In an announcement that is geared to the European market, Irvine, California-headquartered Sync Research Inc has launched what it says is the first Qualified Logical Link Control-to-Logical Link Control-2 converter, the QLLC Conversion Node. QLLC enables SDLC packets from IBM Corp’s Systems Network Architecture to be carried over X25 networks, and according to Sync, Europe has been targeted because of its large base of SNA users with parallel X25 and local network internetworks. The company says that the offering will enable IBM users with Systems Network Architecture X25 networks to make major cost savings by switching their SNA traffic onto any Token Ring or Ethernet local network, and then using their router backbone to communicate with host applications. Sync’s view is that by locating a QLLC Conversion Node in each branch site, companies will be able to do away with X25 connections and cut the need for NPSI Network Packet Switch Interface software in the Systems Network Architecture host front-end processor, removing the attendant processing overhead and licence fee. From the management angle, the offering is said to support IBM’s NetView, as well as Net/Master and SNMP. The product comes with two or four X.25 ports (V.24, V.35 or X.21/V.11) and is said to support Physical Unit Types 1, 2.0 and 2.1, using IBM’s QLLC protocol. According to Sync, it provides local or remote connections at speeds from 1,200bps to 128Kbps, connecting to Token Ring or Ethernet local networks running at 4Mbps/16Mbps or 10Mbps respectively. UK and continental shipments are scheduled for mid-1994, with pricing from $4,950.
