SAN JOSE, Calif. - October 1, 1997 - Cisco Systems, Inc. today announced the EtherSwitchport adapter for the Cisco 7200 series of routers. The EtherSwitch port adapter complementsthe Cisco 7200 by providing a cost-effective, integrated solution for LAN switching and routingservices that meets the diverse requirements of both enterprise and service provider customers. The EtherSwitch port adapter is part of Cisco's strategy to integrate LAN switching androuting, and complements the integration of routing into Catalyst. 5000 switches with theRoute Switch Module (RSM) for large campus applications. The EtherSwitch port adaptercomplements the existing capabilities of the ATM Circuit Emulation Service port adapter, whichintegrates the functions of an ATM access concentrator for multiservice voice/data integration.
Cost-Effective
The integration of high-speed LAN switching with the Cisco 7200 decreases rack spacerequirements and simplifies network design by integrating an Ethernet switch into the Cisco7200, without sacrificing LAN switching performance. In addition, with the ATM CircuitEmulation Service port adapter, the Cisco 7200 becomes a single platform that can be used byenterprise or service provider customers to support multiservice integration over ATM(including voice, video and data support). This creates increased revenue opportunities,equipment and management cost-savings, administration reductions and rack space savings. Combined with support for dual power and Cisco's Hot Standby Routing Protocol, the Cisco 7200maintains high network availability for minimum downtime and maintenance of revenue-generatingapplications and services.
"By integrating LAN switching into a router, Cisco's new EtherSwitch port adapter significantlyincreases performance and lowers operational costs," said Robert Bowman, director of backboneengineering for Exodus Communications, a leader in Internet data centers providing Internetsystems and network management solutions. "This product will allow Exodus to take IP servicesto a new level of functional integration previously available only from multiple products."
High Performance
The EtherSwitch port adapter integrates high-performance LAN switching into the Cisco 7200 fortighter coupling of Layer-2 functions with Layer-3 services in a single, compact product. Thisallows service providers to support PoP switching between servers and backbone routers withoutthe need for a separate switch. Bundled services including switched-LAN, Internet and voicecan now be offered on a single platform for outsourced-enterprise or customer-premiseapplications. Similarly, enterprise regional or branch offices can now have a single platformto provide multiple functions that previously required separate devices. For example, ahigh-speed LAN switch supporting client-server applications can now be integrated with abackbone router supplying WAN connectivity and Layer-3 services for a more cost-effectivesolution.
"The Cisco 7200 with the EtherSwitch port adapter is the perfect solution for our remote PoPswhere we collocate servers and have limited rack space," said Ed Kern, vice president ofengineering at Digex, Inc., a national Internet carrier. "Smaller ISPs will also benefit fromthe Cisco 7200 by having the ability to dedicate routers for multiple servers."
With 14 switched Ethernet ports, including twelve 10Mbps (10BaseT) Ethernet ports and two10/100Mbps (10BaseT/100BaseTX) Fast Ethernet ports, the EtherSwitch port adapter flexiblysupports local workstation, high-speed server and backbone connections, delivering 435 Mbpsfull-duplex bandwidth for wire-speed switching. All ports on the EtherSwitch port adaptersupport auto-sensing and auto-negotiation for the proper transmission mode (half-duplex orfull-duplex) to provide up to 200Mbps of bandwidth per port. The EtherSwitch port adapter alsosupports up to four virtual local area networks (VLANs), which can be configured withadditional Ethernet, Fast Ethernet or EtherSwitch ports, local or remote. Administrators canthen optimize performance for error-free switching using store-and-forward or cut-throughswitching technology.
"By integrating multiple functions into a single solution, Cisco can now offer privateenterprise and service providers the ability to decrease their operational and management costswhile simplifying network management," said Walt Blomquist, product manager at Cisco Systems,Inc.
Integrated Network Management
As an extension of the Cisco 7200 Web-based network management tool, the EtherSwitch portadapter supports a VLAN configuration tool, which is accessible from the Enterprise NetworkManagement web page. The VLAN configuration tool has a graphical user interface andprovides easy-to-use facilities to simplify network management tasks. The Cisco 7200 networkmanagement tool is completely interoperable with CiscoView, CiscoWorks and command-lineinterface (CLI), delivering consistent management and interoperability across Cisco products.
Cisco Systems
Cisco Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ: CSCO) is theworldwide leader in networking for the Internet. athttp://www.cisco.com.
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