Codenoll Technology Corp, of Yonkers, New York, has introduced a series of 100Mbps FDDI – Fibre Distributed Data Interface plug-in boards for personal computers, a number of FDDI adaptor cards, and a 100 Mbps FDDI Concentrator System. The new CodeNet-9000 series boards plug into AT bus personal computers and support all the major Local Area Networking operating systems, while the CodeNet-9041 Concentrator is used to interconnect minicomputers and mainframes as well as personal computers and workstations using FDDI. Codenoll says that Advanced Micro Devices, Compaq Computer Corp, Microsoft Corp, Nymex Corp, and The Santa Cruz Operation have announced support for these new network products, designed for both backbone and workgroup applications, and claims that they can provide 10 times the bandwidth of Ethernet at only four times the cost, giving the quickest response time and fastest file transfers available today.
Single slot boards
CodeNet-9540 series and the cheaper CodeNet-9340 series 100Mbps FDDI boards are single slot boards that connect directly to a Fibre Distributed Data Interface fibre optic ring cable through builtin connectors. Both the 9540 and 9340 boards can connect an AT bus box to a single 100Mbps fibre optic ring, and both can be upgraded to enable attachment to dual redundant rings or dual independent rings with the addition of modular daughter boards. The six different CodeNet-9000 series boards and the CodeNet-9041 Concentrator System can run on the same structured fibre cable plant simultaneously with the CodeNet fibre optic Ethernet products, with the local net configuration upgradable from 10Mbps Ethernet to 100Mbps FDDI without changing the cable plant. The CodeNet-954X 100 Mbps FDDI adaptor cards fit 16-bit AT slots and are available in three formats: single MAC/single PHY, single MAC/dual PHY, and dual MAC/dual PHY – a MAC being a Medium Access Controller module based on the AMD SuperNet chip set, while a PHY is a fibre optic transmitter receiver module based on a combination of AMD chips and Codenoll CodeLink fibre optic trans-mitter-receiver components. Each PHY can connect to one 100Mbps ring; a dual PHY card connects to two rings for redundancy or two separate workstations, while each MAC independently controls a ring. The most common single attach adaptor, the single-MAC/single-PHY FDDI ISA board, retails for $5,000. The retail prices of the CodeNet-95X cards range from $2,800 to $10,000. CodeNet-935X Series 100Mbps LowCost FDDI plug-in boards are available in the same configurations. Apart from the fact that they operate at 830 rm optical wavelength over distances of up to 1,000 meters, they are compliant with ISO-9384 and ANSI-FDDI standards. In the 9340 range, the single MAC/single PHY FDDI ISA board retails for $4,000. The CodeNet-934X cards range from $1,800 to $7,800. A CodeNet-9041 FDDI Concentrator system consists of an AT bus micro, CodeNet-9041 Concentrator Software and a selection of CodeNet-9000 FDDI 100Mbps plug-in boards. A CodeNet-9041 Concentrator System may be purchased as a kit, integrated by a Codenoll reseller or as a turnkey system assembled by Codenoll. CodeNet-9041 kits start at about $7,500; additional plug-in expansion modules start at $1,400.
