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Wednesday September 10 8:11 PM EDT
Company Press Release
Cisco Introduces Family of Second-Generation Token Ring Switches
New Family of Token Ring Switches Includes Stackable Desktop and High-Speed Backbone Solutions with Robust Features and Functionality
SAN JOSE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sept. 10, 1997--Cisco Systems, Inc. today introduced a new family of second-generation Token Ring switches. These switches are first in the industry to provide wire-speed throughput on all ports, full support for Token Ring protocols and features, robust network management and high-speed uplinks at breakthrough prices. The family, including a stackable Token Ring switch and a Token Ring switching module for Cisco's award-winning Catalyst(R) switching family, establishes a new benchmark for performance, function and low price per port.
The new switching family uses custom application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs) to achieve high performance combined with functions previously found only in software-based switches. Token Ring ports achieve media-speed throughput with all Token Ring bridging modes. Each Token Ring port supports dedicated or shared-media attachment, including support for full duplex. Media-speed filtering and multicast support is built into the custom ASICs. In addition, the switches support embedded mini-Remote Monitoring (RMON) management to provide statistics on the health of attached LANs.
High-speed uplink support includes ATM Forum-compliant Token Ring LAN Emulation (LANE) and Cisco's 100-Mbps Inter-Switch Link (ISL) protocol. A complete Token Ring LANE solution can be provided via uplinks and LANE services on the Catalyst 5000 family of switches. Cisco has extended its popular ISL solution to support multiple Token Ring virtual LANS (VLANs) in addition to multiple Ethernet VLANs. Full-length, source-routed, Token Ring frames can now be sent between switches and to servers at 100 Mbps, providing a frame-based, high-speed Token Ring solution. Token Ring network managers now have the same choice of cell-based or frame-based uplinks that Ethernet network managers have had for some time.
With these new switches, Cisco offers a complete solution for the switched LAN campus for each of the following network migration paths:
Scaling pure Token Ring environments Migrating legacy Token Ring backbones to an Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM) backbone Deploying an ISL frame-based backbone alternative to ATM Migrating from Token Ring to Ethernet
``Cisco has succeeded in creating a family of switches that combines all the best features and functionality of first-generation switches, but at a significantly lower cost per port,'' says industry analyst Anura Guruge. ``Network managers have been waiting for a second generation of switches to implement fully switched infrastructures. And now Cisco is the first to deliver.''
Catalyst 3900 Token Ring Switch
The Catalyst 3900, ideally suited for desktop connectivity, has a standard 20 fixed ports and a unique FlexSlot that can accommodate two feature cards. Up to eight switches can be stacked via the Catalyst Matrix switch to provide up to 224 ports to address increasing bandwidth requirements in the wiring closet.
Catalyst 5000 Token Ring Module
The Catalyst 5000 switching module, designed for the enterprise backbone, is the latest addition to the award-winning, media-independent Catalyst 5000 series. With a choice of 16 copper or 16 fiber switch ports, this Token Ring switching module has extremely high port density and functionality.
``These new Token Ring switches broaden Cisco's wide range of scalable, end-to-end campus solutions,'' says Eric Teagarden, Cisco's product line manager for Token Ring switching. ``With Cisco's Token Ring and Ethernet switches and world-class routers, enterprises can choose the migration path to a switched infrastructure that best meets their business needs.''
Pricing and Availability
The Catalyst 3900, priced at U.S. $8,995, is now available. The Catalyst 5000 switching module with 16-port copper will be available during the fourth quarter of 1997, priced at U.S. $13,995. The 16-port fiber module will be available during the first quarter of 1998, priced at U.S. $19,995.
Cisco Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ:CSCO) is the worldwide leader in networking for the Internet. News and information are available at cisco.com .
Note to Editors: Catalyst, Cisco, Cisco Systems, and the Cisco Systems logo are registered trademarks of Cisco Systems, Inc. in the U.S. and certain other countries. All other trademarks mentioned in this document are the property of their respective owners.
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Contact:
Cisco Systems, Inc.
Mary Hecht-Kissell, 919/472-3290
mhechtki@cisco.com |
