Interesting comments Wizard. We'll see how the battle plays out. In the meantime, here's an interesting release from CSCO today showing that ATM is not dead in the LAN/WAN space. You can be sure there are PMC phy chips on those modules. Note the interesting use of ATM to carry VoIP traffic..
Cisco Introduces High-Speed ATM Capabilities for Cisco 3600 Series Modular
Access Platform
Cost-Effective Multiservice Solution for Campus and Branch Office Applications
SAN JOSE, Calif. -- March 31, 1999 -- Cisco Systems, Inc., the worldwide leader
in networking for the Internet, today introduced high-speed Asynchronous
Transfer Mode (ATM) network modules for the Cisco 3600 modular access
platform. These new OC-3 modules give service providers and enterprise
customers a cost-effective solution for extending multiservice capabilities to
branch-office locations through ATM.
The new capabilities on the Cisco 3600 enable customers to integrate
multiprotocol data, voice, and video over high-speed ATM, greatly increasing
Wide Area Network (WAN) deployment options for legacy and LAN-to-LAN
connectivity. With OC-3 ATM capabilities, the Cisco 3600 is an ideal solution
for customers to deploy high-speed data, voice and video applications through a
single robust connection from the branch office to regional or corporate
headquarters.
"We needed a cost-effective, high-performance solution to combine all our
different networks onto a single, multiservice network," said Paul Millard,
vice president of engineering at Delta Technology, Inc., Delta Airlines' wholly
owned information technology subsidiary. "The new capabilities on the Cisco
3600 enabled us to increase our network performance for existing applications
and leverage our ATM network for emerging applications, such as multimedia and
video."
Enhanced ATM capabilities on the Cisco 3600 give service providers greater
traffic management ability and Quality of Service (QoS) controls to deliver
business-quality Voice-over-IP (VoIP) and other mission critical applications.
Because the new network modules are standards-based ATM and fully interoperate with the complete line of Cisco's carrier-class ATM switches, the Cisco 3600 is a cost-effective solution for bandwidth management and service deployment at the service provider network edge.
"High-speed ATM capability on the Cisco 3600 is another development that
increases Cisco's leadership in the multiservice access market," said Alex
Mendez, vice president and general manager of the Multiservice Access Business Unit at Cisco Systems. "The new capabilities give service providers more options and increased flexibility to deploy New World services that customers are demanding now."
New High-Speed ATM OC-3 Capabilities Extend 3600 Adaptability,
Investment Protection
The Cisco 3600 Series is a family of modular, multiservice access routers for
medium and large-sized offices and smaller Internet Service Providers. The
high-performance, modular architecture of the Cisco 3600 Series protects
customers' investment in network technology and integrates the functions of
several devices into a single, manageable solution. With over 70 modular
interface options, the Cisco 3600 family provides solutions for dial access,
voice/data integration, virtual private networks (VPNs), and multiprotocol data
routing.
The Cisco 3600 multiservice access router with high-speed ATM is now capable of establishing Variable Bit Rate (VBR) real-time Switched Virtual Circuit
(SVC)-based ATM connections across the WAN to support VoIP and H.323 over ATM applications. The 3600 series ATM OC-3 network modules allow service providers to effectively manage the bandwidth at the edges of the network. With advanced ATM Traffic management features, and support for enhanced ATM service classes (including Unspecified Bit Rate (UBR), Unspecified Bit Rate plus (UBR+), real-time Variable Bit Rate (VBR-rt), non-real-time Variable Bit Rate
(VBR-nrt), Constant Bit Rate (CBR), and Available Bit Rate (ABR)), the ATM OC-3 network modules can be effectively deployed as ATM edge router devices in the
Service Provider network.
The Cisco 3600 multiservice access router also gives customers the full benefit
of Cisco IOS(R) software, enabling them to deliver services based on the
applications currently running in the largest enterprises, and allowing them to
easily adapt to advances in technology. Incorporating Cisco IOS features, the
Cisco 3600 provides a wide range of WAN and LAN interfaces, including support
for multiprotocol LAN-to-LAN routing, security, WAN optimization, compression
and integrated hybrid dial access support.
Price and Availability
Solutions based on the new ATM OC-3 network modules for the Cisco 3600 series routers are priced from $6,000 and are immediately available. |
