premier PCI
10Mbps-only NIC down to ISAbus NIC prices, helping price sensitive
and legacy customers benefit from the company's latest NIC developments
and realize the performance gains of the PCI bus.
Pricing and Availability
3Com's EtherLink XL PCI NIC with Parallel Tasking II technology
is currently shipping for as low as $51/unit in multi-packs in the
U.S. (Please call 1-800-NET-3Com for additional pricing information).
3Com's EtherLink and Fast EtherLink PCI fiber network interface cards
are now available worldwide through traditional 3Com channels. U.S.
list pricing is as follows:
EtherLink XL 10BASE-FL PCI Fiber NIC
-- 3C900B-FL(ST) $199/unit
-- 3C900B-FL(ST)-5PK $945 or $189/unit
-- 3C900B-FL(ST)-20PK $3,580 or $179/unit
Fast EtherLink XL 100BASE-FX PCI Fiber NIC
-- 3C905B-FX(SC) $299/unit
-- 3C905B-FX(SC)-5PK $1,445 or $289/unit
-- 3C905B-FX(SC)-20PK $5,580 or $279/unit
About 3Com
3Com Corporation enables individuals and organizations worldwide to
stay more connected by communicating and sharing information and
resources anytime, anywhere. As one of the world's preeminent suppliers
of data, voice and video communications technology, 3Com has delivered
networking solutions to nearly 200 million customers worldwide. The
company provides large enterprise, small and medium enterprise,
carriers and network service providers, and consumers with comprehensive,
innovative information access products and system solutions for building
intelligent, reliable and high performance local and wide area networks.
For further information, visit 3Com's World Wide Web site at
3com.com or the press site at 3com.com.
Copyright 1998, Business Wire
Contact:
3Com Corporation
Cindy Cooper, 408/326-1742
cindy_cooper@3com.com
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