Cisco Systems Inc has added two switches to its Token Ring line. The Catalyst 3900 Token Ring Switch is a desktop platform with a standard 20 fixed ports and a FlexSlot that can accommodate two feature cards. Up to eight switches can be stacked via the Catalyst Matrix Switch to provide up to 224 ports. The Catalyst 5000 Token Ring Module switching module targets the enterprise backbone for the Catalyst 5000 series and offers either 16 copper or 16 fiber switch ports. This Token Ring switching module has extremely high port density and functionality. According to the company, more of the switching functions previously in software have been moved into its custom ASIC design such as media speed filtering and multicast support. Each Token Ring port supports dedicated or shared media attachment including support for full duplex. In addition, the switches support embedded RMON management to provide statistics on the health of attached LANs. The Catalyst 3900 costs $8,995 is shipping now. The Catalyst 5000 switching module with 16 port copper will ship during the fourth quarter of 1997, priced at $13,995. The 16 port fiber module will be available during the first quarter of 1998, is priced at $19,995.
