3Com Corp of Santa Clara, California, has announced pricing and availability of two products that comply with the IEEE 10Base-T specification for point-to-point communication via Ethernet on dual twisted-pair wiring. They are a 10Base-T network adaptor for IBM’s Micro Channel Architecture and a 10Base-T twisted-pair module for 3Com’s MultiConnect Multiport Repeater. 10Base-T Ethernet’s point-to-point star topology gives each workstation a direct link into the wiring closet. This configuration enables the network manager to isolate and get rid of a problem connection without affecting the rest of the network or disturbing other users. All products in 3Com’s 10Base-T family come with a guarantee that it will provide product upgrades or replacements if, in the event, the final IEEE specifications differ from those implemented in 3Com’s existing 10Base-T products. In addition to complying with the IEEE draft standard for twisted-pair Ethernet networks, 3Com’s 10Base-T adaptor products are backward compatible with prestandard concentrator hubs manufactured by SynOptics, Hewlett-Packard, AT&T and David Systems. The MultiConnect TP Module, which plugs into any of 15 slots in 3Com’s MultiConnect repeater, provides three hub connections to 10Base-T twisted-pair wiring segments. The system supports up to 45 direct connections to twisted-pair wiring in a single MultiConnect chasis, accommodating up to 1,024 connections through multiple repeaters as the network grows. The three-port MultiConnect TP Module, available in May for $600 will operate with other MultiConnect modules which support standard (thick) and thin co-axial cable, shielded and unshielded twisted-pair wiring, IBM Token Ring Cabling and 3270 cable, ARCnet and fibre-optic media. 3Com’s EtherLink II TP adaptor, which began shipping in January for $445, connects MS-DOS micros to 10Base-T networks. A five-package set of the adaptors sells for $1,875, or $375 per board. All of 3Com’s 10Base-T products will be available from 3Com and its value-added resellers and distributors.
