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Text File  |  1993-10-16  |  24KB  |  180 lines
  1.  I thought you might also be interested in the press release for the                                                                
  2.  LAN Distance Announcement.  It follows:                                                                                            
  3.                                                                                                                                     
  4.  Bob Spickelmier                                                                                                                    
  5.  LAN Systems Marketing                                                                                                              
  6.                                                                                                                                     
  7.                                 Contact:  Deborah Wood                                                                              
  8.                                           IBM Media Relations                                                                       
  9.                                           (512) 823-3258                                                                            
  10.                                                                                                                                     
  11.                                           Steve Hopley                                                                              
  12.                                           Brodeur & Partners                                                                        
  13.                                           (617) 894-0003                                                                            
  14.                                                                                                                                     
  15.   IBM ANNOUNCES LAN DISTANCE FOR REMOTE LAN ACCESS                                                                                  
  16.                                                                                                                                     
  17.        DALLAS, October 5, 1993 . . . IBM today announced LAN Distance,*                                                             
  18.  the most complete remote LAN access software solution in the industry.                                                             
  19.  All major LAN environments are supported, including IBM LAN Server,                                                                
  20.  Novell NetWare,** Banyan VINES** and Artisoft LANtastic.**  IBM also                                                               
  21.  launched a beta program for the LAN Distance Remote support for                                                                    
  22.  Windows**.                                                                                                                         
  23.        LAN Distance can transform a remote system into a fully                                                                      
  24.  functioning LAN system client.  LAN Distance enables users working                                                                 
  25.  away from the office to access their LANs over public telephone                                                                    
  26.  lines and to run LAN-based applications while supporting all of                                                                    
  27.  a customer's current client software without making additional                                                                     
  28.  hardware investments.                                                                                                              
  29.        "LAN Distance allows a user to access all of the servers and                                                                 
  30.  resources on a LAN, but through a phone line," said Art Olbert,                                                                    
  31.  director of LAN Systems, Personal Software Products.  "Laptops                                                                     
  32.  become clients with LAN Distance."                                                                                                 
  33.        The LAN Distance products announced today include IBM LAN Distance                                                           
  34.  Remote for OS/2 and IBM LAN Distance Connection Server for                                                                         
  35.  OS/2 in 8 port and 32-plus port versions.                                                                                          
  36.        "When evaluating the LAN Distance family using the key criteria                                                              
  37.  of security, connectivity, performance, useability and cost per port,                                                              
  38.  customers have found that LAN Distance is the richest offering in the                                                              
  39.  industry," Olbert said.  "Customers have found it particularly useful                                                              
  40.  in remote branch offices and when traveling."                                                                                      
  41.        A software solution, LAN Distance does not require a dedicated                                                               
  42.  communication server and supports a variety of PCs and adapters.                                                                   
  43.  LAN Distance uses a device driver replacement technology to                                                                        
  44.  provide a superset of functions offered with remote LAN access                                                                     
  45.  products available today.                                                                                                          
  46.        "We were very impressed with the beta version of IBM LAN                                                                     
  47.  Distance," said Trish Harlan, vice president, marketing and                                                                        
  48.  technical services for Softmart, Inc., an IBM reseller. "After seeing                                                              
  49.  the product in action and working with its remote capabilities, we are                                                             
  50.  currently evaluating its use throughout our entire sales organization."                                                            
  51.        Cubix Corporation, a supplier of remote communications servers,                                                              
  52.   has been working with IBM to add LAN Distance support to its product                                                              
  53.   line.   "LAN Distance's remote node technology provides a natural                                                                 
  54.   extension to our current capabilities," said Jim Zakzeski, vice                                                                   
  55.   president, marketing, Cubix.  "We plan to offer                                                                                   
  56.   LAN Distance as a preload option to our ERS/Fault Tolerant                                                                        
  57.   Communications Server," he said.                                                                                                  
  58.                                                                                                                                     
  59.  EASE OF USE                                                                                                                        
  60.                                                                                                                                     
  61.        LAN Distance gives users the same look and feel as their                                                                     
  62.  regular desktop while at home or traveling.  It exploits the                                                                       
  63.  OS/2 Workplace Shell to provide an object-oriented user interface                                                                  
  64.  for administration and remote computing. An optional command                                                                       
  65.  interface supports integration with end-user applications.                                                                         
  66.                                                                                                                                     
  67.   ADMINISTRATION                                                                                                                    
  68.                                                                                                                                     
  69.       LAN Distance offers several features to enhance the                                                                           
  70.   productivity of network administrators.  It features a single                                                                     
  71.   object-oriented graphical user interface to manage multiple                                                                       
  72.   servers on the LAN.  Statistics such as user connection time,                                                                     
  73.   port use and data traffic can be captured to help evaluate                                                                        
  74.   network use and charge back for connection time. Features                                                                         
  75.   for call status, error logging, problem tracing and alerts for                                                                    
  76.   error conditions are supported to ensure maximum availability                                                                     
  77.   of network resources.                                                                                                             
  78.                                                                                                                                     
  79.   CONNECTIVITY                                                                                                                      
  80.                                                                                                                                     
  81.        LAN Distance connection servers support Token Ring and                                                                       
  82.  Ethernet LANs; remote connections include Asynchronous, Synchronous, ISDN                                                          
  83.  and X.25.  LAN Distance provides an extension to the industry standard                                                             
  84.  NDIS LAN Adapter API to include communications adapters.  IBM is                                                                   
  85.  working with adapter vendors to help them extend their support                                                                     
  86.  to include LAN Distance.                                                                                                           
  87.                                                                                                                                     
  88.      "LAN Distance's support for industry standard APIs allows us to                                                                
  89.  participate with IBM in this exciting new market," said Don Henry,                                                                 
  90.  vice president, sales & marketing, DigiBoard.  "We are working closely                                                             
  91.  with IBM to support LAN Distance with a wide variety of adapters,                                                                  
  92.  including our multi-port asynchronous, ISDN and X.25 products."                                                                    
  93.       Quadron Service Corp., an IBM Business Partner, markets                                                                       
  94.  communications software products for the IBM ARTIC co-processor                                                                    
  95.  family.  At NetWorld, Quadron announced a high-speed X.25 network                                                                  
  96.  access capability for IBM LAN Distance and the ARTIC co-processor.                                                                 
  97.       "Quadron continues to have a close working relationship with                                                                  
  98.  IBM," said Walter Linstruth, president, Quadron Services Corp.  "LAN                                                               
  99.  Distance provides state-of-the-art remote LAN access capability that                                                               
  100.  blends well with our high-performance X.25 network access support.                                                                 
  101.  We view this as a strategic extension of our product line."                                                                        
  102.       Keith Rericha, executive vice president of Star Gate, said his                                                                
  103.  company would work closely with IBM to develop total solutions.                                                                    
  104.       "Star Gate's higher-performing serial I/O controllers deliver                                                                 
  105.  the speed and response needed to take full advantage of the LAN Distance                                                           
  106.  software," he said.  "We plan to bundle the LAN Distance Connection                                                                
  107.  Server software with Star Gate serial I/O controllers to offer                                                                     
  108.  our customers a single source for seamless remote access."                                                                         
  109.      Today, Virtual Resources, a Torrance California Adapter Card                                                                   
  110.  Vendor, announced a high performance Async/ISDN Adapter Card that                                                                  
  111.  supports IBM LAN Distance.                                                                                                         
  112.     "Until LAN Distance, users have been locked in by the                                                                           
  113.  remote access suppliers for expensive remote access hardware. By                                                                   
  114.  working with third party hardware developers, IBM allows the users                                                                 
  115.  to have a choice of cost effective third party communication                                                                       
  116.  hardware supporting LAN Distance. This is definitely the new IBM!"                                                                 
  117.  Whai Lim, president, Virtual Resources.                                                                                            
  118.      Telepartner International also demonstrated its X.25/LAN Distance                                                              
  119.  connectivity at NetWorld.                                                                                                          
  120.      "As a leader in providing remote and mobile access via X.25 networks,                                                          
  121.  Telepartners International is excited to marry its technology and                                                                  
  122.  expertise with IBM's in the initial release of the LAN Distance product,"                                                          
  123.  said Dave Kimball, president of the company.  "The unique LAN Distance                                                             
  124.  architecture offers us the opportunity to implement high-performance                                                               
  125.  X.25 support with standard PCs and adapters."                                                                                      
  126.                                                                                                                                     
  127.   APPLICATION SUPPORT                                                                                                               
  128.                                                                                                                                     
  129.        All major LAN applications are supported including IBM LAN Server,                                                           
  130.  Novell NetWare**, Banyan VINES**, Artisoft LANtastic**,                                                                            
  131.  IBM Communication Manager/2*, IBM Database Manager/2*, IBM TCP/IP,                                                                 
  132.  and Lotus Notes* and CC Mail*.  LAN Distance supports LAN applications                                                             
  133.  that interface to the NetBIOS*, NetBEUI**, 802.2, NDIS or NDIS/ODI                                                                 
  134.  programming interfaces.                                                                                                            
  135.                                                                                                                                     
  136.   SECURITY                                                                                                                          
  137.                                                                                                                                     
  138.         LAN Distance offers multiple security features to                                                                           
  139.   insure that only authorized users gain access to the LAN.                                                                         
  140.         Each user is identified as a user, administrator or security                                                                
  141.   administrator, with a specific, fixed set of privileges for                                                                       
  142.   each type.                                                                                                                        
  143.         Instead of passwords, LAN Distance supports passphrases, which                                                              
  144.   have proven to be easier to remember and offer better security.                                                                   
  145.   Standards-based encryption and message authentication codes ensure                                                                
  146.   passphrases cannot be captured and reused.                                                                                        
  147.        Users can optionally be identified as call-back users.  After                                                                
  148.   user authentication, the line can be disconnected and the user                                                                    
  149.   is called back at a preconfigured telephone number.                                                                               
  150.        Users can be associated with one or more network addresses, and                                                              
  151.   LAN Distance can verify the network address of the calling station.                                                               
  152.   Users access can also be restricted to specified hours and days.                                                                  
  153.        Successful and unsuccessful logons can be recorded in the                                                                    
  154.   security audit file and changes to the security database also                                                                     
  155.   are logged.                                                                                                                       
  156.                                                                                                                                     
  157.   PRICING                                                                                                                           
  158.                                                                                                                                     
  159.        The IBM LAN Distance family of products is available from                                                                    
  160.   your authorized IBM reseller, IBM representative or by calling                                                                    
  161.   1-800-426-3672.   IBM LAN Distance products are available as                                                                      
  162.   follows:                                                                                                                          
  163.                                                                                                                                     
  164.        IBM LAN Distance - Remote $59                                                                                                
  165.                                                                                                                                     
  166.        IBM LAN Distance - Connection Server (8 port) $595                                                                           
  167.                                                                                                                                     
  168.        IBM LAN Distance - Connection Server (32+ port) $1,995                                                                       
  169.                                                                                                                                     
  170.   # # #                                                                                                                             
  171.                                                                                                                                     
  172.   *    Indicates trademark or registered trademark of the                                                                           
  173.        International Business Machines Corporation.                                                                                 
  174.                                                                                                                                     
  175.   **   The following is a trademark of the indicated companies:                                                                     
  176.        Windows (Microsoft Corp.)                                                                                                    
  177.                                                                                                                                     
  178.   IBM US xxx                                                                                                                        
  179.   10/5/93                                                                                                                           
  180.