Continuing previous post....
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From "Integrating ATM into existing networks with Magellan
Prepared for the Yankee Group Real World ATM Seminar Spring 1995"
"In addition, Nortel has established a strategic alliance with FORE Systems to help users realize more quickly the opportunities of unified LAN/WAN environments through ATM networking. The alliance has three dimensions:
Nortel becomes a ForeThought network software partner and will integrate this technology into its Magellan ATM products (Passport, Vector and Concorde)
Nortel and FORE Systems will jointly develop CO products - Magellan Vector was announced and demonstrated at SuperComm in March 1995
Nortel and FORE Systems will jointly market, seamless end-to-end ATM solutions"
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From "CREATING NETWORK SOLUTIONS
FOR CHANGING CORPORATE REALITIES" (no date)
"Magellan Vector, an ATM switch for carriers that integrated advanced LAN ATM functions developed by FORE Systems Inc., Warrendale, Pennsylvania, with the wide-area backbone network. With this integration, carriers can offer end-to-end public ATM-based services, as well as bring new services, such as LAN emulation and ATM switched virtual circuits, into the public ATM network"
Fore's contribution relates to LAN connectivity...also, no mention of Fore in the sections on Passport or Concorde...
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From "Nortel Leads Market in Data and Multimedia Networking Solutions" (Jan 1997)
"Nortel's solutions have done much more than garner industry awards -- they have in fact been widely accepted by customers around the world and have resulted in Nortel holding a number of industry-leading positions in the data commmunications marketplace:
* #1 in the Global WAN Equipment Market (Nortel + MICOM - DataQuest 1996)
* #1 in the Global ATM Enterprise Switch Market (Yankee Group 1996)
* #1 in the Global Packet Switch Market (DataQuest 1996)
* #1 in the Global TDM Access MUX Market (DataQuest 1996)
* #2 in the Global ATM Core Switch Market (Yankee Group 1996)
* #3 in the Global Frame Relay Equipment Market (Vertical Systems Group 1996) "
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From "Flexible LAN interconnectivity through interLAN switching" (no date)
"Passport will use ATM LAN emulation software from FORE Systems, the leader in ATM LAN switches and provide native ATM:
to extend the emulated LAN across the network
to support new multimedia applications.
for packet forwarding clients as part of a multiple protocol over ATM (MPOA) environment, and provide distributed networking server functionality for the optimum combination of routing and ATM switching over a wide area network.
The full range of ATM classes of service will be supported. In addition, dynamic routing of switched virtual circuits (SVCs) including auto-discovery and auto-recovery after failures will be provided, ensuring service consistency with FORE Systems ATM LAN networks."
Some Fore input to Passport...
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Glancing through Fore's website, I noticed the Forerunner and TNX switches. These don't really look like "big" WAN or central office switches. Sounds to me like Fore offers lots of LAN stuff, networking software and some "niche" WAN products. Maybe you could point me to the "big" stuff if I missed it...
From the above, it sounds to me that Nortel is AT LEAST licensing some key software (including some important network management software) from Fore, and that is mostly concentrated in the Vector. Passport is Nortel's ATM cash cow right now, and there's very little mention of Fore in that context (other than the management software which is "system level" I guess). And indeed, Nortel was already selling Passport and Concorde before the alliance with Fore was announced!
I guess I still maintain that most of Nortel's ATM product portfolio was developed in-house. Maybe others with more ATM experience would interpret the above differently. If so, let's hear it!
To find links to all the above stuff, just search Nortel's website for "fore"...
Andrew |
