SAN JOSE, Calif., Nov. 14, 1994 -- Cisco Systems has added support forthe Binary Synchronous Communication (BSC) data-link protocol, or "bisync,"to its family of internetwork routers. The capability will enable users toconsolidate bisync traffic, which normally requires dedicated communicationlines, with local-area network (LAN) and SNA traffic.

The bisync support feature will be of particular appeal to the bankingindustry, in which bisync is widely used as a means of transmitting datafrom remote automated teller machines (ATMs) to corporate mainframecomputers.

Cisco's bisync capability works by encapsulating bisync traffic inTCP/IP packetsfor transmission over the internetwork via serial lines,frame relay or other WAN transmission methods. Cisco routers have supportedthe encapsulation of SDLC traffic in TCP/IP since 1992.

Nick Francis, Cisco's director of IBM internetworking, said, "For themajority of ATMs using bisync, upgrading to SDLC would be prohibitivelyexpensive; yet the cost of maintaining separate transmission facilities forbisync, SNA/SDLC and LAN traffic is also an issue. Cisco is the first majorrouter vendor to allow banks to use their existing internetworks to handlebisync traffic along with SNA and LAN protocols.

"Because of the relatively low speed and low volume of ATMtransactions, users can consolidate them onto existing WAN links withoutworrying about network overload. This not only lowers costs, it alsoimproves ATM availability because bisync traffic, instead of traveling overa single point-to-point line, will be dynamically rerouted around anynetwork failures that may occur."

To ensure consistent ATM response time for their customers, banks canuse Cisco's Custom Queuing feature to guarantee bandwidth for bisynctraffic. This means that ATM transactions will receive consistent service,regardless of other applications and protocols on the network -- evenduring peak loads.

Pricing and Availability

Bisync support will be a standard feature of the Enterprise feature setof Cisco's InternetworkOperatingSystem (IOS) for the Cisco 2500 series and 4000 series routers. The Cisco 4000series must be equipped with a four-serial-port network interface module.

Cisco Systems,Inc., headquartered in San Jose, Calif., is the leadingglobal supplier of internetworkingproducts, including routers, bridges,workgroup systems, ATM and Ethernet switches, dial-up access servers,software routers and router management software. These products are used tobuild enterprise-wide internetworks linking an unlimited number ofgeographically dispersed LANs, WANs and IBM SNA networks. Cisco'sInternetwork Operating System (IOS) technology, found in more than 250,000installed Cisco units and in the products of over 20 partners, is the defacto industry standard for data transmission. In the U.S., Cisco istraded over the counter under the Nasdaq symbol CSCO. A member of the S&P500 and Fortune 500, Cisco in fiscal 1994 logged sales of $1.2 billion.