Date: Thu, 24 Apr 1997 06:12:43 -0400 (EDT) From: Joe Provo - Network Architect <jprovo@ma.ultranet.com> To: neil@domino.org Subject: Re: Ascend GRF400 Cc: nanog@merit.edu [...] - the grf is not all of ascend. maybe they finally got things right? [...]
It is probably useful to differentiate between Netstar, which was recently acquired by Ascend, and the rest of Ascend. The GigaRouter was developed by Netstar prior to its acquisition by Ascend. -tjs
(I do not know if this is true, but it is a guess). That the Netstar product did the ATM routing extremely well. I believe that was its market originally.. All of the other cards, the ether, the new T1 line cards (hah-hah) maybe even the HSSI cards are all new since Ascend took them over, to broaden their market. I hear their ATM interfaces are great, haven't played with them yet though. Just a thought, -Deepak. On Thu, 24 Apr 1997, Tim Salo wrote:
Date: Thu, 24 Apr 1997 06:12:43 -0400 (EDT) From: Joe Provo - Network Architect <jprovo@ma.ultranet.com> To: neil@domino.org Subject: Re: Ascend GRF400 Cc: nanog@merit.edu [...] - the grf is not all of ascend. maybe they finally got things right? [...]
It is probably useful to differentiate between Netstar, which was recently acquired by Ascend, and the rest of Ascend. The GigaRouter was developed by Netstar prior to its acquisition by Ascend.
-tjs
(I do not know if this is true, but it is a guess). That the Netstar product did the ATM routing extremely well. I believe that was its market originally.. All of the other cards, the ether, the new T1 line cards (hah-hah) maybe even the HSSI cards are all new since Ascend took them over, to broaden their market.
I hear their ATM interfaces are great, haven't played with them yet though.
Yah, the ATM is cool _apart_ from only 512 VC's per box. I want more! :-) cheers, Neil. -- Neil J. McRae - Alive and Kicking. D O M I N O neil@DOMINO.ORG NetBSD/sparc - 100% SpF (Solaris protection Factor) Free the daemon in your <A HREF="http://www.NetBSD.ORG/">Computer!</A>
At 08:49 AM 24-04-97 -0500, Tim Salo wrote:
It is probably useful to differentiate between Netstar, which was recently acquired by Ascend, and the rest of Ascend. The GigaRouter was developed by Netstar prior to its acquisition by Ascend.
-tjs
Correct me if I am wrong, but I thought the GRF-400 was an Ascend product and the GRF-1600 is the NetStar GigaRouter, with some additional developments. The GRF-400 is out there in networks like AGIS, NetRail, PSI, DOMINO and Savvis. No word on any NetStar-cum-GRF1600 deployments. Am I right? --Kent ~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~ Note new area code ~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~ Kent W. England Six Sigma Networks 1655 Landquist Drive, Suite 100 Voice/Fax: 760.632.8400 Encinitas, CA 92024 kwe@6SigmaNets.com Experienced Internet Consulting ~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~ (If you can't reach me using 760 area code, use the old 619 instead.)
Correct me if I am wrong, but I thought the GRF-400 was an Ascend product and the GRF-1600 is the NetStar GigaRouter, with some additional developments.
The GRF-400 is out there in networks like AGIS, NetRail, PSI, DOMINO and Savvis. No word on any NetStar-cum-GRF1600 deployments.
s/DOMINO/COLT.
Am I right?
Look at www.ascend.com. Neil. -- Neil J. McRae - Alive and Kicking. D O M I N O neil@DOMINO.ORG NetBSD/sparc - 100% SpF (Solaris protection Factor) Free the daemon in your <A HREF="http://www.NetBSD.ORG/">Computer!</A>
On Mon, 28 Apr 1997, Neil J. McRae wrote:
Correct me if I am wrong, but I thought the GRF-400 was an Ascend product and the GRF-1600 is the NetStar GigaRouter, with some additional developments.
The GRF-400 is out there in networks like AGIS, NetRail, PSI, DOMINO and Savvis. No word on any NetStar-cum-GRF1600 deployments.
Ah, I only have 3 GRF-400 in my network, the rest are all 1600s. I have had 1600 in my network for about 9 months now. Nathan Stratton President, NetRail,Inc. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Phone (888)NetRail NetRail, Inc. Fax (404)522-1939 230 Peachtree Suite 500 WWW http://www.netrail.net/ Atlanta, GA 30303 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ "No king is saved by the size of his army; no warrior escapes by his great strength. - Psalm 33:16
At 08:49 AM 24-04-97 -0500, Tim Salo wrote:
It is probably useful to differentiate between Netstar, which was recently acquired by Ascend, and the rest of Ascend. The GigaRouter was developed by Netstar prior to its acquisition by Ascend.
-tjs
Correct me if I am wrong, but I thought the GRF-400 was an Ascend product and the GRF-1600 is the NetStar GigaRouter, with some additional developments.
Am I right?
A very brief synopsis of the Netstar/Ascend GigaRouter/GRF history: June 1994: GigaRouter - Original Creation of Netstar, 16 slot chassis, external UNIX-centric router manager system, etc. Ships to first customer in Germany. 1995: GigaRouter II - Version #2 of the original.. Better (blue) cabinet with more easily serviced parts (fans, power supplies, etc); external PC now industrialized (SCSI rather than IDE, for example and rack mountable rather than tabletop). Also new rev of router manager board (card that fills the center slot). Various other minor changes. August 1996: - Ascend acquires Netstar ($305M) and calls the Netstar operation "Ascend's High Performance Networking Division." Says, "Who in their right mind would buy a 16 slot box? Make a 4 slot box instead." October 1996: - HPND finds a chainsaw a chops 12 slots off the GigaRouterII, and puts it in (yet another) new Ascendish cabinet. Backplane componentry stays the same, except slots 5-16 (which don't exist) aren't wired. External Router Manager System (UNIX platform) previously run on a standalone PC rolled under the hood. Router manager board obsolete in the new order. New product called the GRF400. Netstar OS v5.0 software renamed Ascend Embedded OS v1.0. 4Q1996 - GRF400 met with enthusiasm by customers, for a variety of reasons.. Complaints of, "4 slots just aren't enough" are however heard. Ascend directs HPND to establish a new vision and build a 16 slot box. 1Q1997 - HPND finds the 12 slots on the floor from the previous chainsawwing and glues them to the developments of the GRF400: Underhood RMS, Ascendish-cabinet, etc. GRF1600 is born. Very early 1997 - Ascend shows the new GRF1600. -Jeff -- Jeff Wabik E/Mail: jeff@netstar.com Ascend Communications (www.ascend.com) Phone: +1 612 996 6814 High Performance Networking Division FAX: +1 612 943 8939 Minneapolis, MN 55344 Pager: +1 800 493 9804 "The artists formerly known as Netstar, Inc."
participants (6)
-
Deepak Jain -
jeff＠netstar.com -
Kent W. England -
Nathan Stratton -
Neil J. McRae -
salo＠msc.edu