http://www.zdnet.com/pcmag/issues/1507/pcmg0120.htm (PC Press Internet CD, 03/1996)
PC Magazine -- April 9, 1996
Eryn Brown
The pieces are coming together. Through new product releases and an acquisition, Cabletron is on the way to assembling a complete, integrated Token-Ring switching line.
The first product in the roll out, the TSX-1620 (starts at $13,995), is a standalone device available with 8 or 16 ports; FDDI and ATM uplink options will be available soon. The ATX (starts at $15,000), a chassis-based modular switch, is the second new offering. Formerly sold by Standard Microsystems, it is also available with modules for Ethernet and other topologies.
Later this year, Cabletron will flesh out the line with switching modules for the MMAC Smart Switch Series. Cabletron Systems Inc., Rochester, NH; 603-332-9400; http://www.ctron.com.
Fast ethernet switching is becoming a reality. NBase Communications' new MegaSwitch 100 (model number NH2007 FO), with a base unit selling at $7,995, is targeted at workgroup and midsize networks.
Like the previously released NH2007, the new MegaSwitch has five switched full-duplex ports as well as space for two add-on modules. The NH2007 FO incorporates 100Base-FX ports. Equipped with RMON capabilities, the switch can support up to 2048 MAC addresses.
NBase has also introduced the MegaStack family of Fast Ethernet stackable hubs and a new 100Base-TX transceiver for fiber-optic media, the NX3100-FO. NBase Communications, Chatsworth, CA; 800-858-7815, 818-773-0900; fax, 818-773-0906.
A smooth setup routine and excellent automation features earned Palindrome's Backup Director an Editors' Choice in our Windows NT-backup review (Network Edition, February 20, 1996). Now the company is shipping two new products that should put more spring in your battle-weary backup administrator's step.
Storage Manager 4.0 , Windows NT Edition, provides HSM for Windows NT or mixed Windows NT and NetWare networks. Selling at $1,995 for a single-server license and $3,595 for a multiserver license, the package supplies backup, archiving, and hierarchical storage functions. It works with the Windows NT Registry and with the NetWare Directory Services (NDS), and it includes backup agents for a variety of client and server OSs.
Palindrome is also releasing a new version of its centralized storage management console, the Visual Storage Administrator (VISTA) 1.1, Enterprise Edition. Like the new Storage Manager, VISTA will work in Windows NT or mixed network environments, consolidating administration for all your Palindrome backup servers. The VISTA Starter Kit costs $1,995.
Palindrome Corp., Naperville, IL; 800-288-4912; http://www.palindrome.com.
Now vendors will be able to save time and money developing Postscript printers.
Digital Products Inc. (DPI) and Adobe have announced an agreement whereby DPI will build network interface cards that are optimized for Postscript printing. The NICs will incorporate SNMP, status-reporting mechanisms, and other features.
Digital Products Inc., Waltham MA; 617-647-1234; http://www.digprod.com.
Adobe Systems Inc., Mountain View, CA; http://www.adobe.com.
Digital secured Networks Technology's new Net G-1 (around $5,000 per unit) lets you encrypt your sensitive messages away from the network.
The device is a small black box that plugs into your PC easily and self-configures to its IP or Ethernet address. It uses a hardware- and software-based encryption scheme to secure communications to other Net G-1-equipped machines.
Digital Secured Networks Technology Inc., Ronkonkoma, NY; 516-467-0400; fax, 516-467-4045.
It's true. for those hoping to get started with a 25-Mbps ATM installation, IBM offers the ATM 8285 Nways Workgroup Switch ($6,995).
The switch, specially priced at $495 per user, is especially suitable for small setups of up to 48 ATM clients. You can use it by itself or as part of a larger network that can include high-speed ATM devices. The switch has 12 ports and a single feature slot on the front panel. The slot, which comes with a 25-Mbps ATM port, can be used as a 155-Mbps ATM port. If you want to add an IBM 8260 ATM module, you'll also need to purchase an optional three-slot expansion unit ($3,595). For easy management, IBM has integrated an SNMP agent into the 8285. The command line-driven agent takes care of trouble-shooting and other management tasks
Larger setups also may require the Launch Kit ($76,795), which includes all of the other equipment you need to get up and running--including hubs, servers, clients, and an 8281 Nways ATM LAN Bridge, which lets you link the ATM network to your Token-Ring or Ethernet LAN.
IBM Networking Hardware Division, Research Triangle Park, NC; 800-426-2255; http://www.raleigh.ibm.com.
Another videoconferencing product has joined the pack: Sony's Trinicom 5000 system. At $21,500, it's not the cheapest offering on the market, but it does supply one of the widest feature sets, including ready-to-use multipoint capabilities.
The Trinicom is an all-inclusive, roll-about unit that houses the audio/video processor, a high-resolution camera, a 27-inch television, and a wireless remote-control system.
Included in the software are facilities for continuous-presence four-way conferencing, easy dialing, on-screen annotations, and voice-activated switching among windows.
Sony Electronics, Park Ridge, NJ; 800-472-7669; http://www.sony.com.
If you're one of the brave few venturing forth into Java programming, you may want to work with TakeFive Software's updated SNiFF+ 2.2 ($2,090; free upgrade for existing users).
The new suite of object-oriented development tools is available for Unix, Window NT, and Windows 95. It comes with parsers for C, C++, and Java code, as well as browsers and other tools. For applications that require C++ and Java for operation, the suite will work with mixed-language code.
TakeFive Software Inc., Cupertino, CA; 408-777-1440; http://www.takefive.com.
If you're trying to coordinate group schedules and contacts, sometimes a PIM isn't enough. Data Fellows' Vineyard 2.0 stores contact information, word-processing documents, spreadsheets, and other data. It lets you create links among the elements, which are displayed as object/icons, to suit your company's organizational needs.
New features include tools to link to external databases; Vineyard Basic, an object-oriented macro language; and new object types.
Data Fellows Inc., San Jose, CA; 408-244-9090; http://www.datafellows.com.
When we reviewed AirSoft's Powerburst 1.0 earlier this year, the caching product worked only with NetWare installations. Tailored to improve the performance of applications running on remote-node PCs, Powerburst uses caching algorithms to eliminate redundant file-system calls.
Version 1.2 (agent, $995; clients, $645 for five users) adds compatibility with Windows NT networks. The release also expands the number of NetWare servers your dedicated Powerburst Agent machine can access to 200. (The earlier product could access only 64 servers.)
The new package also offers automatic upgrade capability. Clients running with the older software will recognize the newer version and initiate an update, without administrator input.
On the client side, users can designate which drives they want to map for caching. They can also specify target apps for performance optimization.
AirSoft Inc., Cupertino, CA; 408-777-7500; fax, 408-777-7527; http://www.airsoft.com.
Briefs
For a taste of SMP clustering at a fraction of the usual cost, CommVision has enhanced the CommSwitch 2500, its fault-tolerant, multiprocessor unit ($13,495 and up). The box can now accommodate 16 Cyrix 120-MHz 5x86 applications processors. (800-832-6526) ..... Compatible Systems has announced availability of the Advanced Microrouter series of Internet access and multiprotocol WAN routers ($1,495 and up). The routers feature dual-Ethernet firewall routing and support T1 and E1 links. (800-356-0283) ..... Like stackable products, SysKonnect's new Snap devices--including a hub, a switch, and two SnapLink modules--stack and snap together. Virtually any number of the devices can be combined to build a backbone. The Snap units can also connect to your existing network. (800-752-3334) ..... 3Com is now shipping a Windows NT security package ($495) for the AccessBuilder 4000 and AccessBuilder 2000 remote access servers. 3Com is also offering four new Fast Ethernet modules for the LANplex switches. (408-764-5000)
The Tun PLUS client/server software from Esker is available in a 32-bit version ($395 for a single-user license; $1,695 for five users). It supplies modules for advanced terminal emulation and other features. (415-675-7777) ..... Next time you want to see what's up with your print server, just go to the Internet. Pacific Data Products has created the DirectNet Home Page, Web-based print management software. It includes links to the company's Web site and technical-support resources. (619-552-0880)
Copyright (c) 1996
Ziff-Davis Publishing Company