Intel Corp is getting into the fast – 100Mbps – Ethernet business in partnership with SynOptics Communications Inc. The goal of the agreement is to create a seamless path to high-speed Ethernet while preserving current network wiring investments, the partners say. The two will offer an interoperable 10Mbps/100Mbps switched network system consisting of 10Mbps/100Mbps Ethernet adaptor boards from Intel and matching switching hubs from SynOptics. The products should be ready by the second quarter of 1994, and will be based on the Fast Ethernet Alliance’s wiring specifications to ensure seamless, multi-vendor interoperability. Intel and SynOptics are charter members of the Desktop Management Task Force which has developed the Desktop Management Interface to standardise the management of personal computer components, software and networked peripherals, and of the Fast Ethernet Alliance for 100Mbps Ethernet.
