Burlington, Massachusetts-based Shiva Corp has announced ShivaPort, a multiprotocol communications server for Ethernet networks. The offering builds on Shiva’s integration strategy with recently acquired Spider Systems Ltd of Edinburgh. The offering is aimed at companies and Internet service providers needing a general purpose plug and play device for serial line services, and enables users to access network resources from the terminal server via workstation-to-local network and local network-to-local network IP routing. ShivaPort provides terminals and workstations using terminal emulation software with Telnet-style access to Unix or Digital Equipment Corp hosts, says Shiva, and supports TCP/IP, SpiderTCP, local network and DEC LAT Local Area Transport to connect users to both TCP/IP and Local Area Transport hosts over the same serial line. The product offers up to eight connections per serial line. As well as terminal access, the server is designed to provide transparent access to standard Unix print utilities, and uses so called Printer Hunting Groups so that print jobs are sent to the first available printer. Meantime, on the remote access side, ShivaPort supports modem pooling with dial-in and dial-out services over protocols including Serial Line Interface Protocol and Point-to-Point Protocol, with speeds of up to 115.2Kbps in 8-, 16- and 32-line variants. In terms of management capabilities, the offering is designed to provide centralised network management using systems such as SunNet Manager and Simple Network Management Protocol, while security features include a dial back option and TACACS and Security Dynamics Inc’s SecureID security schemes to validate remote users. ShivaPort is available now, at from $2,300. Meantime, according to International Data Corp, ships of Shiva’s LanRover and NetModem product lines accounted for 24% of all remote access servers shipped in the first half of 1995, and 21.5% of all turnover in the sector.
