| ANNOUNCING ... Single Mode Fiber (SMF) Support
for Digital's DECconcentrator 500
Author: James Marsh
DTN: 226-5127
Mailstop: LKG2-1/N2
Engineering Contact: James R. Warter, DTN 226-5892
(HIGHLIGHT BOX)
===================================================================
| |
| o Provides direct, single-mode fiber connection to |
| DECconcentrator 500, the building block of Digital's award- |
| winning FDDI system products |
| |
| o Increases distances between adjacent FDDI stations from |
| 2 kilometers to 40 kilometers |
| |
| o Uses laser technology, telco-standardized single-mode fiber |
| fiber media and common single-mode FC-PC connectors |
| |
| o Cost-effective implementation, which makes use of existing |
| Digital FDDI platform and augments existing FDDI products |
| |
| o Manageability consistent with current Digital FDDI solution |
| |
| o Complies with X3T9.5 standard for single-mode PMD |
| |
| o U.S. availability - February, 1991 |
| |
===================================================================
INTRODUCTION
Digital's Fiber Distributed Data Interface product set was announced at
DECworld, in July 1990. This month, LAN Magazine selected Digital's
FDDI system collectively as Product of the Year for 1990.
This Single-Mode Fiber capability will give Digital a distinct advan-
tage in providing more comprehensive FDDI solutions.
PRODUCT DESCRIPTION
DECconcentrator 500 Platform and Single Mode Fiber
--------------------------------------------------
Digital is providing multiple variations of FDDI Management and Port
Cards to accommodate single-mode fiber (SMF) and afford interstation
links far in excess of the 2kms limit with multimode fiber.
Diagram 1 Single-Mode
Topology
F D D I Backbone
+-------------------+ +-------------------+
Multi | DECconcentrator 1 | Single | DECconcentrator 2 | Multi
========|A B|------------|A B|=========
Mode | M M M M M M M M | Mode | M M M M M M M M | Mode
Link +-------------------+ Link +-------------------+ Link
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
V V V V V V V V <-- 40Kms --> V V V V V V V V
FDDI Maximum Distance | FDDI
Devices | Devices
(Multimode Connectons) | (Multimode
| Connections)
|
+-------------------+ | (40 Kms Maximum
| DECconcentrator 3 | | Interstation Distance)
|A B|---+
| M M M M M M M M |
+-------------------+
| | | | | | | |
V V V V V V V V
FDDI
Devices
Diagram 1 depicts the use of SMF connections in both the backbone
ring and the preferred `treed' concentrator configured as a SAC (Single
Attachment). The connections shown in this example necessitates
Management Cards in each concentrator. Concentrator 1 has a Manage-
ment card equipped with a multimode transceiver in port A and a single
mode transceiver in Port B. Concentrator 2's Mangement Card is con-
figured in the opposite manner, with single mode transceiver in Port
A and multimode optics in Port B.
Concentrator 2 is also shown using a fully-populated Port Card,
equipped with two multimode and two single mode transceivers. With
this facility, the device can accommodate both short (2Kms) links and
longer distance links (up to 40 Kms) for single attachments to other
FDDI devices in the same ring. Concentrator 3 is so connected.
Although not shown in this simple illustration, SMF connections may
be used to provide long-distance dual-homing links. This is important
in `treed' or radial topologies where customers need absolute network
link or device fault tolerance.
DECconcentrator 500 Single Mode Cards
-------------------------------------
Single mode optics, used in both Management and Port Cards for the
DECconcentrator 500, provide larger optical loss budget than ANSI standard
Cards. SMF Cards are equipped with optical laser drivers, designed
to make use of the superior transmission properties of single mode
fiber.
In mixed topologies, SMF and multimode devices will interoperate as would
a topology that was entirely multimode. The loss budget associated with 9
micron SMF is 22db, as opposed to the 11db loss budget for graded index,
62.5 micron multimode fiber. And instead of MIC or ST connectors, SMF
makes use of FC-PC connectors.
o Single-mode transceivers are transmit and receive pairs of
optics that have higher power budgets than ANSI standard LED
optics, as noted above.
o Using SMF, the achievable interstation distances can be 40
kilometers, provided the optical power loss budget of
22 db is met.
o Use of SMF will provide greater flexibility in configuring
large-scale campus, corporate or research networks.
o Customers have the advantage of using both multimode and
single mode optics in the same device, allowing the most
cost-effective implementations, simple upgrade, and consis-
consistent management for the DECconcentrator 500.
FEATURES/BENEFITS
Features Benefits
-------- --------
- SMF incorporated within - Simple, clean implementation
DECconcentrator 500, using - Management provided for SMF Ports
ANSI standard technology and interconnections as with any
other media option to this platform
- Assured interoperability with other
devices
- Laser optics support in - Larger loss budget
DECcncentrator 500 Greater distances between stations
can be supported
- Modular Card implementation - Replacement Management and Port
Cards
- Varied configuration options
- Ease of installation, maintenance
- Accomodation of prompt network
reconfigurations, moves, adds, etc.
COMPETITIVE COMPARISON
Currently, the only solutions avaiable in the market today are
in the form of Single-Mode/Multimode Converters. These are not
FDDI stations acting as repeaters, but are simply physical conversion
devices, "Black Boxes", intervening on a given link. As such, they
are completely invisible to the network manager.
WHERE WE WIN AGAINST THE COMPETITION
The new SMF options for the DECconcentrator 500 offer customers the
ability to extend the reach of FDDI beyond the confines formerly
allowed by the ANSI standard. No other vendor offers an integrated,
MANAGEABLE single-mode solution. Digital is introducing SMF solutions
just as the standrd for SMF is completed and approved.
The SMF options point out the advantage of using concentrators as
building blocks in FDDI networks. Moreover, the modular design of
the DECconcentrator easily accommodates alternative media, of which
SMF is simply the first.
Customers who are carefully educated on FDDI and Digital's FDDI
product set will readily understand the advantages inherent in our
product designs. Moreover, they will correctly perceive Digital as
the vendor with the most extensive product set, optics expertise, and
leadership in the rapidly-expanding FDDI marketplace.
PRICING/ORDERING INFORMATION
All items listed below are available both as Factory-Installed (-A) or
Field-Installed (-F) units.
U.S. Discount
Model No. Description List Price E/U OEM BMC Install
--------- ----------- ---------- --- --- --- -------
Factory Installed
DEFCN-CA DECconcentrator 500 $ 12,000 3 X $190 n/a
SMF Management Card,
with a SMF transciever
on Port A and multimode
transceiver on Port B
DEFCN-DA DECconcentrator 500 $ 12,000 3 X $190 n/a
SMF Management Card
with one multimode
transceiver at Port
A and one SMF trans-
ceiver at Port B
DEFCN-EA DECconcentrator 500 $ 16,500 3 X $261 n/a
SMF Management Card
with SMF transceivers
on both Port A and
Port B
DEFCN-FA DECconcentrator 500 $ 16,500 3 X $261 n/a
SMF Port Card, with
2 SMF and two multi-
mode transceivers.
Field Installed
DEFCN-CF DECconcentrator 500 $ 12,000 3 X $190 $785
SMF Management Card,
with a SMF transciever
on Port A and multimode
transceiver on Port B
DEFCN-DF DECconcentrator 500 $ 12,000 3 X $190 $785
SMF Management Card
with one multimode
transceiver at Port
A and one SMF trans-
ceiver at Port B
DEFCN-EF DECconcentrator 500 $ 16,500 3 X $261 $785
SMF Management Card
with SMF transceivers
on both Port A and
Port B
DEFCN-FF DECconcentrator 500 $ 16,500 3 X $261 $785
SMF Port Card, with
2 SMF and two multi-
mode transceivers.
Customers should be made aware that there are stringent
guidelines for the use of single mode fiber, having to do with
cable plant characteristics (loss budgets, distance considera-
tions, etc.), jumper cable assemblies, couplers and connectors,
inline loss elements, etc. Digital NWSS and Customer Services
can assist with these technical considerations, as well as
acquisition of parts and recommended suppliers.
AVAILABILITY
February, 1991
LIST OF RESOURCES
The DECconcentrator 500 Installation Manual and the companion Problem
Solving Guide are being updated to include references to Single Mode
Optics. These will be available from Northboro in February.
REFERENCES
- Competitive Sales Update/Special Issue, July 5, 1990, volume 22 Special No.1,
"Announcing the DECconcentrator 500 - FDDI Hub Solution"
- Competitive Sales Update/Special Issue, July 5, 1990, volume 22 Special No.1,
"Announcing the DECbridge 500 - The High-performance Network Interconnect
Solution"
- Competitive Sales Update/Special Issue, July 5, 1990, volume 22 Special No.1,
"FDDI Competitive Positioning"
- Competitive Sales Update, October 1, 1990, volume 22 No. 7
"Anouncing Enhancements fo Digital's FDDI Products"
|
|
TELECOMMUNICATIONS and NETWORKS
ANNOUNCING TECHNOLOGY DEMONSTRATION ...
Communication Networks `91 Event, January 28 to February 1, 1991
Washington, D.C.
Digital demonstrates FDDI technology over ThinWire(tm) and
Shielded Twisted Pair (STP) media
James Marsh James Warter
DTN: 226-5127 DTN: 226-5892
LKG2-1/N2 LKG2-1/Z3
===============================================================
| |
| o Demonstration will show applications running 100 Mb/sec |
| FDDI over 100 meters of Shielded Twisted Pair (150 ohm) |
| and ThinWire(tm) (50 ohm Coax) media |
| |
| o Support for low-cost media in cabling to the desktop |
| |
| o Potential for significant decrease in cost of FDDI |
| interconnection |
| |
| o Products based on this technology NOT announced |
| |
===============================================================
In response to customer requests, Digital has been working on solutions
which would allow customers to make use of existing, ThinWire(tm) and/or
Shielded Twisted Pair (STP) cabling in FDDI topologies.
The American National Standards Institute (ANSI) X3T9 Committee is on the
verge of establishing a formal committee, or working group, to develop a
standard for FDDI over Copper.
This technology affects only the Physical Media Dependent (PMD) component
of the ANSI standard, and complies with the existing Physical Protocols
(PHY), Media Access Control (MAC) and Station Management (SMT) sections of
the standard.
Advantages of using FDDI with copper media:
o Support for low-cost media in horizontal, "to the desktop"
applications
o Protection of existing cable plant investments
o Greater flexibility in creating FDDI topologies
o Less expensive FDDI implementations, expanding the use of
existing Digital FDDI platforms
More detailed information on Digital's ongoing research and development
with alternate media can be found in the FDDI Proprietary Information
Disclosure, PID #TAN040.1.
|
|
SALES UPDATE ARTICLE
DEC FDDIcontroller 700 EARLY SHIP PROGRAM
-----------------------------------------
CONTACTS
Karen Burke, DTN 226-7848, LKG
Karen Leonard, DTN 264-8119, MKO
Anand Parikh, DTN 226-7091, LKG
HIGHLIGHTS
o Facilitates shipments of the DEC FDDIcontroller 700 for revenue
between now and the next release of ULTRIX
o Provides selected customers with early delivery of ULTRIX driver
software to support the DEC FDDIcontroller 700
o Includes revenue-quality DEC FDDIcontroller 700 hardware and
field-test ULTRIX software
o Enables customers to connect DECstation 5000 Model 200 and
DECsystem 5000 Model 200 workstations and servers to a 100 Mb/s
FDDI network today
PROGRAM DESCRIPTION
The DEC FDDIcontroller 700 is a high-performance, low-cost, compact device
that connects DECstation/DECsystem 5000 Model 200 workstations and servers
to a 100 Mb/s FDDI network. (Refer to the Competitive Sales Update Special
Issue Vol. 22 No. 1, dated July 5, 1990 for additional information on the
DEC FDDIcontroller 700.)
The hardware and the ULTRIX device driver for the DEC FDDIcontroller 700 is
currently available for shipment. However, the ULTRIX device driver will
not be officially released until late Spring 1991, with the next version of
the ULTRIX operating system. In order to begin filling customer orders for
the DEC FDDIcontroller 700, an Early Ship Program has been established.
This program will facilitate shipments of the DEC FDDIcontroller 700 to
customers between now and the next ULTRIX release.
The DEC FDDIcontroller 700 Early Ship Program began in December 1990 with
shipments to selected customers with orders in place. This program will be
offered to a limited number of customers, within a prioritized order queue,
and will be in effect until the next release of ULTRIX in late spring.
Under this program, customers with valid DECnumber orders will receive:
- Production quality DEC FDDIcontroller 700 hardware for revenue against
the DECnumber order
- An ULTRIX operating system kit (including the device driver) under a
field test license agreement.
FOR INTERNAL USE ONLY
When the next version of ULTRIX is released, customers under software
contract will be automatically updated with the released software. Customers
without a software contract will be asked to return or destroy the field
test version of the software, and purchase the released version under
standard terms and conditions.
PRICING/ORDERING INFORMATION
Model No. Description U.S. List Std.
DEFZA-AA DEC FDDIcontroller 700 $6,000 $6,492
NOTE: There is no need to order ULTRIX software. The early release ULTRIX
software kit will automatically be included with the DEFZA shipment.
Be sure that your customer's order includes the appropriate cable to connect
the DEC FDDIcontroller 700 to the FDDI network. Consult your price book for
price changes.
1. To connect the controller directly to a DECconcentrator 500 with a
DEFCN-N card, order the BN24D-** FDDI duplex cable with a MIC connector
on one end and a pair of ST connectors on the other end.
Model No. Description Price
BN24D-01 1 meter $173
BN24D-03 3 meters 184
BN24D-4E 4.5 meters 189
BN24D-10 10 meters 205
BN24D-20 20 meters 247
BN24D-30 30 meters 289
2. To connect the controller either to a patch panel with ST connectors or
to a DECconcentrator 500 with DEFCN-L card, order the BN24E-** cable
that has a pair of ST connectors on each end.
Model No. Description Price
BN24E-01 1 meter $137
BN24E-03 3 meters 147
BN24E-4E 4.5 meters 158
BN24E-10 10 meters 173
BN24E-20 20 meters 205
BN24E-30 30 meters 241
For more information, contact Karen Burke (DTN 226-7091), Karen Leonard
(DTN 264-8119) or Anand Parikh (DTN 226-7091) who are managing the
Early Ship Program. Send mail to DELNI::KBURKE, FROSTY::LEONARD or
DELNI::PARIKH.
ORDER FULFILLMENT PROCESS
All customer orders will be prioritized based on several factors, such as
the size of the order, the impact on other Digital business, local support
capability, and so on. Only valid DECnumber orders for the DEC
FDDIcontroller 700 will be considered.
FOR INTERNAL USE ONLY
You can facilitate your customer's DEC FDDIcontroller 700 order by providing
answers to the following questions to help us prioritize the shipment
schedule for the Early Ship Program.
1. How many DEC FDDIcontroller 700 units has your customer ordered? What
is the DECnumber for the order?
2. What is the total value of the DECnumber order? What are some other
items on the order?
3. When are the DEC FDDIcontroller 700 devices ** absolutely ** required?
Can they arrive in a staggered fashion (e.g., 6 in February, 12 in March
or April)?
4. How many ULTRIX software kits are required to satisfy this order (i.e.,
are the controllers all going to one department which will need only one
software kit, or are they going to different and separate
departments/locations)? NOTE: We expect only one focal point per site
for support and problem reporting purposes.
5. Does the customer have an ULTRIX service contract? (It will be
easier to upgrade the customer from the field test version of the ULTRIX
software to the released version if they have a service contract.)
6. Will the customer be satisfied with a field test version of ULTRIX
software until May? Note that although the software will be field
test quality software, the customer will not be expected to act as an
official field test site in terms of testing the software.
7. Does your office have adequately trained support capability for the
DEC FDDIcontroller 700?
8. Provide customer's name, a contact name, telephone number, complete
ship-to street address for the customer.
After your customer has placed an order for the DEC FDDIcontroller 700, send
answers to these questions to DELNI::KBURKE to ensure your customer's
place in the Early Ship Program queue.
SALES SUPPORT INFORMATION
Refer to Competitive Sales Update Special Issue, Vol. 22 No. 1, dated July
5, 1990 for specific product support information. The DEC FDDIcontroller
700 occupies one TURBOchannel slot in the DECstation 5000 Model 200 or the
DECsystem 5000 Model 200.
Since the hardware shipped under this program is production quality
hardware, it will be supported via Customer Services under normal channels.
Field support training, held in December, was videotaped. Tapes of the
session may be ordered through Educational Services AFTER January 22, 1991.
(NOTE: Orders placed prior to that date will not be accepted.)
FOR INTERNAL USE ONLY
Order Numbers are as follows:
o EY-8963E-UM for UMatic 3/4" Tapes
o EY-8963E-VH for VHS 1/2" Tapes
To order tapes from BKO, send mail to: MAILPO @BKO from ALL-IN-1, or
ESMAIL::MAILPO from VAXmail
Include the following information in your order:
Video Part Number: Title: One Set:
Date: From: Phone Number:
Ship To: (Full Address): Ship To Cost Center: Mailstop:
Ship To Attention: Cost Center To Be Charged: Ship Via:
Date Needed:
SPECIAL SUPPORT NOTE
Since the ULTRIX software will NOT be an officially released kit, it will
NOT be supported by the normal channels. Support will be provided by an EIS
group in MKO. Customers will be provided with a telephone number for
logging problems and soliciting help.
FOR INTERNAL USE ONLY
|