Xyplex Inc has announced a new networking architecture, WANScape, designed to enable network managers to deploy any combination of ISDN, Frame Relay, leased line or asynchronous dial-up connections simultaneously, and configure and manage them dynamically according to bandwidth-on-demand techniques. According to Xyplex, WANScape simplifies router configuration by decoupling routing policies and bandwidth management functions from the actual wide area network service connection. Network managers thus see a uniform set of bandwidth management capabilities that are identical across all wide area network services. Inverse multiplexing, time-of-day circuit control and queuing are included to help optimize performance and provide dynamic control over wide area network costs. With WANScape, it says, Xyplex routers provide bandwidth-on-demand wide area network services – including asynchronous dial-up lines – for optimal performance. For example, a network manager can establish a performance threshold for a primary Frame Relay link and instruct the router to bring up an ISDN basic rate interface link whenever that threshold is reached. The router will aggregate throughput over the Frame Relay and ISDN channels simultaneously until the ISDN link is no longer necessary, whereupon the ISDN line will be torn down automatically. WANScape is embedded in all Xyplex bridge-routers including the 9000, the modular 3000 family and the Route-Runner, a new fixed hardware configuration product for remote offices. RouteRunner is a new multiprotocol bridge- router for connecting branch offices and other remote sites to the Internet or to corporate networks. It comes in two models: synchronous and ISDN. The synchronous model has one local and two wide area network ports – asynchronous and synchronous. The ISDN model, with one local and one wide area network port, provides an integrated basic rate ISDN interface for high-speed connections. The synchronous model is $1,500, the ISDN $1,400; both are out now.
