To: Robert Scott who wrote (20597 ) 11/3/1997 8:25:00 AM From: Glenn D. Rudolph Read Replies (1) | Respond to
Ascend's MAX 4048 WAN Access Switch Outperforms U.S. Robotics' Total Control Hub in the Tolly Group Study
Business Wire - November 03, 1997 07:59
%ASCEND-COMMUNICATIONS ASND %CALIFORNIA %COMPUTERS %ELECTRONICS %COMED %INTERACTIVE %MULTIMEDIA %INTERNET %TELECOMMUNICATIONS %PRODUCT V%BW P%BW
ALAMEDA, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nov. 3, 1997--
Equipped With Ascend's New K56Flex Compatible Series56 Digital
Modem Modules, the MAX 4048 Provides a Superior Dial-Up Remote
Access Server at a Lower Per-Modem Price
Ascend Communications, Inc. (NASDAQ:ASND) today announced the results of a study by The Tolly Group, an independent testing organization, that compared the performance of Ascend's MAX 4048 WAN access switch to the US Robotics Total Control Enterprise Network Hub. The independent study tested both 56Kbps and 33.6Kbps modem connections and found that the MAX 4048 outperformed the Total Control Hub in virtually every test. Please see the Tolly Group document No. 7284 for further information.
The tests set the MAX 4048 WAN access switch and Total Control Hub up as dial-up remote-access concentrators and used them to deliver data via FTP over one to 46 simultaneous client connections. When 56Kbps modems were used, the MAX 4048 demonstrated better throughput in each test, regardless of the number of connections and type of transmitted data-regular text or compressed. Testing with 33.6Kbps modems produced similar results. Testing was conducted in June 1997.
Some Key Findings
The Tolly Group's results show that the MAX 4048 WAN access switch demonstrated greater scalability than the Total Control Hub as more remote clients are added. The MAX 4048 delivers the highest aggregate throughput, nearly 2.1Mbps, when 24 remote clients are connected over 56Kbps modems simultaneously, while the Total Control Hub levels off at 16 concurrent sessions and is delivering only 1.024Mbps aggregate throughput at 24 sessions.
Ascend's MAX WAN access switches are powerful remote access concentrators that help organizations build remote networks of any size, with virtually any combination of analog and digital carrier services. All MAX products combine the functionality of a router, a terminal server, an ISDN switch and a Frame Relay concentrator in a single device. Introduced this spring, the MAX 4048 comes preconfigured with 48 56Kbps modems using Ascend's new Series56 Digital Modem modules. It provides small and medium-size service providers and corporations with a cost-effective remote-access solution that can be easily expanded and enhanced to accommodate future networking needs.
The breakthrough dial-up performance of the MAX 4048 is due to the three-tier processor architecture incorporated by the Ascend Series56 Digital Modem modules. Each individual modem has a dedicated DSP, and each module dedicates a processor for asynchronous packet processing. These augment a centralized processor in the MAX 4048 chassis that handles packet forwarding and routing.
The Ascend MAX 4048 WAN access switch also establishes a new price/performance standard for dial-up remote-access servers. Based on a 48-modem configuration, the MAX 4048 is priced at $550 per modem, compared to $920 per modem for the U.S. Robotics Total Enterprise Network Hub.
"The Ascend MAX technology is well-established among large service providers and corporations, and these tests demonstrate that it can provide the same superior performance to smaller organizations who currently need dial-up remote-access servers," said Kurt Bauer, vice president of access concentration product management at Ascend. "At Ascend we are constantly enhancing our products with technologies like the Series56 Digital Modem modules in order to provide better performance to our customers."
The Tolly Group provides strategic consulting, independent testing, and industry analysis. Fortune 500 companies look to The Tolly Group vendor-independent assessment of leading edge technologies. For more information on The Tolly Group's services, visit their web site at www.tolly.com, send e-mail to info@tolly.com, call 800/933-1699 or 732/528-3300, or fax 732/528-1888.
Ascend Communications, Inc. develops, manufactures and sells wide area networking solutions for telecommunications carriers, Internet service providers and corporate customers worldwide. For more information about Ascend and its products, please visit the Ascend web site at www.ascend.com, or e-mail info@ascend.com .
Ascend is headquartered at One Ascend Plaza, 1701 Harbor Bay Parkway, Alameda, Calif., 94502. Phone 800/ASCEND4; Fax 510/747-2300.
CONTACT: Gallagher PR
Shannon Malliet, 510/747-2254
smalliet@ascend.com
