Santa Clara, California-based UB Networks Inc has announced what it claims is the first Asynchronous Transfer Mode-ready Ethernet local network switch for under $500 per port. The company says future versions of the GeoRim product will include Fibre Distributed Data Interface and Token Ring. GeoRim, says UB, is the industry’s first device to offer the performance of a cut-through switch – under 90mS average latency at any load – but with the error-checking capabilities of a store-and-forward device. It can connect any hub from any vendor to Fibre Distributed Data Interface, Fast Ethernet and Asynchronous Transfer, and can thus make any Ethernet hub Asynchronous Mode-ready. Sean Phelan, a senior analyst with the Yankee Group Europe, commented It is one of the first steps in transiting your Ethernet to an Asynchronous Transfer Mode backbone, and it is only $500 per port – although I’m not sure that includes all the management and so on. The architecture model for Asynchronous Mode local networks has not yet established itself. This approach is a very attractive architecture, and I expect very many implementations. Based around three Motorola Inc 68040 processors, the GeoRim is fully Simple Network Management Protocol-manageable with support for Gets, Sets and Traps. UB Networks’ management system support will be provided with FocusView on NetDirector and NetAssistant. Modular local network interfaces give users the choice of any combination of fibre, coaxial or 10Base-T. Currently, the GeoRim has a dual attach FDDI uplink for multi-mode fibre that can be connected into a redundant ring or dual-homed for connection to FDDI concentration, but the company says 155Mbps Asynchronous Transfer Mode and 100Mbps Fast Ethernet will be included in future. The 12-port 10Base-T version is available now at $6,000. It can be upgraded on site with the Asynchronous Mode, FDDI or Fast Ethernet uplink module by the customer. BNC, 10Base-T and Fibre local net interface modules are available now, priced separately.
