kozel@milano.cisco.com (Edward R. Kozel) (09/23/90)
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE SINGLE-BOARD INTERNETWORK ROUTER FROM CISCO SYSTEMS BRINGS ROUTING PRICES DOWN TO BRIDGING LEVELS MENLO PARK, Calif., Sept. 18, 1990 -- A single-board, two-port internetwork router that for the first time makes high-performance routing as cost-effective as traditionally less expensive bridging has been introduced by cisco Systems, Inc. The Integrated Gateway Server (IGS), priced starting at less than $5,000, offers the full software functionality of cisco's high-end routers, including routing support for 15 communication protocols. Options include concurrent bridging capability and support for the emerging frame-relay data-transmission standard. The IGS comes in two versions: a "local" version with two Ethernet ports that connects two adjacent Ethernet LANs or segments an Ethernet backbone (e.g., isolating a departmental network from a corporate network); and a "remote" version with one Ethernet port and one high-speed (up to 7 megabits per second) serial port that serves as a cost-effective link between two LANs across a city or country. Replacing Bridge-Based Solutions Bruce Byrd, product manager, said the IGS is ideal for small- to medium-sized network installations that, because of the comparatively high cost of routing, have used local bridges to segment or extend their LANs, or remote bridges to connect satellite offices into central hubs. "Users need no longer forfeit the benefits that only routing, through its ability to form distinct subnetworks, can provide -- better network traffic control, fault tolerance, distributed network management, multiple name servers," Byrd said. "With the IGS they can route all popular protocols -- including TCP/IP, OSI, DECnet, XNS, IPX, VINES, and AppleTalk -- between two networks across the country or in different departments of the same building. And our concurrent bridging option makes the transition from bridging to routing a smooth one. "The two-port configuration allowed us to keep the IGS compact and affordable while providing plenty of function for most installations," he added. "It can be used very effectively in remote-office applications where a larger cisco router at headquarters communicates with multiple IGS units via point-to-point, X.25, or frame-relay technology." High Performance in a Compact Package The low-cost IGS retains high performance, with filtering speed of 19,000 packets per second, and forwarding speed of 6,000 packets per second. The IGS board is housed in a compact chassis measuring 13 by 14 by 4 inches. It includes a 16-MHz Motorola MC68020 processor serving as the main system controller; 1 MB of system memory (expandable to 4.5 MB using SIMMs); eight 32-pin sockets for the ROMs from which IGS software directly runs; and 16 KB of non-volatile memory for on-board storage of network configuration information. The remote IGS version has a generic 50-pin connector that interchangeably accepts modem interface cables supporting RS232, RS449 or V.35 interfaces. Pricing/Availability The IGS/L (local version) is priced at $4,995 and the IGS/R (remote version) at $5,495, each with 1 MB on-board memory. Concurrent bridging software is priced at $450 for either version. X.25/packet switch software (supporting frame relay) for the remote version is $750. Both versions will be available in November. ========= For further info contact Bruce Byrd, Byrd@cisco.com ==========