Xylan Announces Switched Network Services
Business Wire - March 02, 1998 09:21
%XYLAN XYLN %CALIFORNIA %COMED %COMPUTERS %ELECTRONICS %TELECOMMUNICATIONS %INTERACTIVE %MULTIMEDIA %INTERNET %PRODUCT V%BW P%BW
CALABASAS, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--March 2, 1998--Xylan Corporation (NASDAQ:XYLN) today announced Switched Network Services, a major development initiative that integrates its broad, uniform switching product line with directory-based policies. The company has focused a large portion of its engineering team on the effort, and is working in conjunction with IBM, Check Point Software, and other development partners. Many components of Switched Network Services are already shipping. Xylan has now integrated a broader set of capabilities into its campus switches than any other vendor. And throughout 1998 these services will be expanded and enhanced, often in unique ways. The result is a switching network that does more than just move packets around at high speed -- it makes information technology easier to use.
Why Services?
Over the last few years, switching technology has made networks radically faster. A number of Xylan networks now aggregate more than 1,000 gigabits of switching capacity. OC-12 and Gigabit Ethernet are delivering more bits per second, and layer-three switching is delivering more packets per second, than most users will need for years to come. And switches are radically cheaper, too. So what's next? Terabit Ethernet? Fast Ethernet at $9.95 a port? Whose problems do those solve? Xylan is building 160 Gbps switches and driving costs down with increasingly dense chip designs. But it's focusing most of its efforts on the real problems facing network managers today. The Next Big Thing in networking is Switched Network Services. Switched network infrastructures will continue to evolve into intelligent fabrics capable of managing information flows, securing resources, authenticating users, establishing QoS, matching users to resources, and supporting multimedia traffic -- all based!
on policies established through network management and through directory servers using LDAP and RADIUS. Xylan is delivering Switched Network Services across all of its product families, integrated into the XOS (Xylan Operating System) software that powers all its switches.
-- OmniSwitch-3; modular 3-slot multi-level switch
-- OmniSwitch-5; modular 5-slot multi-level switch
-- OmniSwitch-9; modular 9-slot multi-level switch
-- OmniStack 1000; 32-port basic Ethernet switch with Fast Ethernet
uplinks (supports selected services)
-- OmniStack 2000; 32-port Ethernet switch with modular uplinks
-- OmniStack 3000; 32- to 96-port stackable Ethernet switch with
modular uplinks
-- OmniStack 4000; 16-port basic Fast Ethernet switch (supports
selected services)
-- OmniStack 5000; 24-port 10/100 switch with modular uplinks
Many Switched Network Services capabilities will ship in version 3.2 of XOS; this release is scheduled for general availability release in May, and is in early availability release now. Other features (as noted below) will be released later in 1998.
Security Services
IP Firewall. Xylan's implementation of Check Point's industry-leading Firewall-1 software. Policy-based management makes configuration easy, and flow-based state tables provide more comprehensive security options than are possible with simple packet filters. Incorporating the firewall into the switches makes it feasible to use firewall technology to protect data flows within the switched network, as well as connections to the Internet. Available option for XOS 3.2.
User Authentication. Co-conceived and engineered with Xylan's partner, Check Point Software Technologies Ltd. Authenticates users with tables managed in security databases, including RADIUS, Check Point, Digital Pathways, and Security Dynamics. Users are permitted or denied access to network domains based on their authenticated identity, rather than their physical location in the network or a machine address. Operates across the entire switched network. Available option for XOS 3.2.
Port Binding. Restricts use of a switch port to a specified MAC address or protocol. Protects against intrusion through ports normally supporting non-workstation devices, such as printers and servers. Available option for XOS 3.2.
Address and Directory Management Services
DHCP Relay. Forwards DHCP and BootP requests and responses across subnet boundaries, making it possible to use a single DHCP server for a subnetted network. Allows a single server to automatically assign addresses for an entire network. Available option for XOS 3.2.
DHCP Server. Dynamically assigns IP addresses according to pre-defined policies. Option scheduled for Q4.
NAT (Network Address Translation). Translates automatically between one set of addresses used within a switched campus network and another set of addresses assigned for use on the Internet. Resolves the problem of limited address spaces assigned for use on the Internet. Option scheduled for Q4.
LDAP Client (Lightweight Directory Access Protocol). Allows any switch to extract information from, or write information to, any LDAP V3-compliant directory server (e.g., Microsoft ADS). The Xylan switches directly read policy-based configuration information from directory servers, without the bottleneck of a network management system acting as a gateway. The switches can also write information, such as user location, time of day, and session usage parameters, directly to directory servers. Option scheduled for Q4.
Dynamic DNS Server. Binds host name to dynamically assigned IP addresses, supporting user mobility without loss of resource availability. Option scheduled for Q4.
RADIUS Client. Much like an LDAP client, RADIUS client functionality allows any switch to communicate with a RADIUS security server in order to extract user authentication and authorization information. Option scheduled for Q4.
Multicast Services
Multicast VLANs. Policy-based management of multicast domains, using virtual LANs defined by layer-two multicast group address. Allows members of a multicast group to be located anywhere in the switched network, and to relocate dynamically. Available in all switches supporting XOS 3.2.
IP Multicast Routing. Using DVMRP and IGMP, supports multimedia, stored video, interactive video, and other multicast applications. Available option for XOS 3.2.
IP Multicast Switching. Policy-based management of multicast domains, using virtual LANs defined by IP multicast group address. Allows users anywhere in the switched network to subscribe dynamically to video broadcast and other IP multicast applications. Option scheduled for Q3.
QoS and Prioritization Services
802.1p. Supports the IEEE specification for signaling priority levels within a switched network. Scheduled for Q4.
802.1Q. Supports the IEEE specification for virtual LAN trunking. Available in all switches supporting XOS 3.2.
RSVP. Supports the IETF standard for signalling from a workstation to the network requesting specific QoS support. Scheduled for Q4.
QoS ELANs. Using policy-based management, applies QoS policies to a class of users or applications grouped together into an ATM Emulated LAN. Available in all switches supporting XOS 3.2.
WAN Services
Novell Protocol Spoofing. Minimizes IPX RIP and SAP broadcasts by emulating these protocols and sending updates only when changes occur; useful on low-bandwidth wide area links. Available in all switches supporting XOS 3.2.
Policy-Based Broadcast Suppression. Examines each port for broadcast traffic in excess of thresholds defined by network manager; excessive broadcasts are discarded and the network manager alerted. Protects the network from broadcast storms caused by failed or mis-configured devices. Available in all switches supporting XOS 3.2.
FRF.9 Compression. Full support for the Frame Relay Forum payload compression standard to conserve bandwidth over wide area links. Available in all switches supporting XOS 3.2.
FRF.5 and FRF.8 Interworking. Full support for the Frame Relay Forum specifications for network (FRF.5) and service (FRF.8) interworking with ATM networks. Provides full frame relay switching functionality. Scheduled for Q4.
Advanced Management Services
Policy-Based Virtual LANs. Simplified management of broadcast domains, using virtual LANs defined by IP subnet, IPX network number, protocol type, MAC address, physical switch port, and other criteria. Available in all switches supporting XOS 3.2.
Dynamic LANE. Policy-based management of emulated LAN membership, defined by IP subnet, IPX network number, protocol type, MAC address, physical switch port, and other criteria. Allows members of an ELAN to be located anywhere in the switched network, and to relocate dynamically. Available in all switches supporting XOS 3.2.
About Xylan
Xylan Corporation is one of the leading campus switching vendors in the world. Its products integrate LAN switching, ATM switching, layer-three switching, and wide area switching, over a wide range of interfaces and media. Xylan's switches are distinguished by advanced architectures and chip designs, and by any-to-any translation. The same XOS software is available in a full range of Xylan switches, from a small workgroup Ethernet switch to a large multi-layer backbone switch. As a result, a Xylan network delivers cohesive services. Xylan's Switched Network Services take switching to the next step: a comprehensive set of services, including DHCP, network address translation, LDAP, RADIUS, DNS, multicast switching and routing, RSVP, broadcast management, policy-based configuration, and multi-layer accounting. Many of these services are already shipping. More information is available on Xylan's Web page at www.xylan.com. This press release may contain forward-looking statemen!
ts that involve risks and uncertainties. These statements may differ materially from actual future events or results. Readers are referred to the documents filed by Xylan with the SEC, including the company's most recent report on Form 10-K and 10-Q, which identify important risk factors that could cause actual results to differ from those contained in the forward-looking statements. Xylan, OmniSwitch, and PizzaSwitch are trademarks of Xylan Corporation registered in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. OmniStack is a trademark of Xylan Corporation.
CONTACT: Xylan Corp.
David Rodewald, 818/878-4976
drodewald@xylan.com
Douglas Hill, 818/878-4518
douglas.hill@xylan.com
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