| Title: | DEChub/HUBwatch/PROBEwatch CONFERENCE | 
| Notice: | Firmware -2, Doc -3, Power -4, HW kits -5, firm load -6&7 | 
| Moderator: | NETCAD::COLELLA DT | 
| 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 | 
I have a customer who is interested in purchasing an Alantec switch for bridging/routing between his five ethernet backbones. This will replace a DECconcentrator 500 and two DECbridge 61x because they think the ethernet switch will provide better performance than bridging thru FDDI. I have been searching through this and other conferences and have found nothing on Alantec. - Has anyone have any experience with them ? - Any issues with them? - Do we have any products that can compete? Any ideas are appreciated. This note also posted in Ethernet, FDDI and Gigaswitch conferneces.
| T.R | Title | User | Personal Name | Date | Lines | 
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1596.1 | STRWRS::KOCH_P | It never hurts to ask... | Thu Oct 20 1994 13:17 | 3 | |
|     
    The big question is: Is this a cut-through switch? What mode Atlantec
    switch is it?
 | |||||
| 1596.2 | We did some evaluation on the Alantec Powerhub 3504 | NETCAD::BATTERSBY | Thu Oct 20 1994 13:36 | 34 | |
|     We did an evaluation of the Alantec Powerhub 3504 here in HUB
    Engineering, along with a tear-down done by the PD&M Competitive
    Analysis group.
    We definitely have a product which can compete, it's called the
    DECswitch 900EF (formally referred to as DECbridge 900MX).
    
    They are similar in that:
    - Ethernet to FDDI Bridge
    - good multi-port Bridging performance
    - support horizontal to backbone LAN interconnect
    - SNMP managed
    - UTP and AUI access
    
    But they are different:
    - WGE is a single slot hub module, Powerhub a box product
    - Each WGE module has 6 Ethernets + 1 FDDI
    - Powerhub has fixed 12 Ethernets + up to 2 FDDIs
    - Each Powerhub Ethernet can have 3 RJ45 conntectors
    - WGE is/will be readily upgradable to being a multiprotocol BRouter
    - Powerhub has IP Routing
    
    The DECswitch 900EF has better price/performance and more configuration
    flexibililty.
    
    There may be more data on the comparison done, but I can't recall
    where the data or reports may be. I'll look/inquire to see if there
    is more definitive information.
    Given that you describe a currently installed base with DEC network
    products, (DECconcentrator 500 and two DECbridge 61x), I don't
    think we would want to see this customer swing to a vendor like
    Alantec, without getting them to look at what we can offer in our
    HUB products.
    
    Bob
 | |||||
| 1596.3 | Base note has been forwarded to Product Manager... | NETCAD::BATTERSBY | Thu Oct 20 1994 14:33 | 5 | |
|     RE: .0
    To further help the cause along, I have forwarded the base note .0
    to Karl Pieper (DELNI::PIEPER).
    
    Bob
 | |||||
| 1596.4 | Good information | TROOA::LEONG | Thu Oct 20 1994 17:27 | 5 | |
| Thanks for the fast response. Your information is very useful. Did we do any performance comparisons? | |||||
| 1596.5 | Still looking for the performance numbers.... | NETCAD::BATTERSBY | Thu Oct 20 1994 17:39 | 5 | |
|     Yes, and that's some of the information that is not at my
    virtual fingertips. We will see what we can come up with for
    numbers for the Alantec.
    
    Bob
 | |||||