Madge Networks a worldwide provider of networking solutions, has announced the industry`s most comprehensive set of standards-based, fully featured 100 Mbps High Speed Token Ring (HSTR) products. Madge is now the only vendor to have announced solutions that can enable customers to deploy HSTR through their entire network. The new products include the Madge Smart 100/16/4 PCI-HS Ringnode adapter, capable of both 100 Mbps HSTR and traditional 16 and 4 Mbps Token Ring speeds.
The HSTR adapter is designed for power desktop users and server applications, and complements the entire Madge Token Ring adapter family. The HSTR product line also includes 2-port fiber and 4-port copper HSTR Modules for the Smart Ringswitch family of Token Ring switches - the first true HSTR offering for network backbones. Madge`s new HSTR products provide Token Ring users with the flexibility to increase bandwidth where required, without incurring infrastructure disruption and its associated costs.
Steve Kandasamy, end user computing manager at Toyota SA Manufacturing, a long standing customer of Madge Networks, said: "We salute Madge`s High Speed Token Ring strategy. The smooth operation of our auto assembly line absolutely depends on our Token Ring network. Madge`s HSTR solutions will provide a simple and affordable upgrade to our existing infrastructure. This will make users` lives easier as they`ll continue to get optimum response times and performance, even as mission-critical information flowing over the network continues to grow. Thanks to Madge`s commitment to Token Ring, backed up by their realistic, workable solutions, we can be sure that our network will keep on providing ultimate support to our business."
"A great deal of consideration has gone into developing this comprehensive range of products that will meet the needs of network managers and set the standard for HSTR in the backbone and at the desktop," commented Sue Crier, Token Ring director of product marketing at Madge Networks. "HSTR is going to play a crucial role in protecting the investments made in Token Ring networks. The expertise and commitment that Madge has made in the development of strategic HSTR products will ensure that Token Ring technology can support user applications and business demands well into the 21st century."
With its announcement of the HSTR modules for the award-winning Smart Ringswitch family, Madge becomes the first vendor to announce 100Mbps for Token Ring backbone network applications. The modules are designed to work with both past and present products in the Smart Ringswitch family of Token Ring switches. The first units available will be for the popular Smart Ringswitch Express switch and the high capacity Smart Ringswitch Plus switch in copper or fiber versions, both of which conform to IEEE 802.5t standard. With the HSTR modules, users will have the flexibility to increase server bandwidth or interconnect backbone switching capacity as required, to 100Mbps and beyond.
The Madge Smart 100/16/4 PCI-HS Ringnode adapter is an HSTR network interface card providing scalability at 4, 16 or 100Mbps for widescale deployment in servers and power users` desktops. The Ringnode supports automatic detection and selection of speeds and cable types, allowing the card to scale automatically its performance to match any environment without requiring any reconfiguration at the desktop. The flexibility of this adapter is unmatched by any other HSTR vendor and provides all-important future-proofing that is vital for network managers today. With its aggressive pricing, the Smart PCI-HS Ringnode adapter will provide a cost-effective means of attaining 100Mbps at power users` desktops while avoiding any infrastructure upheavals.
As a founding member of the HSTR Alliance, Madge is wholly committed to the development of an HSTR standard and interoperable HSTR products. Madge is also a prime author of the emerging IEEE 802.5v standard for Gigabit HSTR. The company`s work on standards-based HSTR is reflected in its Madge Perspective strategy, launched in June 1998. This provides a roadmap for the future of Token Ring through the incorporation of High Speed Token Ring, layer 3 switching, enhanced backbone and workgroup switching, multiservice deployment, and Token Ring-Ethernet integration.
HSTR allows Token Ring customers to evolve their networks by providing a scalable and affordable path to increase bandwidth from 16 to 100Mbps. The development of HSTR as an extension to traditional Token Ring provides a simple means of protecting the investments made in Token Ring networks by large corporations. The development work currently being undertaken for 1Gbps Token Ring will ensure that this stable and well-designed technology continues to serve the needs of users well into the future.
The suggested list prices for the HSTR products include $290 for the Smart 100/16/4 PCI-HS Ringnode adapter, and $3600 for the 4-port copper and $1980 for the 2-port fiber Madge Ringswitch family HSTR modules. First shipments for the products are planned during the fourth quarter of 1998.
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