Xyplex Inc, Boxborough, Massachusetts has extended its range of multi-protocol servers with the announcement of three stand-alone communications products. The three support TCP/IP for communicating with Unix systems and LAT Local Area Transport for communicating with Digital Equipment Corp VMS systems. They also offer TN3270 support – an option in the Telnet suite of protocols – for communicating with IBM Corp Ethernet-connected systems. Remote access support is provided with the inclusion of SLIP Serial Line Internet Protocol, PPP Point-to-Point Protocol, ARAP Apple Remote Access Protocol and XRemote for running X Window applications remotely. SNMP is supported for configuration and network management. The servers can also be managed via DEC’s network management protocols and tools, including TSM and DSVCONFIG. The three products are the 8-port entry-level MX-800, the 20-port MX-1620 and the 40-port MX-1640. They provide network access locally and on a remote dial-up basis for devices ranging from terminals and personal computers to bar code readers and data acquisition devices. As well as remote access, the servers support telecommuting, data acquisition and other communications applications while offering the same ease of management and security features as the 16-port MX-1600 server introduced last year. Suitability for telecommuting results from the inclusion of concurrent flow control, Kerberos security, dial-back, accounting and modem control features. The servers use SIMMs and support up to 8Mb of memory, so that users can update their server software to support new features and protocols. The 1620 and 1640 use memory board technology to self-load software; alternatively it can be loaded remotely from a network-based host or another Xyplex server. The intelligence of the servers enables a wide range of serial equipment to be attached and controlled via a communications server. The prices are $1,600 -UKP1,300, for the 800, $4,000 – UKP2,800, for 1620 and $6,000 – UKP4,400 – for the 1640.
