Olicom Inc is to license its LAN Emulation local area networking software, known as LANE, to Cisco Systems Inc for use in Cisco Token-Ring switches. The move continues a joint development started last year which will see the two companies developing a second generation of Token-Ring switches, which will include asynchronous transfer mode uplink technology. Olicom’s LANE software has been tested for interoperability with Cisco routers and switches and supports Cisco’s SSRP Simple Server Redundancy Protocol for back-up of LANE services. In addition, says Olicom, its asynchronous transfer mode network interface cards are fully interoperable with Cisco networks. The first products from the deal agreed last year are expected to ship in the second half of 1997. Integration of Olicom’s LANE software and Cisco’s IOS Internetworking Operating System technologies, will mean that Token-Ring to asynchronous transfer mode uplinks will be available around the same time as the jointly developed switch.
