Silicon Investor (SI) -- The First Internet Community

STOCKTALK

We've detected that you're using an ad content blocking browser plug-in or feature. Ads provide a critical source of revenue to the continued operation of Silicon Investor. We ask that you disable ad blocking while on Silicon Investor in the best interests of our community. If you are not using an ad blocker but are still receiving this message, make sure your browser's tracking protection is set to the 'standard' level.

Technology Stocks : Ascend Communications (ASND) -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: djane who wrote (45898)	5/2/1998 12:14:00 AM
From: Dennis R. Duke	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 61433

Cute. Friday they say were a short. Saturday they say were a long. Did anyone at IBD buy the stock today...I am asking the SEC to investigate. Just kidding, but I wonder about this type of press behavior, Dennis

To: djane who wrote (45898)	5/2/1998 1:48:00 AM
From: djane	Respond to of 61433

VPN Products to Give Enterprises and ISPs Richer Service Sets By SALVATORE SALAMONE, Friday, May 1, 1998, 3:00 p.m. ET. pubs.cmpnet.com When it comes to virtual private networks, many IT managers would like their ISPs to get more sophisticated. But all too frequently, ISPs have lacked the tools to offer much more than basic VPN connectivity. Ascend Communications Inc. and Bay Networks are trying to change that situation. The two companies next week will introduce new products and enhancements to existing products that will make it easier for ISPs to offer richer levels of VPN management services to companies. The management features these vendors are promising also can be used by IT managers within an enterprise to simplify the administrative tasks associated with VPNs. Specifically, both companies seek to give ISPs the tools that will make VPNs more robust and easier to administer. "About six months ago, it would have been fine if an ISP gave us the ability to handle the adding and deleting of users for a VPN service it provided," said Robert Navarro, network systems administrator at Iverson Investor Services Inc., a futures options and risk management company. "Now I'm more likely to ask for strong performance and ways to monitor those service level agreements." To that end, Ascend will announce MultiVPN, a new service provider/subscriber VPN architecture. The broad scope of MultiVPN permits service providers to offer basic services like outsourcing remote access using the public Internet. But it also can handle site-to-site VPN connectivity that includes bandwidth management and quality-of-service (QoS) features, and which run over managed IP backbones using ATM or frame relay links. To support the range of services, Ascend is announcing the Navis Customer Network Management Gateway and SLA Reports. Navis CNM runs in a service provider's network and provides VPN performance information to IT managers through a Web-based interface. The SLA Reports allow managers to verify that agreements are being met. Also next week, Bay Networks will announce Directory Enabled Provisioning (DEP) for VPNs and extranets. DEP lets ISPs use LDAP, RADIUS or Active Directory to simplify and centralize the administration of authentication, access control and QoS levels. Bay Networks also will introduce the Extranet Switch 1000, which is designed to meet the connectivity needs of small and medium-sized offices. For More N+I stories

To: djane who wrote (45898)	5/2/1998 2:55:00 AM
From: djane	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 61433

Lightwave Summaries of the week's major news in fiber-optic technologies. Week of 4/24/98 [ASND reference] broadband-guide.com By Stephen Hardy, editor in chief, Lightwave Bye-bye SONET multiplexers.That's the message delivered from two sources this past week, as companies offered optical networking solutions for data-centric networks. First, communications powerhouses CIENA and Cisco Systems announced a partnership to tackle the optical networking market. The imminent domination of bandwidth demand by data traffic will soon force carriers to leave their circuit-switched TDM network architectures behind, say the companies. The network of the near future will feature packed- and cell-based protocols, where data switches and routers (from companies like Cisco) will enter the network at OC-48 speeds through WDM equipment (from companies like CIENA). While this traffic likely will remain within SONET frames for reliability and troubleshooting purposes, SONET multiplexers will no longer be necessary for much more than certain kinds of voice and slow-speed data applications. The two firms announced the foundation of the Optical Internetworking Forum as a springboard for industry to agree on how this network evolution should proceed. Eight companies have already signed onboard - AT&T, Bellcore, CIENA, Cisco, Hewlett-Packard, Qwest Communications International, Sprint, and WorldCom. An organizational meeting will take place at next weeks Networld + Interop show, with the first full meeting slated for SUPERCOMM in June. Meanwhile, startup company Tellium Inc. also unveiled its optical internetworking vision. It too sees SONET multiplexers assigned to network backwaters as high-speed systems connect directly to the optical layer. Unlike Cisco and CIENA, Tellium's view of the future includes optical crossconnects, such as the Aurora4816 system the company introduced last week. The crossconnect is the first of a variety of products the company plans to debut in the coming months. The line focuses on WDM and optical crossconnect equipment, as well as a network management system. The company is off to a good start, thanks to a recent award from DARPA that made Tellium the newest member of the MONET all-optical networking project. Tellium will supply the Aurora system and its soon-to-be-completed MetroExpress32 WDM transport system for use in a ring network to be built in metropolitan Washington, DC. Circe will cast a wider spell as Viatel Inc. follows through on its plan to expand its pan-European fiber-optic network of that name to Germany. In addition to connecting London, Paris, Brussels, Antwerp, Rotterdam, and Amsterdam, the Circe Network now will include Cologne, Essen, Duseldorf, Frankfurt, and Stuttgart. Two other French cities, Nancy and Strasbourg, also will be added to the network. When completed, Circe will be a bi-directional SDH ring of 3200 route km, including 320 route km of submarine cable. The network's initial capacity will be 20 Gbits/sec, with plans to increase the available bandwidth to 160 Gbits/sec via DWDM. Work on the network, which will include both new builds and the acquisition of existing dark fiber, will begin this spring, with initial service expected in the first quarter of next year. ATM and Frame Relay received support from several fiber-optic-based carriers recently. GTE Internetworking, LCI International, and Qwest Communications International all signed agreements to buy ATM and Frame Relay equipment to help provide data services over their fiber-optic networks. Ascend Communications was the biggest beneficiary, with orders from all three firms. Qwest supported its purchases from Ascend with additional equipment from Cisco, which is already supplying equipment to GTE Internetworking based on an earlier agreement. Back to the Index Home \| Electronic Press Room \| This Week in Fiber \| Subscribe \| 1998 Media Kit \| Calendar of Events \| Site Map \| Add Your Company \| Meet the Publisher \| Company Index \| Contractors \| Categories \| Sponsors, Advertisers \| Ask the Expert! \| Product Showcase \| LiveEvents! \| Search The Communications Web Sites Broadband Guide \| Contractors Directory \| LiveEvents! \| LIGHTWAVE Xtra! \| Wireless Integration Xtra! \| Cable Foreman Xtra! \| Cabling Installation & Maintenance Xtra! Comments or Questions about this site, please contact the Webmaster. c Copyright 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998 PennWell Media Online L.L.C. This page was updated on 27-Apr-98.