IBM Corp continues to pursue its strategy of buying in networking technologies, rather than developing them in-house: it is to integrate Milpitas, California-based Network Peripherals Inc’s FDDI switching technology into its IBM 8271 EtherStreamer and 8272 LANStreamer lines. Under the terms of the deal, Network Peripherals is to develop an FDDI module specifically for the two IBM switches: they will be called FDDI Universal Feature Card modules, and be marketed alongside IBM’s existing multiservice local network product line. They are to ship during the first quarter of next year, but there is no word on pricing. The latest deal follows the announcement that IBM is licensing Ethernet switching technology from Xylan Inc (CI No 2,962), alongside its long-term relationship with 3Com Corp, from which it sources Ethernet, Fast Ethernet and FDDI modules for its 8260 Intelligent Hub (CI No 2,975). The company also has a joint development agreement with Bay Networks Inc covering switched Token Ring (CI No 2,764), and another with the Kalpana unit of Cisco Systems Inc covering switched Token Ring and Ethernet (CI Nos 2,482, 2,529).
