3Com Corp has announced a product road map for the next generation of its Transcend Networking Solutions. The new equipment will take the form of Gigabit Ethernet, so-called Fast IP, Asynchronous Transfer Mode and Token Ring systems. The Santa Clara, California-based company is planning a new range of Fast Ethernet to Gigabit Ethernet boundary switched offerings, including a 48-port Fast Ethernet and 12-port Gigabit Ethernet Chassis Switch, due in the first half of next year, as well as two 36-port Fast Ethernet chassis switches, one with two Gigabit Ethernet ports, and the other with 28. Both switches are due to ship during the second half of next year.
Gigabit Ethernet-only
Also planned are three Gigabit Ethernet-only switches, two of which will be chassis-based and have 16 and 30 ports, the third a stackable model with four ports. The 16-port model is scheduled to ship during the first half of the year, with 30-port a nd four-port models shipping in the following half. Around the middle of the year, the company will launch a PCI-based Gigabit Ethernet Bus Mastering network interface board. On the Asynchronous Transfer Mode front, 3Com is upping its maximim speed offered by pledging support for OC-12 622Mbps speeds. A range of products are planned including Fast Ethernet-to-ATM Boundary and ATM-only Switches. The boundary switches will include two chassis-based models – with 48 Fast Ethernet ports and 12 ATM ports or 240 Fast Ethenet ports and 30 ATM ports – and a stackable 36-port Ethernet/two- port ATM version. All of these are due to ship during the second half of the year. In the first half, a 16-port ATM-only chassis switch will also ship, followe d in the second half by a 32-port version, when a PCI-based Bus Mastering network interface board will also become available. For Token Ring users, 3Com is already shipping a new ATM-based board, and it says it will follow this up with new ATM and F DDI downlink models for the existing SuperStack 11 Switch 2000 TR 12-port stackable Token Ring switch. These are due to ship in the first half of next year. There is no word on the prices for any of the new offerings.
