Advanced Computer Communications Inc has released a Series 4000 Token Ring bridge-router with an Option of 16Mbps interfaces, and its third Series 4000 bridge-router hardware product to link remote networks at 2.04Mbps. The Token Ring Option enables Series 4000 bridge-router products to link remote Token Ring nets into a single network and plugs into existing Series 4000 machines. It is compatible with IEEE 802.5 standards and also supports 802.2 Logical Link Control, a connectionless mode for bridging and routing traffic over other Series 4000 internetworking products. The Option will operate transparently with IBM’s SNA LU6.2, Novell Inc’s NetWare, Banyan Systems’ Vines and Microsoft’s recently acquired 3+Open for LAN Manager. It discovers end-nodes on different rings by inserting source-to-destination path information into the data packet. In addition to source routing, the Series 4000 Token Ring Option routes Internet Protocol datagrams between TCP/IP networks. Dynamic routing protocols use the shortest path to forward packets, avoiding delays caused by congested or failed circuits. To prevent sensitive traffic from passing through, the Option supports custom address filtering based on media access unit end-stations’ sourcedestination addresses. Traffic can also be filtered based on IP source-destination, subnetwork and entire network addresses. The Option can be set at either 4Mbps or 16Mbps and the number of path-exploring packets can be varied. The Series 4000 Token Ring Option software and hardware lists at $1,000 and is out now.

Demanding conditions

The new Series 4000 bridge-router is called the ACS 4200. It is targeted at applications that require high levels of throughput under demanding conditions. The ACS 4200 features local area network filtering at media rates and maximum bandwidth usage across wide-area data links operating at speeds of up to 64Kbps. The ACS 4200 is a programmable internetworking system that supports existing Series 4000 multiprotocol bridge-routing software. Series 4000 software currently routes TCP/IP, DECnet, XNS and IPX protocols while simultaneously bridging all other network protocols. The software provides bridging features such as IEEE 802.1 Spanning Tree Protocol, automatic address learning and protocol precedence, as well as dynamic and static routing capabilities. Each wide area network port can operate simultaneously at different speeds and types, such as X25 network connection or T-1 leased lines. The ACS 4200 currently provides a single network interface for local connection to Ethernet cabling. The unit can be configured from a locally or remotely attached terminal. It costs $8,500, from next month.