Delivering on its joint 100Base-T strategy with Intel Corp, announced last March (CI No 2,623), Bay Networks Inc is now shipping a suite of Fast Ethernet systems for departmental, workgroup and enterprise users. On the backbone side, Bay has augmented its LattisSwitch System 28000 Fast Ethernet Switching Hub range with the 28104: this is an eight-port fibre configuration for collapsed backbone designs, which will ship in September, for $20,000. Supporting the switching hub foundation, Bay has new 100Base-T router interfaces for its Access Stack Node and Backbone Node routers. They are said to provide 100Mbps Fast Ethernet links to Asynchronous Transfer Mode, Fibre Distributed Data Interface and Token Ring, and to support a full suite of networking protocols for high-speed local network and switching environments to access the enterprise internetwork. The Access Stack Node 100Base-T interface will list for $4,000, while the Backbone Node version will come in at $13,000. Both will ship next month. For the departmental and workgroup side of the equation, the company has announced the 100Base-T Stackable Hub, aiming to provide low cost connectivity to the desktop in conjunction with Intel 10/100 Fast Ethernet adaptors, as per the two companies’ agreed roadmap. The hub supports up to 24 100Base-TX ports, with an architecture which is said to accommodate up to six hubs in a full stack and apparently supports up to 132 managed ports for direct connection to users, servers, or other Fast Ethernet switches and routers. The product will be out this month, priced at $2,380. Also new, the 10/100 Ethernet Workgroup Switch offers six switched 10Base-T ports for both network segmentation and dedicated private local networks, said the company. In addition, an optional, field-upgradable high-speed port (100Base-TX or 100Base-FX) module provides connection to backbone switches, servers, or shared Fast Ethernet hubs. It will ship next month for $3,000. Finally, Bay is providing the Intel EtherExpress PRO/100 adaptor. Designed for Pentium-based personal computers, the adaptor offers both 10Mbps and 100Mbps Ethernet opera tions, enabling users to support systems at both speeds. It is available now for $340.
