Westcon launches iMediaCenter family of media converters from IMC Networks

Networking technology products channel provider Westcon has announced the launch of iMediaCenter 2,8 and the high-port density 18 slot chassis thereby serving as a standard in managed media conversion by offering the next level of functionality, simplicity and cost-effectiveness.

This was revealed by Miles Goddard, channel manager for IMC Networks at Westcon, who says that as more and more LAN/MAN fibre infrastructures are being deployed, managed media conversion is becoming increasingly important.

"This is especially true in mission critical applications such as connecting e-commerce servers to the Gigabit backbone, and in long-distance fibre optic runs used to extend enterprise LANs to remote offices, often hundreds of kilometres away. Managed media conversion enables network managers to eliminate guesswork, reduce expensive downtime, and quickly isolate problems without visiting multiple remote wiring closets," says Goddard.

The iMediaCenter Series incorporates an SNMP agent embedded directly on the chassis backplane. This reduces the need for purchasing, installing and configuring separate management modules, making managed media conversion easier and more cost-effective than ever.

"The product represents on average a 15% cost savings per conversion when compared with managed chassis-based products from our competitors (based on US pricing)," claims Goddard.

It includes GUI-based iView SNMP management application software, an RS-232 port for initial configuration, and a Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) that eases initial configuration by automatically assigning an IP address for the iMediaCenter chassis when connected to a LAN with a DHCP server.

The solution enables network managers to monitor copper and fibre link status information as well as chassis environmental statistics, including temperature and voltage levels. With iView, configuration is easy and management traps can be set in minutes.