Communications Processors: Comparison Columns
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Datapro Reports on C13-010-301 clalapft)" Data Communications Processors ( Communications Processors: Comparison Columns In this report: Synopsis Vendors .................... -302 Editor's Note The vendors furnished information For information on the communica for the columns during January and Comparison tions processor market, see "Com February 1991. When a vendor did Columns .................... -305 munications Processors: Market not provide information for a spe Overview"; for information on com cific entry, and we could not locate munications processor technology, that information in our files, we have see "Communications Processors: listed "Vendor did not specify" on Technology Overview." To assist the appropriate line. Datapro wishes readers in researching the communi to thank the vendors for their coop cations processor market, this report eration. ( contains comparison columns listing the principal characteristk. ilf 65 In addition to the lines allocated for products offered by 28 vendors. vendors to indicate specified infor mation for their models, we have In the Comparison Column Entry added space at the bottom of the col Descriptions, we have briefly de umns for vendor notations about scribed and defined the characteris options or special features of their tics featured in the columns. We products. suggest that the reader become famil iar with the descriptions of the en The absence of any company or tries before reading the columns. product from these columns means that the company either failed to re spond to our repeated requests for information or declined to be part of the survey. ( CI 1991 McGraw-HIli, Inccrporated. Reproduction Prohibited. MAY 1991 Datapro ResaarOO Group. Delran NJ 08075 USA C13-010-302 Communications Datapro Reports on Processors: Data Communications Processors Comparison Columns Encore Computer 6901 W. Sunrise Boulevard Fort Lauderdale, FL33340-9148 (305) 587-2900 International Business Machines Corp. (IBM.) Vendors Old Orchard Road Armonk, NY 10504 Contact your local IBM representative. Lemcom Systems, Inc. 2104 W. Peoria Avenue Phoenix, AZ 85029 (602) 944-1543 Amdahl Communications Micom Communications Corp. 1250 E. Arques Avenue, MS: 276 4100 Los Angeles Avenue Sunnyvale, CA 94088 (408) 746-6000, (800) 233-8489 Simi Valley, CA 93063-8100 (805) 583-8600 Apertus Technologies Morning Star Technologies 7275 Flying Cloud Drive 1760 Zollinger Road Eden Prairie, MN 55344 (612) 828-0300 Columbus, OH 43221 (614) 451-1883, (800) 558-7827 Bull HN Information Systems, Inc. NCR Technology Park, 2 Wall Street 2700 Snelling Avenue N. Billerica, MA 01821-4199 (508) 294-7000 St. Paul, MN 55113 (612) 638-7777 Carse, Woodworth and Associates Int'l. Netlink, Inc. 15750 Winchester Boulevard, Suite 104 3214 Spring Forest Road Los Gatos, CA 95030 (408) 395-2000 Raleigh, NC 27604 (919) 878-8612, (800) 638-5465 Commtex Inc. Periphonics Corp. 1655 Crofton Boulevard 4000 Veterans Highway Crofton, MD 21114-1341 (301) 721-3666 Bohemia, NY 11716 (516) 467-0500 Computer Communications, Inc. Simpact Associates, Inc. 2610 Columbia Street 9210 Sky Park Court Torrance, CA 90503 (213) 320-9101, (800) 421-1178 San Diego, CA 92123-4302 (619) 565-1865, (800) 448-4188 Computer Designed Systems Systech Corp. 14050 21st Avenue N. 6465 Nancy Ridge Drive Minneapolis, MN 55447 (612) 553-2042 San Diego, CA 92121 (619) 453-8970 Computer Logics Ltd. Thomas Engineering Co. 31200 Carter Street 2440 Stanwell Drive Solon, OH 44139 (216) 349-8600, (800) 354-059 Concord, CA 94520 (415) 680-8640, (800) 832-8649 Computer Network Technology Corp. TIL Systems, Inc. 6655 Wedgwood Road 225 Stedman Street, Suite 27 Maple Grove, MN 55369 (612) 420-4466, (800) 638-8324 Lowell, MA 01851 (508) 970-1189, (800) 752-1736 Computerm Corp. Tri-Data Corp. 100 Wood Street 3270 Scott Boulevard Pittsburgh, PA 15222 (412) 391-7804, (800) 873-0303 Santa Clara, CA 95054 (408) 727-3270, (800) 874-3282 Concurrent Computer Corp. Unisys Corp. 106 Apple Street P.O. Box 500 Tinton Falls, NJ 07724 (908) 758-7000,(800) 631-2154 Blue Bell, PA 19424 (215) 986-4011 Control Data Corp. Computer Products Div. 8100 34th Avenue S., P.O. Box 0 Minneapolis, MN 55440 (612) 853-8100 Emulex Corp. 3545 Harbor Boulevard, P.O. Box 6725 Costa Mesa, CA 92626 (714) 662-5600, (800) 854-7112 MAY 1991 @ 1991 McGraw-Hili, Incorporated. Reproduction Prohibited. Datapro Reaearch Group. Delran NJ 08075 USA Datapro Reports on Communications C13-010-303 Data Communications Processors: Comparison Columns Processors ( can support distributed information channels. De- applications. multiplexing restores the Communications datastream to its original Network Architecture number of channels. Processors Compliance. Some com- munications processors Terminal-Initiated Appli- Comparison Column function exclusively within cation Switching. This their vendors' network entry indicates that the Entry Descriptions architectures; others sup- processor, at the termi- port open architectures nal's request, supports such as X.25. If a proces- the selection of applica- Computer Systems PU Type 1, PU Type 2, PU sor supports no network tions within a session be- Interfaced Type 4, and PU Type 5. architecture, it may be a tween an attached Manufacturer/Models. If Remote Line Con centra- transparent device. terminal and an attached processors serve IBM tor. A "yes" response host. and plug-compatible Native T1 Support. A indicates that the proces- mainframes, the vendor "yes" response indicates Dynamic Line Reconfigu- sor can serve as a line indicated that information that the T1 was pur- ration. Vendors noted if concentrator located re- here. Vendors of proces- chased from a carrier and the processor can switch motely from any host pro- sors operating in open is used on an "as is" ba- a session, without opera- cessor in its network. network architectures sis. tor intervention, from a connection with a failed also listed the computers Max. Hosts Served by Number of T1 Lines Sup- line or component to a interfaced here. One Concentrator. Since ported. Indicates the many concentrators can healthy connection when Direct Attachment of maximum number of T1 serve more than one host, it senses the failure. Host. This entry distin- lines supported as well as vendors noted the maxi- guishes between a front- the number of T1 inter- LAN Connectivity. This mum number here. end processor and a face modules. entry indicates which local area networks (LANs) can network processor, which Host-Independent Net- Communications Line f be connected to the pro- does not connect directly work Processor. Some Capacity cessor. to the host. models can control a net- No. Half-Duplex Lines work based on open ar- Functional Attachable. In half-duplex Interface to Ethernet chitecture without the Characteristics operation, transmission LAN. If the processor can direction of a host com- Front-End Processor. occurs alternately in ei- connect to an Ethernet puter. The front-end processor ther direction, but not in Local Area Network (FEP) intercepts and han- Host Channel Extender. both directions simulta- (LAN), it is noted here. neously. This entry lists dies communications ac- The architectures of some Protocol Conversion. the number of half-duplex tivities for the host. processors enable them Some of the popular to function as host chan- lines attachable to the Max. Hosts Attachable to forms of protocol conver- nel extenders. processor. FEP. In this space, the sion are async to 3270 vendor noted the highest Terminal Controller. The Highest Line Speed Sup- BSC, async to Uniscope, number of hosts that can architectures of some ported (bps). Vendors SDLC to X.25, and async be channel attached to processors enable them filled in line speeds in bits to X.25. per second (bps). the system. to function as terminal Error Control. Some types controllers. Max. Hosts Supported Communications of error control tech- Simultaneously. This en- Store-and-Forward Features/Functions niques are parity checking try notes the highest num- Switching. Some proces- Multiplexing/ with retransmit, parity ber of hosts that can be sors can function as Demultiplexing. Multi- checking, longitudinal re- active at the same time. standalone, store-and- plexing refers to the dundancy check (LRC) forward message switch- division of a transmission and cyclic redundancy PU'Type within Network. ing. facility into two or more check (CRC), and auto- This entry indicates the channels, either by split- matic repeat request physical unit (PU) type Distributed Processing ting the frequency band (ARQ)-cyclic redundancy within the network. These Node. In addition to their into narrower bands or by check (CRC). devices are also known principal networking func- allotting a common chan- ( as Node Types (NTs). The tions, some processors nel to several different most common types are @ 1991 McGraw-Hili, Incorporated. Reproduction Prohibited. MAY 1991 Datapro Research Group. Delran NJ 08075 USA Communications Datapro Reports on C13~010-304 Processors: Data Communications Processors Comparison Columns (~ -, \ j System along with the communi- that support local opera- Network "- Characteristics cations processor's main tors' consoles can also Management/Control Processor Type. Some of memory word size, yields support an operator's Diagnostic Tests Sup- the processors are propri- the level of data trans- console attached over ported. Examples of diag- etary. Other widely used ferred (e.g., byte or communications lines. nostic tests are remote processors are Tymnet; block). and local loopback,