Hewlett-Packard Co made the first announcement in its networking blitz (CI No 2,850), in the process giving the first public acknowledgement that it is abandoning its 100VG-AnyLAN-only policy. As expected, support for 100Base-T takes the form of a module for its existing AdvanceStack 10/100 local network Switch- 16 rather than stand-alone Fast Ethernet products. The announcement itself was fairly low-key: in March it will ship a two-port AnyLAN module, with support for different transceivers for shielded and unshielded twisted pair and Fibre Optic media types, and a one-port 100Base-TX module, both of which are designed for installation in the garage slots of the AdvanceStack. The AnyLAN module will cost $2,000, with the 100Base-TX product priced at $1,400. In making the announcement, the company was at pains to say that its commitment to AnyLAN remains undiminished. Indeed, it is still pushing the line that AnyLAN is by far its preferred technology, and it is only offering Fast Ethernet support to give users a choice: it maintains only that 100Base-T is suitable for switch-to-switch or switch-to-server connections, but that for multimedia and time-sensitive applications, or shared environments, AnyLAN is the optimal choice.
