3Com Introduces New LAN Software, Hardware

3Com Corp. on Wednesday introduced new switching software and hardware for enterprise LANs, aimed at providing greater scalability and availability for mission-critical applications.

The new switching software is titled XRN for "eXpandable Resilient Networking." It helps connects multiple distributed gigabit switches into what 3Com officials describe as a resilient distributed core with no single point of failure. The new software, company officials said, would help reduce network costs by eliminating complex redundancy features, and also allow much simpler network management, freeing up IT staff.

The XRN software will be available in 3Coms Switch 4000 line, including two new models of switches with expanded levels of scalability and fault tolerance: the switch 4060 and 4007R. The XRN software will also be adaptable to 3Coms existing SuperStack 3 Switch 4900 line. 3Coms modular approach, providing a variety of switching functionalities, company officials said, allows enterprise network builders greater options and reduced up-front costs.

The SuperStack 3 Switch 4900 line starts at $4,995 and is available now. The current Switch 4005 starts at $9,995 and an OSPF enhancement for it for enterprise routing is expected to be available in April. The Switch 4007R starts at $35,995 (full starter kit with Layer 3 routing software supporting IP, IPX and AppleTalk) and is also available now. The Switch 4060 starts at $17,995 and is expected to be available in June.