Token Ring: Olicom Delivers Industry's Lowest-Cost Gigabit Solutions for Token Ring Users - the CrossFire 8000/8 and CrossFire 8007 20-port Token Ring switch - Product Announcement

Edge: Work-Group Computing Report, Feb 15, 1999

Olicom A/S, a leading global supplier of high-performance networking solutions, the leader in fault-tolerant enterprise networking solutions, has announced a significant price reduction in its chassis-based Token Ring switching product line. In addition, Olicom is announcing the immediate availability of an OC-12 ATM uplink option for these Token Ring chassis solutions.

Olicom has long held the number one position in the Token Ring switching market, and the company's announcement further enhances the price/performance advantages of Token Ring switching, and provides its customers with a solid, future-proof platform and a superior migration path to gigabit networking. "Olicom remains committed to providing the most robust architecture for Token Ring switching," said Rod Gilbert, Assistant Vice President of Product Marketing for Olicom. "Our product announcements and new pricing structure should reassure the Token Ring marketplace that we are committed to protecting companies' existing investments in Token Ring." Olicom's CrossFire 8000 series networking solution allows users to integrate up to 140 ports of switched Token Ring, an integrated ATM backplane, and a combination of up to 8 OC-3 or 2 OC-12 ATM uplinks, providing a tightly integrated Token Ring and ATM solution with gigabit-speed uplink capacity. The solution is designed to provide leading performance, and extremely advanced fault tolerance at a price applicable to desktop switching applications. The CrossFire 8000 series solution integrates Olicom's ClearSession features to provide guaranteed delivery of mission-critical data. Olicom is positioning the solution at all levels of the networking hierarchy -- the backbone for small to medium-sized networks, and the distribution layer and the desktop for larger networks. "As IP-based Intranets drive demand for bandwidth, more companies are looking at desktop switching with high-speed uplinks to the backbone as a long-term solution to their bandwidth and network management requirements," states Andrew Sage, Olicom's Regional Vice President. "Affordable desktop switching for Token Ring users leverages existing investments in training, PC NICs and cabling, while increasing bandwidth and overall control of the network. Enabling multiple OC-12 connections from these user groups to a switched ATM backbone provides the reassurance that bottlenecks in the network hierarchy do not get in the way of application delivery." Olicom's CrossFire 8000/8 chassis module has been reduced in price by 30%, and the CrossFire 8007 20-port Token Ring Switch module has been reduced in price by 63%, lowering the list price per port to $258. Olicom has also reduced the price of the CrossFire 8008 ATM switch modules by 21%. The solution provides the industry's most advanced set of Token Ring and ATM features, including support for all bridging and switching modes, RMON, full VLAN support, and industry standard LANe and PNNI services for access to corporate ATM backbones. "The repositioning of our Crossfire 8000 chassis solution allows us to complement our existing stackable products with a solution aimed directly at the user committed to Token Ring and ATM, with unique scalability and reliability requirements," adds Sage. "The re-pricing allows these solutions to now be considered as a way to improve network performance and manageability right down to the desktop." Olicom, a leading global supplier of high-performance data networking solutions, designs, develops, manufactures, and markets its products for large, geographically dispersed enterprises. It specializes in providing campus network connectivity solutions, advanced technical support services and ClearStep evolution strategies for networks in transition. The company's products are distributed worldwide by a network of strategic partners and resellers. FMI: http://www.olicom.com.