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

To: djane who wrote (52196)	8/16/1998 3:44:00 PM
From: djane	Respond to of 61433

Ascend extends multicast to the WAN, launches signaling software techweb.com August 17, 1998, Issue: 1021 Section: Systems & Software Loring Wirbel Alameda, Calif. - Ascend Communications Inc. is following a two-pronged strategy this summer to bring advanced software features to broadband switching in the wide-area network. The company will add IP Multicast adjuncts to its IP Navigator suite this month. In addition, Ascend is rolling out a signaling gateway to link its packet switches directly to a Signaling System 7 (SS7) circuit-switched network. IP Navigator, which won a host of awards when the former Cascade Communications introduced it two years ago, is routing software that complies with the IETF's Multiprotocol Label Switching (MPLS) standard. It is similar to Cisco Systems Inc.'s "tag switching" technology in setting up multihop paths that identify an Internet Protocol packet by its header. IP Navigator with Multicast is one of the first packages to support the assignment of IP multicast groups in the WAN. It relies on the Internet Group Membership Protocol used by the IP Multicast standard. The Ascend package supports a mix of multicast routing methods, including Distance Vector Multicast Routing Protocol, Multicast Open Shortest Path First and Protocol Independent Multicast. For ATM switches, the routing protocols can associate groups with a particular ATM virtual circuit. Maria Simoneau, IP product marketing manager at Ascend, said that even though initial IP Multicast products came from LAN specialists like Precept Software, Ascend is convinced a wider market exists for sending streaming video, group-learning applications and similar multicast vertical applications over the public network. Mix of services The package is being bundled as part of the standard IP Navigator suite for GX 550, CBX 500 and B-STDX 9000 frame relay and ATM switches, with software prices starting at $15,000 per switch platform. Ascend also is planning IP Navigator rollouts for MAX central-office concentrators, bringing xDSL access lines into the mix of services supported by multicast. Meanwhile, for the legacy circuit-switched side of the WAN, the Ascend Signaling Gateway (ASG) allows carriers and Internet service providers to explicitly offload the traffic from Class 4 and 5 central-office switching equipment onto WAN-access switches typically used in data-overlay networks. Ascend has used Hewlett-Packard Co.'s OpenCall architecture as the core for its gateway. The two companies agreed in May to collaborate on a mix of SS7 and Advanced Intelligent Network capabilities for telephony networks. Ascend will use OpenCall to develop a mix of application packages for voice and data, with the first being ASG. Next-generation releases of ASG will integrate the applications directly with SS7 signaling stacks, the company said. The release of ASG that's slated for August will support 10,000 to 50,000 ports, with additional scaling to 200,000 ports due in coming months. Price will be $69 to $101 per port, depending on feature set. Copyright r 1998 CMP Media Inc.

To: djane who wrote (52196)	8/16/1998 3:47:00 PM
From: djane	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 61433

IT Confidential rumor. SRA sale to HWP? [It would seem to fit with ASND/HWP SS7 work...] techweb.com August 17, 1998, Issue: 696 Section: Behind the News IT Confidential John Soat United Airlines recently signed a contract to buy Stratus fault-tolerant computers. Do they know something we don't? Stratus was acquired two weeks ago by Ascend Communications, and Ascend made it clear that it had plans only for Stratus' telecom business. A United Airlines IT executive says he's not worried. Why? Mum's the word. But it's interesting to note that Stratus runs on Hewlett-Packard's PA-RISC chip and HP-UX operating system, and that HP resells Stratus' high-availability offerings to customers such as British Airports Authority, which uses the system for baggage handling. Copyright r 1998 CMP Media Inc.