Chatsworth, California-based Fibermux Corp, a subsidiary of ADC Telecommunications Inc, has announced a new product that it claims eliminates the network jitter that can limit the size of high-speed Token Ring networks to about 75 users. It says that the FX6690T Ring Expander enables such networks to support up to 250 users on a 16Mbps network. The product plugs into any port on the Token Ring hub or a multi-station access unit, and is said to be of particular use where network interface boards on a network are sourced from a variety of vendors, since the different tolerance levels which different manufacturers’ network interface boards incorporate can aggravate management and interoperability problems. There are two models available, supporting unshielded and shielded twisted pair cabling. Available immediately, the Ring Expander is $700. Fibermux says that the same technology has now been incorporated into its own Crossbow range of multi-local network hubs.
