Bay Networks Inc has come out with BayStack, a stackable suite of routers, switches, hubs and network management capabilities for the workgroup environment. The range can be configured for as few as eight users, and upgraded to support hundreds, said the company. In addition, the family is said to support the transport services defined by the company’s Bay Switched Internetwork Services – BaySIS – architecture (CI No 2,540). The BayStack 10Base-T hub is available as a 12- or 24-port unit and up to 10 hubs can be stacked to support a maximum of 260 ports. As many as 10 independent segments can be created in a single stack and managed by a single Simple Network Management Protocol module. Network management is available at three levels, said the firm: Simple Network Management Protocol; Advanced with Remote Monitoring; and SA Advanced Analyser with SuperRMON. In addition, the offering features dual media adaptor slots that apparently support any combination of 10Base-2, 10Base-FL, 10Base-T and AUI, and redundant power supplies. The BayStack Ethernet Workgroup Switch offers six switched 10Base-T ports for both network segmentation and dedicated local area networks. In addition, said Bay, an optional 100Base-T switched port module provides connection to backbones and other BayStack 100Base-T products. It also features redundant power options. The BayStack 100Base-T Stackable Hub is intended for managers migrating existing 10Mbps networks to 100Mbps Fast Ethernet. The hub’s architecture accommodates up to six hubs in a full stack and supports up to 132 managed ports for direct connection to users, servers, or other Ethernet switches and routers, said the company. Also announced was an upgrade to Bay’s AN and ANH remote access routers, which makes available an externally accessible Flash memory PC Card. Because it can be pre-configured and replaced for software upgrades or troubleshooting, the card does away with the need for highly trained, on-site personnel, said Bay. Finally, the company has announced its Optivity Workgroup network management software, said to introduce simplified management and troubleshooting capabilities for hubs, routers and switches. It is comprised of the EZ LAN and EZ Internetwork monitoring, diagnostic and configuration applications. All BayStack products are shipping now. The 10Base-T hub lists for $900 for the 12-port unit and $1,550 for the 24-port version. The Ethernet Workgroup switch starts at $3,000 for a six 10Base-T switched port unit, and the 100Base-T Stackable Hub 12-port unit is priced at $2,375. Pricing for the BayStack AN starts at $2,200, and $2,600 for the ANH. EZ Internetwork and EZ LAN are being offered at a special price of $100 through to January 31 next year, after which they will list for $700 and $500 respectively.
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