California Educational Data Processing Association
	The DataBus - Vol. 37, No. 6 October-November, 1997

Sue Mangiapane, Cisco Systems, Inc.

Cisco Systems, Inc. recently announced a 50- percent price reduction on its Catalyst 1900/2820 high-performance Ethernet switches that will enable schools to affordably transition from basic hub connectivity to intelligent switching technology. In a related announcement, Cisco also disclosed a new line of Ethernet workgroup switches, the Cisco Catalyst 1900 and 2820 Enterprise Edition, targeted toward enterprise workgroup environments. New prices for the existing Cisco Catalyst 1900 switch start at a U.S. list price of $74 per port. The new Cisco Catalyst 1900 and 2820 Enterprise Edition switches provide enhanced performance and scalability starting at a U.S. list price of $99 per port. New features will include Fast EtherChannel( links, Inter-Switch Link (ISL) virtual LANs , multiple ATM emulated LANs, and Web-based management and enhanced security. "This is significant news," said Tam Dell'Oro, principal anaylst and founder of the Dell'Oro Group. "Cisco is clearly committed to making Ethernet switching an affordable choice for everyone."

With new affordable pricing in place, schools can begin taking advantage of switched Ethernet solutions to the desktop. The Catalyst 1900 switch provides 12 or 24 switched Ethernet ports, 2 Fast Ethernet links and 1 Ethernet AUI port. The Catalyst 1900 is designed to provide dedicated 10-Mbps connections to desktop users and high-performance connectivity between hub-based workgroups. The Catalyst 2820 switch provides 24 switched Ethernet ports, 1 Ethernet AUI port and 2 modular slots, which can support a combination of single or multiport Fast Ethernet, Fiber Distributed Data Interface (FDDI), and ATM interfaces. The Catalyst 2820 is designed for Ethernet workgroups and individual users who need increased performance and flexible, high-bandwidth connections to servers and network backbones. Both switches utilize embedded Cisco IOS(TM) technologies for network management and interoperability. At these new lower prices, many schools will now find that high performance Cisco switched Ethernet solutions cost no more than many traditional shared-media networks.

The new Catalyst 1900/2820 Enterprise Edition switches announced separately include all the features of the existing Catalyst 1900/2820 switches in the same configurations. In addition to connecting local workgroups, however, the Enterprise Edition switches are designed to extend and expand those connections into larger end-to-end networks. The Catalyst Enterprise Edition switches rely on new customer application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs) to offer outstanding performance and Cisco IOS technologies to deliver bandwidth optimization, networked multimedia and comprehensive management and security.

In an additional announcement, Cisco announced The Catalyst 2926 switch (24-port fixed 10/100 autosensing & autoconfiguring) with optional 100Tx or 100FX uplinks. Optimized for the wiring closet, but beneficial in large and small networks, the 2926 delivers flexibility, high perfomance, more features for less. The Catalyst 2926 is winning immediate recognition for its high degree of system compatibility with Cisco's other Catalyst family switches, and competitive superiority. "Cisco commands the leadership position in the high-end modular Ethernet market because they are consistently bringing down the price curve and maximizing port densities," said Tam Dell'Oro, "This raises the bar for the competition and further fortifies Cisco's position in the 10/100 switching market."

The Catalyst 1900 and 2820 switches are available today at Education prices of $1046.50 for the Catalyst 1912 12-port version and $1,396.50/$1746.50 for the 24-port version. The 24-port Catalyst 2820 has an Education price starting at $1,396.50. The Catalyst 1900 series Enterprise Edition switches are also available today at Education prices of $1,536.50/$1,886.50 for the 12-port version. The Catalyst 2820 Enterprise Edition switch will be available in December 1997 with a U.S. list prices at $1,886.50/$2,236.50. The Catalyst 2926, 24 port 10/100 TX Uplink Version, has an Education price of $9,796.50 and the Catalyst 2926F, 24 port 10/100, FX Uplink Version, $10,496.50, Two new line cards for the Catalyst 5000 and 5500 include , WS-X5012, 48 port 10BT at list $7,495, and WS-X5224, 24 port 10/100 card at list $9,995.

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