SAN JOSE, Calif., May 15, 1995 -- Cisco Systems will implement IBM'sAdvanced Peer-to-Peer Networking (APPN) on its family of multiprotocolrouters in third quarter 1995, allowing the routers to carry both existingSNA traffic and native APPN traffic across networks that incorporate IBMprotocols.

Cisco will support APPN over the industry's broadest range of media --including Ethernet, Token Ring, FDDI, frame relay, SDLC, ATM and directmainframe channelattachment -- maximizing users' flexibility in designing theirnetworks.

Cisco's APPN support was jointly developed and tested at Cisco's ResearchTriangle Park, North Carolina, and San Jose, California, facilities.

APPN will be included in the CiscoInternetwork Operating System (tm) (CiscoIOS(tm)), permitting native routing of SNA concurrently with IP, RSRB(remote source-route bridging) and other protocols supported on Ciscorouters.

The initial release will offer full Network Node (NN) support, includingDependent Logical Unit Requester (DLUR), which enables existing SNA trafficto be carried over an APPN network; IBM Class of Service (COS), whichallows prioritization of SNA traffic by application; and the ability toroute APPN data across the mainframe channel, which provides an end-to-endsolution by bringing APPN into the data center.

A subsequent APPN release will add High Performance Routing (HPR),dramatically improving the availability and performance of APPN networks byreducing processing in intermediate nodes and routing around networkfailures with no loss of SNA sessions.

Phase 5 of IBM Internetworking Program

Native APPN delivers on the fifth phase of a five-phase plan inaugurated byCisco in 1991 to consolidate IBM SNA and LAN traffic. As a result of thisprogram, Cisco offers the industry's broadest array of IBM internetworkingoptions, and, according to International Data Corp., has installedapproximately 67 percent of the routers used in IBM internetworking.

APPN joins previously introduced Cisco solutions to form a completeend-to-end solution suite that spans the enterprise network, from remotebranch office to corporate headquarters. Available offerings include SDLCtunneling; remote source-route bridging and its follow-on, DLSw+ (anenhanced but fully compliant version of the multivendor data-link switchingstandard); RFC 1490-based direct transport of SNA over frame relaynetworks; and the only direct channel attachment between multiprotocol routers and mainframes.

Nick Francis, Cisco's director of IBM internetworking, said, "By addingAPPN to the Cisco IOS, we are strengthening our commitment to offer morechoices for customers in meeting their IBM internetworking requirements.APPN completes the picture with native SNA routing, direct mainframeattachment and COS, letting users protect their investments in existing3270 applications while gaining multiprotocol support for client/serverapplications."

Cisco APPN Based on IBM-Licensed Code

Based on code licensed from IBM, Cisco's APPN implementation, unlikesubarea SNA, performs native peer-to-peer processing without requiring amainframe to initiate connections. APPN brings to the SNA world the keyadvantages of LAN protocols: location of resources using distributeddirectory services, automatic discovery and updating of network topology,dynamic route selection for optimum path, and with HPR, dynamic reroutingaround network failures.

Cisco's APPN will address customer internetworking requirements at alllevels of the enterprise. Users can build or extend a backbone thatsupports both direct routing between APPN nodes and subarea SNA routing.APPN can be extended beyond the backbone to the branch office via theCisco2500 series remote-access routers, and to the data center via theCisco Channel Interface Processor (CIP). And, because other vendors arealso implementing APPN, connectivity will extend to multi-vendor networks.

Cisco has enhanced basic APPN by uniting Class of Service support with twoadvanced Cisco bandwidth-management features: priority queuing ,which letsusers prioritize traffic by protocol type, port, logical unit or messagesize; and customqueuing, which assigns percentages of bandwidthon a user-designated basis. The resulting comprehensive solution bothprioritizes multiprotocol traffic and guarantees desired service levels toend users.

APPN Availability

APPN software will be available third quarter as part of the Cisco IOS forthe Cisco 2500, 4000 ,4500, 7000,7010 and AGS+ routers.

Cisco Systems, Inc. is the leading global supplier of enterprisenetworks,including routers, LAN and ATM switches, dial-up access servers and networkmanagement software. These products, integrated by the Cisco InternetworkOperating System (tm) (Cisco IOS(tm)) link geographically dispersedLANs,WANs and IBM networks. Cisco is headquartered in San Jose, Calif., and inthe U.S. is traded under the NASDAQ symbol CSCO.