The growing alliance between Olicom A/S and Cisco Systems Inc has taken a step further. Both companies are eager to use the other’s technology to move into each other’s core markets. Osicom has now licensed Cisco Systems’ InterSwitch Link protocol to develop its next generation of Fast Ethernet (10/100) network interface cards, which, it says, will be capable of simultaneously transporting Ethernet and Token-Ring frames over a single 100Mbps connection to an ISL-enabled switch or router. This agreement represents a particularly important advance for Token-Ring users, as network managers can now boost bandwidth to congested servers from 16Mbps to 100Mbps with little or no change to the surrounding Token-Ring infrastructure. Olicom says ISL is a key part of its strategy to migrate its Token-Ring users to IP Intenet Protocol-based network systems. Cisco’s ISL protocol was originally designed to transport standard Ethernet, Token-Ring, or FDDI frames over high-speed switched Fast Ethernet but will be developed to include switched Gigabit Ethernet campus local area network infrastructures. Both Olicom and Cisco say they will be implementing Token-Ring ISL functionality on the companies’ jointly developed Token-Ring switch, which is scheduled to be available in the second half of this year. Olicom says its next- generation 10/100 Network Interface cards will be available in the fourth quarter this year.
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