Santa Clara, California-based UB Networks Inc will this week announce new Ethernet and Fast Ethernet modules for its high-end GeoLAN/500 Super Switching Hub, and a commitment to adding support for the forthcoming Gigabit Ethernet standard once that has been agreed. Heading up the enhancements for the GeoLAN/500 is a new GeoBus backplane architecture, shipping now as standard, which is claimed to provide up to 7.2Gbps of bandwidth. Used in conjunction with the new modules, the firm says, the GeoLAN/500 now has a total system forwarding capacity of more than 19.5m packets per second, and a total capacity of 176 100Mbps or 264 10Mbps ports per chassis. Specifically, the new modules include a 16-port 10Mbps/ 100Mbps switch, due to cost $600 per port when it ships in December; a 24-port 10Mbps switch priced at $250 per port and also due to ship in December; a 12-port 100Base-TX Fast Ethernet Concentrator due in October for $350 per port; and a two-port Asynchronous Transfer Mode or FDDI uplink module due in the first quarter of 1997 for $8,000. Since UB was one of the founder members of the Gigabit Ethernet Alliance, its announcement that it will implement it on the GeoLAN/500 – it will take the form of a Gigabit Ethernet uplink module – is hardly a surprise. According to the company, UB is not planning to implement Gigabit Ethernet in advance of the standard’s ratification, but since UB is taking an active role in the development of the standard, it should have products ready as soon it is in place. Meantime, to try to encourage users to upgrade, UB is also offering a special discount promotion: users of its GeoLAN/100, formerly the Access/One, upgrading to the 500 qualify for discounts of up to 60% of the original purchase price of the 100. UB has not set an expiry date for the offer. Targeting customers of the competition, UB will also give up to 87% of the original cost of a Bay Networks Inc System 3000N for users moving to the GeoLAN/500, or 53% of the cost of Cabletron Systems Inc Multi Media Access Center.
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