mikeh@lupine.ncd.com (Mike Harrigan) (11/03/90)
NCD X TERMINALS GET ON-BOARD TWISTED-PAIR ETHERNET CONNECTION MOUNTAIN VIEW, California, October 10, 1990 -- The ability to connect directly to twisted-pair wiring systems without the use of a costly external transceiver has been added to Network Computing Devices' family of X Window System terminals. NCD's new Twisted Pair Ethernet Card, offered as an option with all NCD color and monochrome X terminals, contains one twisted-pair (IEEE 802.3 10BaseT) interface and one thick Ethernet (AUI, or IEEE 802.3 10Base5) interface. THe Twisted Pair card is available, at no extra cost with newly purchased units, as an alternative to NCD's standard network interface card, which has one thick and one thin (IEEE 802.3 10Base2) Ethernet interface. The NCD units are the first X terminals to offer integral twisted-pair connectivity, eliminating the need for an external transceiver that can cost up to $300 per terminal. X terminals equipped with the Twisted Pair Ethernet Card can connect directly into twisted-pair wiring systems such as those made by SynOptics Communications, ODS, Hewlett-Packard and David Systems. A unique "auto-detection" feature on the card tells the X terminal which connection method has been selected -- thick Ethernet or twisted pair -- without the user's having to activate a special switch. NCD Executive Vice President Judy Estrin said that "twisted pair is becoming the connection medium of choice as many large commercial enterprises move away from coaxial cable-based systems to adopt wiring schemes that use a fiber-optic backbone with twisted-pair wires to the desktop. As X terminals increase their presence in such environments, a $300-per-seat cost reduction for twisted-pair connectivity will become a key competitive factor." If selected as an option with a new NCD X terminal, the Twisted Pair Ethernet Card is included with the terminal at no extra charge. As an upgrade to an existing terminal (done via a simple card exchange in NCD's modular network interface scheme), the card is priced at $500. Availability is 30 days after receipt of order. Network Computing Devices, Inc., formed in February 1988, is a leading supplier of network display stations providing users simultaneous access to multi-vendor computers on a network via the industry-standard X Window System. The NCD16, NCD16e, NCD19 and NCD19b monochrome units, and the NCD17c color unit, offer workstation-style multi-user interfaces for users in the UNIX, VMS and ULTRIX operating system environments. NCD is privately held. Company Contact: Judy Estrin Network Computing Devices, Inc. 415/694-0650 email: info@ncd.com Agency Contacts: William Orrange Janis Ulevich Ulevich & Orrange 415/329-1590