SAN JOSE, Calif., Aug. 15, 1994 -- Cisco Systems next month will begin customer shipments of its Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM) switch, the HyperSwitch A100. The new product will be the first ATM switch to support the Phase 0 P-NNI (Private Network Node Interface) protocol adopted by the ATM Forum in July and soon to be finalized as the first available solution for ensuring interoperability among multi-vendor ATM switches.

The HyperSwitch will be used in conjunction with Cisco's ATM Interface Processor (AIP), which began shipping in May for the firm's high-end Cisco 7000 family of routers. The two products together form a key part of the CiscoFusion(tm) architecture, which combines routing and multi-layer switching technologies to build scalable, secure and intelligent enterprise internetworks.

Larry Lang, senior product line manager, said, "Cisco is the first vendor to offer both a PNNI-compliant ATM switch and a UNI-compliant ATM router, providing the industry's only complete ATM solution based on ATM Forum standards. The combination of the HyperSwitch and the AIP card will allow users to create high-speed switched internetworks that eliminate congestion problems in corporate backbone internetworks.

An Interoperability Standard for ATM Networks

Lang called Phase 0 P-NNI support "a critical component of our ATM strategy. Cisco led the way in defining this protocol, which provides an urgently needed interoperability standard for ATM networks. Now, for the first time, users can build multi-switch, multi-vendor networks and set up switched virtual connections across those networks without resorting to proprietary protocols that lock customers into a single vendor's solution.

"As a founding member of the ATM Forum, and chair of the LAN emulation working group, Cisco is committed to the development and implementation of current and emerging industry standards that permit true interoperability."

Cisco will continue to play a leading role as the ATM Forum pursues development of the Phase 1 P-NNI standard, a more sophisticated and scalable version of Phase 0 that is expected to be finalized by the second half of 1995.

The HyperSwitch, co-developed with NEC Corporation, supports up to 16 155-Mbps ATM interfaces. Unlike other ATM switches that come only in fixed, fully-populated configurations, the HyperSwitch can be purchased with any number of interfaces, reducing entry costs.

Recognizing the importance of congestion and traffic management in private ATM networks, the HyperSwitch A100 is designed to support up to 2,000 (minimum 1,000) cells of buffering per port -- more than any other private network ATM switch. At the same time, priority mechanisms ensure low latency for such time-sensitive applications as voice and video. In conjunction with the traffic-shaping capabilities of the Cisco AIP, these features will allow router clusters made up of Cisco ATM routers and HyperSwitches to offer unprecedented levels of loss-free throughput for private networks.

Available HyperSwitch interfaces, compliant with ATM Forum specifications, are TAXI 4B/5B (100-Mbps) and SONET/SDH STS3c/STM1 (155 Mbps), both on multi-mode fiber. Future plans call for SONET single-mode fiber and copper unshielded twisted pair category 5 (UTP-5), DS-3 and E-3 interfaces. Interface types can be freely mixed and matched for use in workgroup or WAN switching.

Supporting all traffic and ATM Adaptation Layer (AAL) types, the HyperSwitch uses a non-blocking, 2.4-Gbps cross-bar matrix switch fabric that minimizes cell loss. It has two priority levels and separate queuing classes for data- and time-sensitive traffic. Multicast traffic is handled with no throughput degradation. The HyperSwitch includes SNMP-based network management.

The HyperSwitch offers fully integrated support for ATM Forum UNI V3.0 signaling, eliminating the need for a separate connection management system that could reduce reliability. Both permanent and switched virtual circuits (PVCs and SVCs) are supported. The same signaling code is used on the AIP and the A100, ensuring interoperability.

HyperSwitch Pricing

The HyperSwitch chassis and two interface types are available next month. The chassis is priced at $21,900. The SONET 155-Mbps interface card is priced at $1,250, and the TAXI 100-Mbps interface card at $1,050. Up to 16 interfaces of the same or different types can be used in the chassis. Bundled packages of the HyperSwitch and the AIP module will also be available.

Cisco Systems, Inc., is the leading worldwide supplier of high-performance, multimedia and multiprotocol internetworking products, including routers, bridges, workgroup systems for 10-Mbps/100-Mbps data transmission, ATM switches, communication servers, software routers, and router management software. Cisco technology is used to build enterprise-wide networks linking an unlimited number of geographically dispersed LANs, WANs and IBM SNA networks. In the United States, Cisco is traded over the counter under the NASDAQ symbol CSCO.

Banyan VINES and DECnet/OSI. The Cisco IOS will also support multiple X.25 virtual circuits over a single ISDN B-Channel allowing small offices to gain access to X.25 networks without the burden of leased line rental.

Cisco products support all popular ISDN signaling schemes and are certified for ISDN operation in 18 countries. In 1992, the Cisco 3000became the first multiprotocol router to provide a native ISDN interface.

Cisco Systems, Inc., is the leading worldwide supplier of high-performance, multimedia and multiprotocol internetworking products, including routers, bridges, workgroup systems for 10-Mbps/100-Mbps data transmission, ATM switches, communication servers, and router management software. Cisco technology is used to build enterprise-wide networks linking an unlimited number of geographically dispersed LANs, WANs and IBM SNA networks. In the United States, Cisco is traded over the counter under the NASDAQ symbol CSCO.