Southborough, Massachusetts-based Chipcom Corp announced the first components in its ONdemand management applications suite. The offerings are in support of its new network management architecture, revealed at the end of June, and reflect the company’s stated policy of integrating the tools needed for managing a network in its intelligent switching hubs. Heading the launches is ONdemand LANsentry, a pair of Resident Monitor applications developed as a result of Chipcom’s technology relationship with Newton, Massachusetts-based Axon Networks Inc. These comprise a statistical analyser and a packet decoder. Version 1.0 of the LANsentry Statistical Analyser is said to review both real-time and historical data, enabling users to establish and analyse performance trends, pinpoint potential problems, and their sources. The LANsentry Packet Decoder Version 1.0 is being touted as a cheaper alternative to protocol analyser equipment. It is said to enable filter customisation and buffer creation for gathering and storing information, and enables traffic patterns based on specific variable, such as IP or MAC addresses, to be viewed. Next up is ONdemand LANconnect, a graphical software application for managing internetworking modules in the company’s hubs, developed in conjunction with NetLabs Inc of Los Altos, California.
Inventory management feature
According to Chipcom, this extends the capabilities of its ONdemand Network Control System network management software with which it is designed to integrate, to provide configuration and monitoring of its router, bridge and switching modules. The company has also announced Version 3.0 of ONdemand NCS for Unix, said to include full management capability for its ONcore Switching System, including a power management facility providing graphical view and control over power utilisation of ONcore. It also contains a new inventory management feature that displays module characteristics, such as software and hardware revision level, vendor and date of manufacture, on a per module basis. In addition, the product will serve as the launch-point for the LANsentry and LANconnect applications, says the company. The final announcement, Ondemand Version 1.5 for Windows, is available in two configurations: Portable, which operates as a stand-alone product, and Desktop, which is bundled with Hewlett-Packard OpenView. Enhanced integration between this release and OpenView now enables NCS 1.5 to feed network alarms and events directly into the Hewlett-Packard Co system, says Chipcom. The offering now includes support for the ONsemble family of stackable hubs and can reportedly manage down to the port level. It also features a statistical data gathering and display capability for Ethernet and Token Ring local networks and ports; an upgrade path from the Portable to Desktop versions is available. Both LANsentry applications cost $5,370, with LANconnect coming in at $3,350, and ONdemand NCS for Unix at $6,700. The portable version of Ondemand for Windows is priced at $1,200, with the desktop version listing at $4,025. All products will be available on 30 to 60 days’ delivery. And Chipcom also reports the signing of a technology agreement with the Hewlett-Packard Network Test Division, under which Chipcom will integrate the Hewlett-Packard NetMetrix Internetwork Monitor into its ONdemand application product family. The fruit of this deal is expected to ship in the first quarter next year. In addition, Chipcom’s third-party distribution channel will have access to other offerings in Hewlett-Packard’s NetMetrix suite.
