Santa Clara, California-based SynOptics Communications Inc has launched a new family of Ethernet hubs. As expected, these are the ones aimed at the small workgroup and remote office environment that has a low node count requirement. The Lattis System 800 family of eight-port 10Base-T hubs features the unmanaged Model 800 and the managed Model 810M. Each comes with a bold claim: the 800 is said to be the lowest priced hub on the market, and the 810M the only managed eight-port hub in the industry. The 800 family is effectively an offering for small, stand-alone Ethernet networks. The 810M is said to support SNMP management over Internet Protocol and IPX, enabling integration into both TCP/IP and NetWare IPX-based products. It is manageable by SynOptics’ entry-level Lattis EZ-View application and the Optivity Inc network management system, available on SunConnect Inc’s SunNet Manager, IBM Corp’s NetView/6000, Novell Inc’s NMS and Hewlett-Packard Co’s Open View operating environments. SynOptics says that when more nodes are needed, a switch on the Model 800 hubs enables them to be interconnected using straight-through unshielded twisted pair connections, obviating the need for cross-over cables. However, despite being geared to remote offices, the offerings do not feature integrated wide area features: according to a spokesman, such an option is planned in future releases. The System 800s are compatible with its Lattis System 2000, 3000 and 5000 series of modular intelligent hubs, says the company. The 810M costs $800, and is out now and the 800 will ship next month at $400.
