With one eye, no doubt, fixed on the new Bay Networks Inc competitor, San Jose, California-based Cisco Systems Inc and Santa Clara neighbour, Tandem Computers Inc’s UB Networks have revealed plans for a bilateral technology development agreement and have announced a worldwide distribution deal. Under the terms of the technology relationship, the two will jointly develop integrated internetworking systems, starting in the field of router-hub integration, and will offer a migration path to internetworking systems including Asynchronous Transfer Mode, virtual local area network and switching technologies. The companies say they will leverage their collective expertise, with UB Networks bringing VNA, its Virtual Network Architecture to the party, and Cisco contributing IOS, its Internetwork Operating System. Initially, the two are incorporating Cisco’s 4500 router into UB Networks’ Access/One enterprise hub, as well as adding Internetwork Operating System to forthcoming products, including UB Networks’ GeoSwitch product line, a family of modular, distributed Asynchronous Mode switches and adaptors. UB Networks says it will also include Cisco’s Internetwork Operating System in its next generation object-oriented virtual network messaging architecture, which it says will simplify the management of switched and routed environments. Further, it will support Cisco router products with its Net Director network management system. Under the distribution agreement, financial terms of which have not been disclosed, UB Networks gains worldwide distribution rights to the entire range of Cisco internetworking products, as well as worldwide distribution rights for all products resulting from joint development. The two have also agreed to offer global service and support.
