Some news from Alcatel. Cascade announced QoS for its frame relay
earlier. (Jan 20, 1997) Seems to be catching on. Alcatel announces
QoS for its own frame relay.
From Alcatel: (symbol ALA)
Monday April 7 8:08 AM EDT
Alcatel Data Networks Announces Frame Relay Priority Feature
Which Rivals ATM Quality of Service
New Feature for FRAD Provides Industry-Leading Traffic Management
Capabilities
ASHBURN, Va., April 7 /PRNewswire/ -- Alcatel Data Networks today announced the industry's most
powerful traffic management capabilities for its 1100 QIK(TM) (QUICKFRAD(TM)) suite of Frame
Relay Access Devices. The new feature allows users to prioritize one type of data over another, providing
exceptional qualities of service (QoS) in a Frame Relay network.
With the new feature set, which was developed in response to the increasing demand of sending voice
over Frame Relay in conjunction with other types of data, the QUICKFRAD now offers users the choice
of multiple classes of service similar to those offered by ATM.
"With the ever increasing popularity of users sending multiple data types simultaneously across Frame
Relay networks, the ability to provide effective traffic management is critical," said Ed Kennedy, vice
president of marketing for Alcatel Data Networks. "Our new prioritization scheme ensures that
business-critical traffic, such as voice and SNA, does not get delayed behind less crucial LAN traffic. It
also takes the guesswork out of Frame Relay Committed Information Rate (CIR) selection, allowing the
user to guarantee bandwidth to important applications."
The Alcatel QUICKFRAD prioritizes data before it is sent to the network, ensuring that high-priority
traffic is delivered promptly, while lower-priority traffic receives its fair share of network resources.
Four different classes of service are available, and users can define the relative priority of each class.
For example, a bank could replace an existing network of leased lines with Frame Relay, establishing
financial transactions as the highest priority, with LAN data as a lower priority. Monthly network costs
would be greatly reduced, with improved network performance.
The Alcatel QUICKFRAD family of Frame Relay Access Devices (FRADs) provides economical access
to Frame Relay networks at speeds from 56 Kbps to T1/E1. Supporting many LAN and Legacy
protocols, users are able to send many different types of data via any of Alcatel Data Networks' Frame
Relay products. The QUICKFRAD is a key access device in Alcatel Data Networks' Avanza(TM)
portfolio.
Avanza is the world's first integrated, multiservice switching platform which provides full connectivity
from desktop-to-central office, within the context of a product roll-out which is timely, interoperable,
consistent, and fully supported globally. It is designed to minimize network costs, simplify network
management, offer network flexibility, and maximize performance objectives. Some of the other products
that comprise an Avanza solution include the Alcatel 1100 HSS(R) Frame Relay and ATM WAN Switch,
and the Alcatel 1100 LSS(R) Any-to-Any LAN Switch.
Alcatel Data Networks is a leading provider of data communications systems for public and private
networks throughout the world. The company, which is headquartered in Ashburn, Va., has built more
than 325 major networks, including 60 national carriers, and has more than 75,000 nodes in operation.
Alcatel Data Networks is a joint venture company owned by Alcatel Alsthom, one of the world's largest
manufacturers of telecommunications equipment, and Sprint, the first all digital network operator and
provider of one of the world's largest Frame Relay network services. Company news and product
information are available at Alcatel Data Networks' World Wide Web site: adn.alcatel.com.
Alcatel Alsthom and Sprint Corp are publicly traded on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE). SOURCE
Alcatel Data Networks
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Just info.
steve |
