Recently I was at a party talking with a guy who wore a shirt that boldly stated:
Chicks dig UNIX. Although we talked for some time, I noticed that he was, in fact, not
really attracting the "chicks." Could his T-shirt be wrong? Could UNIX not be
the social lubricant he fancied it was? And then it hit me.
He was so close, and yet, he didn’t realize his subtle error— his sin of
omission, so to speak. A simple adjustment —which I deftly executed with an adhesive
name-tag and a marker —and soon he was the life of the party. The truth is all about
precision, and the truth is: Chicks dig Linux.
And so it would seem do equipment vendors, investors, analysts, and yes, even editors.
Linux has undeniable sex appeal. But does it perform?
In an effort to find out, I first decided to ignore the recent spate of IPOs. Call me
skeptical, but I get the feeling that if I were to take my old vinyl record collection
public with a whiz-bang name preceded by an "e" I’d make a fortune.
However, I do pay attention when a significant portion of a given community begins
altering their way of doing things to accommodate a new initiative. And that is exactly
what is happening with telecom and Linux.
When, even after having heard some vendors express doubts and uncertainty, I began to
see company after company announcing Linux support, Linux ports, and products that are
completely Linux-based from the ground up, I knew that this was more than a trend.
In the enabling technologies space, there have been multiple announcements in the past
several months involving manufacturers supporting Linux in some way or another. Take, for
example, Force Computers’ demonstration of Linux-based multiprocessing this past
September. Although the process actually running on the system involved gaming rather than
telecom, the event demonstrated the combination of CompactPCI, Linux, and TCP/IP on a
Pentium II platform.
Around the same time, Cygnus Solutions announced its EL/IX API, which was designed to
help avoid fragmentation in the Linux kernel for embedded development. While some industry
players questioned the need for standards in the Linux embedded world, Cygnus’s step
represents a concern for scalability and portability that signals Linux’s arrival in
the high-availability and mission-critical type applications, such as telecom. It is clear
that Linux and Linux developers intend to play a major role in the post-PC marketplace.
You can hardly open up a computing magazine these days without reading about Linux in
some form. As the news this month will demonstrate, a wide range of manufacturers are now
supporting Linux in their products— even those vendors who hadn’t really
expected to. This is a demand-driven phenomenon, and it’s difficult to argue with
demand.
Enabling Technologies
MiTAC Launches Into Server Market
With the release of its MiXpress Server Series, MiTAC Industrial has entered the server
market with a new fail-safe line of ruggedized, high-performance servers. The MiXpress
Server Series is designed for use by ISPs and in CTI applications, where reliability,
uptime, and redundancy are of the utmost importance. The first line in the series will be
19” rackmountable 1U, 2U, 5U, and 7U servers, which will be fully configurable to
meet user needs.
No. 500, comsolmag.com/freeinfo
RADCOM Enhances WireSpeed Protocol Analyzer
RADCOM’s new software version 2.60 of its WireSpeed Packet Over SONET/SDH (POS)
protocol analyzer included significant enhancements for the service provider and carrier
market. The new version includes online analysis, PPP link negotiation, wire speed
generation capabilities, and supports over 350 protocols, including top layer protocols
such as H.323, MPLS, and SIP. WireSpeed allows for remote access via a LAN or a dial-up
connection, and it supports Windows, Linux, and Solaris platforms. Finally, the same
WireSpeed hardware allows for testing of both ATM and POS, which is ideal for network
managers in charge of both styles of networks. Version 2.60 is available now, and current
RADCOM customers can receive the upgrade free of charge.
No. 501, www.comsolmag.com/freeinfo
National Tech Systems Intros Linux Test Suite
National Technical Systems has announced the release of its Linux Test Suite for
validating Linux operating systems ported to hardware platforms. National Tech provides
quality and conformance testing and managed services for telecom, IT, and other
industries, and according to executive VP William McGinnis, they have “seen a strong
demand from current customers for conformance testing procedures to ensure
compatibility” of Linux-based platforms. The Linux Test Suite protocol covers key
components and server modules, including TCP/IP, SMTP, POP3, FTP, and a variety of ISA and
PCI peripherals, as well as Apache, Samba, and PPP/SLIP.
No. 502, www.comsolmag.com/freeinfo
Netcom Systems USB SmartCard Measures Broadband Access Devices
Netcom Systems’ ML-5710A SmartCard provides the industry with end-to-end performance
measurement, including latency, latency variation, and throughput of USB DOCSIS cable
modems, for broadband access devices. The ML-5710A implements flow-based traffic
generation while performing SmartMetrics test functions such as sequence tracking, latency
over time, ARP exchange time, and frame variation. The ML-5710A is available immediately
at a U.S. list price of $1,995.
No. 503, www.comsolmag.com/freeinfo
I-Bus Announces TR4C Enclosure
I-Bus has announced their TR4C, a fully self-contained, 4U cassette enclosure that
measures only 4.4” wide. Allowing the equivalent of one PC for every rack unit, the
TR4C makes it possible to fit four individual computer systems in a single 4U rack space,
each of which can handle a single-board computer and three applications cards. The TR4C
incorporates a single 130-watt power supply, front-accessible floppy and CD-ROM drives,
and four LEDs and a buzzer for monitoring the hard drive, fans, and temperature.
No. 504, www.comsolmag.com/freeinfo
Compex Unveils 64-Bit Fast Ethernet Card
Compex’s new FL6400, 64-bit Fast Ethernet card utilizes four Intel 21143 Fast
Ethernet controllers sitting on the secondary PCI bus to form up to four 10/100 ports. The
secondary PCI bus is created with an Intel 21153-AC PCI-PCI bridge chip, and the
FL6400’s interface to the bus automatically adjusts to 32 or 64 bit, depending on the
type of PCI bus it sits on. It is also compatible with the PCI2.1 specifications. Standard
Intel/Digital 21143 drivers can be used to configure the FL6400 for 4-port mode, fail-safe
mode, alternative active port mode, or IRQ routing mode. Additionally, a port-trunking
feature groups the four 10/100Base-TX Ethernet ports together to provide up to 400 Mbps
bandwidth for the server-to-switch network traffic. Bandwidth remains at 100Mbps for
switch-to-server.
No. 505, www.comsolmag.com/freeinfo
Free RADVision NGK-100 Gatekeeper Promotion
RADVision has announced a free promotion of its NGK-100 gatekeeper application. The
NGK-100 is ITU-T H.323 Version 2 compliant and runs on a Windows NT server. The
promotional version of NGK-100 includes the full capabilities of the commercially
available NGK-100, including functionality for defining and controlling how voice and
video traffic is managed over IP networks, inter-zone security mechanisms for controlling
calling activity between network zones, and support for two users and two calls.
No. 506, www.comsolmag.com/freeinfo
RadiSys Pentium III 500 MHz SBC Available
RadiSys’s latest single board computer (SBC), the PB3000BX-SVE, is built around
Intel’s new 500MHz Mobile Pentium III processor and 0.18 micron technology. The new
processor will increase the SBC’s speed, power, and performance for OEM designs for
embedded, telecom, and Internet applications. The PB3000BX-SVE features dual channel
Ultra2 SCSI, AGP video 4MB VRAM, 10/100BaseTx Ethernet, and dual EIDE. Also included are
4MB Flash memory, up to 512MB SDRAM, PS/2 keyboard and mouse connections, 2 USB ports, and
an Intelligent Platform Management Interface (IPMI). The PB3000BX-SVE is currently
available from RadiSys.
No. 507, www.comsolmag.com/freeinfo
Allied Telesyn Announces Gigabit NIC
Allied Telesyn’s AT-2970 network interface card (NIC) is the first in Allied’s
Gigabit Ethernet family, providing true 64-bit throughput and a dual-cycle mode for
compatibility with 32-bit systems. The AT-2970’s ASIC enables the adapter to support
64-bit throughput between the Gigabit MAC interface and the PCI bus, ensuring
compatibility and performance while reducing CPU utilization. Additionally, the AT-2970 is
designed to be reliable, and the dual-port version supports redundant server systems
— if one segment goes down, the adapter redirects itself and the network traffic
through a second segment.
No. 508, www.comsolmag.com/freeinfo
Inverness MPC8260 Device Driver For OEMs
Inverness Systems has announced their MPC8260 Device Driver Source Code Solution which
supports the Motorola MPC8260 PowerQUICC II processor and provides all low-level tasks in
an accessible driver package. The driver package allows OEMs to focus on their own
development and value-added features while decreasing time-to-market. The Inverness device
driver seamlessly integrates with Inverness’s Source Code Solutions for ATM, frame
relay, MPLS, and IP routing and tunneling protocols. Inverness also offers pre-ported
support for VxWorks, pSOSystem, Nucleus, and OSE, and will provide tools to port the
solution to any other real-time OS on the market.
No. 509, www.comsolmag.com/freeinfo
General DataComm LCE-16 Protects Investments In Legacy Systems
General DataComm Industries has announced the LCE-16 module for GDC APEX multiplexers and
switches. The LCE-16 module connect hundreds of low-speed data circuits into the broadband
environment in a single, standards-based format. It is compatible with all GDC APEX
switches, it requires only a software upgrade, and it is designed to operate in all major
telecom markets. The LCE-16 allows manufacturers, service providers, and others to protect
their investment in existing infrastructure while simplifying the process of migrating to
packet-based networks. Network operators can better meet customer demands for low- and
high-speed circuits by tuning the delay and bandwidth characteristics of each discrete
circuit. The LCE-16 will be available during the first quarter of 2000.
No. 510, www.comsolmag.com/freeinfo
SBS Intros Alarm Monitoring Panel And Interface Card
SBS Technologies introduced the Model ALM-200 environmental status monitor and user
interface panel for control of up to four systems and power segments. The ALM-200 monitors
fan speed, internal temperature, backplane input voltage, power supplies, and the watchdog
timer. It can be connected to standard, non-power segmented backplanes with SBS’s
Model ALM-ISA-01 interface card. The ALM-ISA-01 allows software access to ALM-200 alarm
data within systems that don’t require a power-segmented backplane, and the
combination of monitor panel and interface card are ideal for mission-critical
applications such as telecommunications, industrial manufacturing, and remote data
acquisition.
No. 511, www.comsolmag.com/freeinfo
Performance Tech Adds Linux To WAN Offerings
Performance Technologies provides connectivity solutions for both telecom and datacom, and
they have announced that they will be supporting Linux in their Wide Area Network (WAN)
protocol software offerings. In doing this, Performance Technologies is recognizing the
appeal of Linux as a cost-effective, flexible operating system for various communications
applications. OEMs and designers of advanced telecommunications solutions will now be able
to use Linux, along with the already supported Solaris, Windows NT, and VxWorks.
No.512, www.comsolmag.com/freeinfo
Franklin Telecom Announces Open Source Linux Driver
Franklin Telecom has announced the availability of a T1 line interface card — the
ICT1 — with an open source Linux driver. The ICT1 supports the MVIP bus as well as a
variety of VoIP applications, including Internet PBXs, gateways, servers, and more.
Systems integrators and developers will be able to acquire the ICT1 from Franklin
immediately, and may also be interested to know that all of Franklin’s VoIP products
are Linux based. "We haven’t needed to add Linux compatibility — it was
designed in from the beginning,” said Franklin’s CEO, Frank Peters.
No. 513, www.comsolmag.com/freeinfo
eShare Supports Linux
eShare has announced its support for the Linux operating system. In response to the
increasing popularity of Linux among corporate IT departments, Bradley Birnbaum, CTO, says
that eShare has “recognized the incredible potential of Linux… and has since
been implementing the Linux platform into its suite of Web-based communication
solutions.” In keeping with our cover theme, this is another example of companies
seeking to “close the gap” between product offerings and what their customers
are demanding.
No. 514, www.comsolmag.com/freeinfo
GlobeSpan Delivers Multimode Symmetric DSL Chipset
GlobeSpan has released their multimode symmetric DSL chipset platform, which supports all
current and proposed DSL standards, including HDSL, HDSL2, and SHDSL. The programmability
of the chipset allows a single equipment designer to support all these standards and to
preserve and upgrade functionality as the industry standards evolve. The new chipset and
reference design are available now in OEM volumes.
No. 515, www.comsolmag.com/freeinfo
RadiSys Will Support Linux For Intel Platforms
RadiSys has announced that it will be offering Linux support and availability for the
EPC-204 Pentium-II based CompactPCI CPU, which is designed for telephony applications.
RadiSys cites Linux’s growing momentum in the telecom industry as a reason for this
most recent support announcement. “More and more…customers in the telecom and
datacom markets are starting to select system components that utilize Linux OS,” said
Arif Kareem, VP and general manager, RadiSys.
No. 516, www.comsolmag.com/freeinfo |
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