SAN JOSE, Calif., Oct. 10, 1994 -- Cisco Systems has introduced ahigh-performance interface processor that provides direct connection atAsynchronous Transfer Mode [ATM] speeds between IBM mainframe computers androuted internetworks, eliminating the need for controller equipment thatcreates data-path bottlenecks.
The new Channel Interface Processor (CIP), operating in a slot of theCisco 7000 or7010 core router, lets the user choose either or both ofIBM's channel-attachment technologies: the bus-and-tag technology found onthe majority of installed mainframes, and the state-of-the-art 17-MB/secEnterprise Systems Connection (ESCON) architecture used on IBM's newerES/9000 systems.
Modular technology is used to provide two mainframe connections percard: one or two ESCON Channel Adapters for users with ES/9000s, one ortwo Parallel Channel Adapters for users with legacy bus-and-tag systems, orone of each for users in the process of migrating between the two. A totalof eight channels of either type can be installed in a single Cisco 7000.
Mainframe Earns Internetwork Citizenship
"Working in conjunction with Cisco's 270,000-packet-per-secondSilicon SwitchProcessor,155-Mbps ATMinterface processors and our high-speedLAN and WAN interface processors, the CIP establishes a direct, fullchannel-speed, mainframe-to-router data path unimpeded by traditionalcontroller equipment," said Nick Francis, Cisco's director of IBMinternetworking. "For the first time the mainframe is a full-fledgedcitizen of the internetwork."The CIP achieves its high performance levels through the use ofmultiprocessor technology. The CIP motherboard and the Parallel ChannelAdapter use advanced RISC processors (Integrated Device Technology's R4600and R3000, respectively); the ESCON Channel Adapter uses an IBM bit-sliceprocessor. The motherboard's R4600 CPU operates at 100 MHz and provides100-MIPS performance.
Developed at Cisco's IBM Internetworking Center in Raleigh, N.C., theCIP is the result of a January 1994 agreement between Cisco and IBM'sLarge-Scale Computing Division to develop a product that integratesmainframes into client-server networks using both the bus-and-tag and ESCONtechnologies.
The CIP is the first phase of a strategic multi-productchannel-attachment program Cisco will implement over the next severalyears. In early 1995 the company will deliver TCP/IP Offload, a softwarecapability which allows the TCP/IP protocols to run on the CIP, greatlyreducing mainframe overhead. This will be followed later in 1995 by support for SNA mainframe applications and for Advanced Peer-to-Peer Networking (APPN).
Eliminating Controller Bottlenecks
"LAN-channel controllers, the most common means of achieving mainframenetwork connection, generate bottlenecks and offer none of the benefits ofhigh-performance routing," Francis said. "Putting the channel attachmentinside the router creates a direct connection, reducing network complexityand fully integrating the mainframe into a high-reliability routedinternetwork that supports Cisco's full array of LAN/WAN interfaces androuting protocols. This can be especially effective in emergingapplications that require just a few high-speed connections, such as amainframe linked to several ATM networks."Running in the Cisco router, the CIP appears to the host as a 3172 IPcontroller, and supports the mainframe applications IBM TCP/IP for MVS, IBMTCP/IP for VM, and Interlink TCP/IP for MVS.
CIP Certification Ensures Exacting Service
Cisco has developed a certification program to ensure that its servicepartners for the CIP possess specialized expertise that enables them tomeet the exacting service standards of IBM mainframe customers.Certification requires that service partners demonstrate a high level ofIBM mainframe and router skills via lab, written and video exercises.
Pricing and Availability
Available beginning in December, the Channel Interface Processor ispriced (U.S. list) as follows. Each CIP comes with 2 MB of system DRAMmemory (expandable to 64 MB).
| Adapter | Price |
| Single Parallel Channel Adapter | $28,000 |
| Dual Parallel Channel Adapters | $35,000 |
| Single ESCON Channel Adapter | $40,000 |
| Dual ESCON Channel Adapter | $59,000 |
| Single ESCON/Single Parallel Channel Adapter | $49,000 |
Cisco Systems, Inc., headquartered in San Jose, Calif., is the leadingglobal supplier of internetworkingproducts, including routers, bridges,workgroup systems, ATM switches, dial-up access servers, software routersand router management software. These products are used to buildenterprise-wide internetworks linking an unlimited number of geographicallydispersed LANs, WANs and IBM SNA networks. Cisco's Internetwork Operating System (IOS) technology, found in more than 250,000 installed Ciscounitsand in the products of over 20 partners, is the de facto industry standardfor data transmission. In the U.S., Cisco is traded over the counter underthe Nasdaq symbol CSCO. A member of the S&P 500 and Fortune 500, Cisco infiscal 1994 logged sales of $1.2 billion.
