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Conference netcad::hub_mgnt

Title:	DEChub/HUBwatch/PROBEwatch CONFERENCE
Notice:	Firmware -2, Doc -3, Power -4, HW kits -5, firm load -6&7
Moderator:	NETCAD::COLELLADT

Created:	Wed Nov 13 1991
Last Modified:	Fri Jun 06 1997
Last Successful Update:	Fri Jun 06 1997
Number of topics:	4455
Total number of notes:	16761

1484.0. "Cabletron MMAC-Plus & Chipcom Galatica" by DPDMAI::DAVIES (Mark, SCA Area Network Consultant) Tue Sep 27 1994 22:41

    we have an opportunity to compete to wire a new 13 story building.  The
    bid will require ~30 DEChub 900s connected with FDDI and distributing
    both shared and personal Ethernet (PEswitch) to the desktop.  The hubs
    will be connected via fiber and all desktops will have Cat 5 UTP.
    
    The existing competition is as follows:
    
    	1. Cabletron MMAC-PLUS (MMAC-M8FNB)
    
    	2. Chipcom Galatica
    
    All must support FDDI, shared and switched/personal ethernet, SNMP
    management, RMON support, and be ATM Ready.  We have it all and so does
    the competition.
    
    We are also just fighting now to be considered as one of the 3 vendors
    to be in their short list.  They are favoring Cabletron because that is
    what they are buying today.
    
    I have all the info in the world on Synoptics 3000/5000, but little on
    both of the above.  We need to be better, no just as good to win here.
    
    I have made the following assumptions:
    
    1. The DEChub 900 is the only hub of the big 4 hub makers that has 
       technology independent backplane(s).  Is this true when compared to
       the above mentioned competition, ie, do they still bolt in the
       required backplanes as needed and hence you are limited to the
       number of technology channels on the bolt-on backplane?
    
    2. Are we still the hub vendor who has SNMP built into all modules?
       Once again, mainly against the above mentioed competition.
    
    3. Along with #2, do the above mentioned units still require that both
       a Ethernet and FDDI management module be purchased fer hub?
    
    I will need more than this info, but the above will tell us whether we
    are wasting our time on this bid.
    
    Any help here is appreciated.
    
    Thanks,
    
    Mark

T.R Title User Personal
Name Date Lines

1484.1 MMAC-Plus info DPDMAI::DAVIES Mark, SCA Area Network Consultant Tue Oct 04 1994 12:56 106

T.R	Title	User	Personal Name	Date	Lines
1484.1	MMAC-Plus info	DPDMAI::DAVIES	Mark, SCA Area Network Consultant	`Tue Oct 04 1994 12:56`	106
	I found all this via a Cabletron presentation on the MMAC-Plus. The MMAC series is an old line of products which uses old technology. They require a management module to manage each type of technology, ie, ethernet, token ring and FDDI. This means an additional module which will use up a slot in the backplane. These modules costs are as follows: Ethernet $2275-7995 (US) Token Ring $4995 FDDI $10,500 These units is not capable of supporting ATM. the can support 3 ethernets, 2 token rings and 1 FDDI. They make both a 5 slot (MMAC-5FNB) and an 8 slot backplane (MMAC-8FNB). The new, not shipping, MMAC-Plus unit is what Cabletron is using against most competition these days. I have read in the trade rags the the backplane sells for $11,500. I do not know if that includes power supplies. I have heard that the price of the new modules for this unit is high also. Please note that NONE of the old MMAC modules will play in the new MMAC-Plus. This is a true fork-lift upgrade. It has a 14 slot backplane. All cards have built in management, ie, they do not require the management modules as the earlier units did. This unit supports ethernet, token ring and FDDI today, with ATM products and the additional cell switching backplane available in H1CY96. It has 4 variable speed fans, only 3 of which are needed to have maximum cooling, an LCD display and keypad, OBM via ethernet or SLIP/PPP to the front panel. It has N+1 power (up to 8 power supplies), supports battery backup, 48V power input, managed DC-DC converters on each module (I do not know what this means). It has a System Power Bus, a System Management Bus, a Flexible Network Bus (FNB), and Internal Network Bus (INB) and a Cell Transfer Matrix (future). The System Management Bus is made up of SMB-1 (1Mbps bus for low level diagnostics & system control) and SMB-10 (10Mbps for downline loads, redundant path for SMB-1 needs). A "Chassis Manager" is required. Why, I do not know. One module is elected to be the "CM" and the remaining modules are Standby CMs. Reassignment is dynamic if the current CM module fails. The Internal Network Bus (INB) supports both packet and ATM transfer (which makes it a packet bus). It is a dual bus design for fault tolerance, 64 bits wide, 2.5Gbps sustained for each INB channel and supports both isochronous and asynchronous traffic. This appears to be the switching bus. The Flexible Network Bus (FNB) uses ANSI FDDI packet transfer technologies, aggregate bandwidth up to 400 Mbps, Redundant data paths. This appears to be the packet bus. Both INB and FNB modules support ethernet, token ring, FDDI and ATM. Both types of modules support bridging. Only the FNB modules support routing and have RMON services built in. Packet processing performance between 25,000 and 50,000 pps. MODULES Ethernet MicroLAN Module - 9E133-36 Supports three ports, each of which supports 12 ethernet MicroLAN segments. The ports appear to be telco connectors, but image is blurred. This module has a single 100Mbps connection to the FNB. Provides layer 2 bridging and Layer 3 routing, has RMON services per port (how much RMON is unknown). (Sounds like a 36 port ethernet brouter to me.) FDDI MicroLAN Modules - 9F120-08 and 9F122-12 8 port FDDI dual channel concentrator for MMF and SMF. 12 port FDDI dual channel concentrator for STP and UTP. Dual FNB connections. (Big KNOCKOFF. Have to buy different modules when going from copper to fiber media. Also, I assume that they are SAS only, since you have to buy one of the next modules to connect to the outside FDDI ring.) FDDI Repeater Module - 9F106-02 Extends dual backplane FNB to front panel FDDI. Dual attached or dual homed. FPIMs provide media flexibility (mod PMDs?). (Big KNOCKOFF. Have to buy one of these to connect to outside FDDI ring.) FDDI Bridge/Router Module - 9F116-01 Provides layer 2 bridging and layer 3 routing. Single or dual FNB interface. FPIMs provide media flexibility. Supports FDDI MIB (SMT 7.3) and MIB 2. (Same KNOCKOFF as above.) Token Ring MicroLAN Module - 9T122-24 Supports two 12 port token ring MicroLAN segments. Single 100Mbps FNB interface. Provides layer 2 bridging and layer 3 routing, auto beacon recovery, 4/16 Mbps support, RMON services per port. Looks like 24 RJ45 connectors on front panel (blurred a little). ATM Cell Matrix says 60Gbps and available in 1H-96.

  I found all this via a Cabletron presentation on the MMAC-Plus.
    
  The MMAC series is an old line of products which uses old technology.  
  They require a management module to manage each type of technology, ie, 
  ethernet, token ring and FDDI.  This means an additional module which 
  will use up a slot in the backplane.  These modules costs are as follows:
  
  	Ethernet	$2275-7995 (US)
  	Token Ring	$4995	
  	FDDI		$10,500
  
  These units is not capable of supporting ATM.  the can support 3 
  ethernets, 2 token rings and 1 FDDI.  They make both a 5 slot (MMAC-5FNB) 
  and an 8 slot backplane (MMAC-8FNB).
  
  The new, not shipping, MMAC-Plus unit is what Cabletron is using against 
  most competition these days.  I have read in the trade rags the the 
  backplane sells for $11,500.  I do not know if that includes power 
  supplies.  I have heard that the price of the new modules for this unit 
  is high also.  Please note that NONE of the old MMAC modules will play in 
  the new MMAC-Plus.  This is a true fork-lift upgrade.
  
  It has a 14 slot backplane.  All cards have built in management, ie, they 
  do not require the management modules as the earlier units did.  This 
  unit supports ethernet, token ring and FDDI today, with ATM products and 
  the additional cell switching backplane available in H1CY96.  It has 4 
  variable speed fans, only 3 of which are needed to have maximum cooling, 
  an LCD display and keypad, OBM via ethernet or SLIP/PPP to the front 
  panel.  It has N+1 power (up to 8 power supplies), supports battery 
  backup, 48V power input, managed DC-DC converters on each module (I do 
  not know what this means).
  
  It has a System Power Bus, a System Management Bus, a Flexible Network 
  Bus (FNB), and Internal Network Bus (INB) and a Cell Transfer Matrix 
  (future).
  
  The System Management Bus is made up of SMB-1 (1Mbps bus for low level 
  diagnostics & system control) and SMB-10 (10Mbps for downline loads, 
  redundant path for SMB-1 needs).
  
  A "Chassis Manager" is required.  Why, I do not know.  One module is 
  elected to be the "CM" and the remaining modules are Standby CMs.  
  Reassignment is dynamic if the current CM module fails.
  
  The Internal Network Bus (INB) supports both packet and ATM transfer 
  (which makes it a packet bus).  It is a dual bus design for fault 
  tolerance, 64 bits wide, 2.5Gbps sustained for each INB channel and 
  supports both isochronous and asynchronous traffic.  This appears to be 
  the switching bus.
  
  The Flexible Network Bus (FNB) uses ANSI FDDI packet transfer 
  technologies, aggregate bandwidth up to 400 Mbps, Redundant data paths.  
  This appears to be the packet bus.
  
  Both INB and FNB modules support ethernet, token ring, FDDI and ATM.  
  Both types of modules support bridging.  Only the FNB modules support 
  routing and have RMON services built in.  Packet processing performance 
  between 25,000 and 50,000 pps.
  
  MODULES
  
  Ethernet MicroLAN Module - 9E133-36
  
     Supports three ports, each of which supports 12 ethernet MicroLAN 
     segments.  The ports appear to be telco connectors, but image is 
     blurred.  This module has a single 100Mbps connection to the FNB.  
     Provides layer 2 bridging and Layer 3 routing, has RMON services per 
     port (how much RMON is unknown).
  
     (Sounds like a 36 port ethernet brouter to me.)
  
  FDDI MicroLAN Modules - 9F120-08 and 9F122-12
  
     8 port FDDI dual channel concentrator for MMF and SMF.  12 port FDDI 
     dual channel concentrator for STP and UTP.  Dual FNB connections.
  
     (Big KNOCKOFF.  Have to buy different modules when going from copper to 
     fiber media.  Also, I assume that they are SAS only, since you have to 
     buy one of the next modules to connect to the outside FDDI ring.)
  
  FDDI Repeater Module - 9F106-02
  
     Extends dual backplane FNB to front panel FDDI.  Dual attached or dual 
     homed.  FPIMs provide media flexibility (mod PMDs?).
  
     (Big KNOCKOFF.  Have to buy one of these to connect to outside FDDI 
     ring.)
  
  FDDI Bridge/Router Module - 9F116-01
  
     Provides layer 2 bridging and layer 3 routing.  Single or dual FNB 
     interface.  FPIMs provide media flexibility.  Supports FDDI MIB (SMT 
     7.3) and MIB 2.
  
     (Same KNOCKOFF as above.)
  
  Token Ring MicroLAN Module - 9T122-24
  
     Supports two 12 port token ring MicroLAN segments.  Single 100Mbps FNB 
     interface.  Provides layer 2 bridging and layer 3 routing, auto beacon 
     recovery, 4/16 Mbps support, RMON services per port.  Looks like 24 
     RJ45 connectors on front panel (blurred a little).
  
  ATM Cell Matrix says 60Gbps and available in 1H-96.