3Com plans a three-phase rollout of XRN technology.3Com plans a three-phase rollout of XRN technology. Phase 1 products are shipping now. These support interconnection of two switches at a distance of up to 16 feet using a proprietary cable.We tested XRN support on 3Com’s SuperStack models 4050 and 4060. XRN support also is available on the vendor’s SuperStack 3 models, 4900, 4900SX, 4924 and 4950.For IP routing, Phase 1 switches support Routing Information Protocol. 3Com says it will support Open Shortest Path First within three to six months. In Phase 2, scheduled for release by year-end, up to four switches can be interconnected using fiber Gigabit Ethernet connections. The only distance limits are those for the fiber links, currently defined as 1.24 miles. In Phase 3, expected sometime in 2004, up to eight switches will make up an XRN stack, again with the only distance limitation being that of the Gigabit Ethernet interconnect. Back to main review: “XRN Interconnect architecture” Related content news analysis Western Digital keeps HDDs relevant with major capacity boost Western Digital and rival Seagate are finding new ways to pack data onto disk platters, keeping them relevant in the age of solid-state drives (SSD). By Andy Patrizio Dec 06, 2023 4 mins Enterprise Storage Data Center news analysis Global network outage report and internet health check Cisco subsidiary ThousandEyes, which tracks internet and cloud traffic, provides Network World with weekly updates on the performance of ISPs, cloud service providers, and UCaaS providers. By Ann Bednarz and Tim Greene Dec 06, 2023 286 mins Networking news analysis Cisco uncorks AI-based security assistant to streamline enterprise protection With Cisco AI Assistant for Security, enterprises can use natural language to discover policies and get rule recommendations, identify misconfigured policies, and simplify complex workflows. By Michael Cooney Dec 06, 2023 3 mins Firewalls Generative AI Network Security news Nvidia’s new chips for China to be compliant with US curbs: Jensen Huang Nvidia’s AI-focused H20 GPUs bypass US restrictions on China’s silicon access, including limits on-chip performance and density. By Anirban Ghoshal Dec 06, 2023 3 mins CPUs and Processors Technology Industry Podcasts Videos Resources Events NEWSLETTERS Newsletter Promo Module Test Description for newsletter promo module. Please enter a valid email address Subscribe