SAN JOSE, Calif., Jan. 3, 1995 -- Cisco Systems' AccessPro PC Card, amultiprotocol router card that operates in a PC platform, is now availablein two new models that support ISDN Basic Rate Interface (BRI)communication.
The AccessPro PC Card,
The new models feature one Ethernet or Token Ring port, one ISDN BRIport, two synchronous serial ports and one asynchronous serial port. TheBRI interface supports two 64-Kbps B channels for user data access to theISDN network and one 16-Kbps D channel for ISDN signaling informationbetween the router and ISDN switch. Cisco continues to support theoriginal AccessPromodels, which offer one LAN, one synchronous and one asynchronousport.
Kevin Kennedy, Cisco's director of remote access products, said, "Thenew AccessPro models will let systems integrators easily devise single-boxturnkey ISDN and WAN solutions based on the PC platforms with which theyare already familiar. The cards can be used for ISDN dial-on-demandrouting, which lets the user bring up WAN links only when necessary andthus reduce remote-site access costs. They also can be used for ISDN dialbackup, to activate a secondary WAN link when a primary synchronous linefails or to offload traffic from a congested primary line.
"Cisco now offers an ISDN solution at everylevel of the internetwork," Kennedy added. "From the Cisco 7000 backbonerouter with ISDN PRI capability, to the Cisco4000 regional router, to theCisco2500 entry-level stand-alonerouter, and now the AccessPro PC Card, we provide whatever degree of ISDNconcentration the customer requires. And all of these solutions can bepurchased with the full array of features in Cisco's InternetworkOperating System [IOS]."
AccessPro PC Cards, based on the proven technology of the stand-aloneCisco 2500 remote-access router family, also offer packet-switched servicessuch as Frame Relay, X.25 and SMDS; and IBM host connectivity through thecards' T1-speed SDLC capability.
The new cards support all popular ISDN signaling schemes. Alreadycertified for ISDN operation in the U.S. and Canada, they will be certifiedin other countries during first quarter 1995.
The Ethernet version of the AccessPro PC Card with ISDN BRI beganshipping in December and is priced from $2,195 to $3,995 (U.S. list),depending on which feature set of Cisco's Internetwork Operating System(IOS) the user selects. The Token Ring version begins shipping later thismonth and is priced from $2,695 to $4,495 (U.S. list), depending on the IOSfeature set.
Cisco Systems,Inc. is the leading global supplier of enterprisenetworks, including routers, LAN and ATM switches, dial-up accessserversand network management software. These products, integrated by Cisco'sInternetworkOperating System (IOS) link geographically dispersed LANs,WANs and IBM networks. Cisco is headquartered in San Jose, California andin the U.S., is traded under the NASDAQ symbol CSCO.
