Hitachi Cable is to launch sales of 2nd-generation Apresia(R) (*1) Ethernet (*2) switches ''Apresia(R) 2124-SS'' and ''Apresia(R) 2124GT'', and release 3rd-generation ''Apresia(R) 3248G'' and ''Apresia(R) 3248G-PSR.'' These new switches offer improved operability, while inheriting the existing features, and include state-of-the-art switch LSIs that provide higher performance and enhancements- such as fine bandwidth control and high-speed hardware routing- made possible with a new OS named ''AEOS(R)'' (Apresia(R) Extended Operating System).

AEOS(R) is the key feature of the 2nd- and 3rd-generation Apresia(R) switches, and is an integrated OS designed specifically for Apresia(R) to maximize hardware performance, achieving high-speed and high-performance layer 2/layer 3 switching. Our existing switches have individual operating systems; however, in the 2nd- and 3rd-generation Apresia(R) , we are unifying these OSes into AEOS(R) to allow faster development, higher maintainability, and better user operability.


In the development of AEOS(R), we made a major change to the existing OS structure so that layer 2 and layer 3 functions could be controlled individually as modules. As a result, 2nd-generation layer 2 and layer 3 Apresia(R) switches can operate with the common firmware and share functions, operation procedures, and command lines. ''Apresia(R) 2000 Series'' of layer 2 switches have layer 3-level QoS features and packet filtering. ''Apresia(R) 3000 Series'' of layer 3 switches have an Ethernet Ring fast switching function (MMRP (Multi Master Ring Protocol)) that is characteristic of layer 2 switches. In addition, to improve user operability, we adopted commonly used command lines- which means that settings are simple even for those unfamiliar with Apresia(R) .
As 2nd-generation Apresia(R) switches, we developed ''Apresia(R) 2124-SS'' and ''Apresia(R) 2124GT.'' With regards existing ''Apresia(R) 3124GT'' and ''Apresia(R) 3124GT-PSR,''these are now being offered with the AEOS(R) OS upgrade.

As 3rd-generation Apresia(R), on the other hand, we will start with layer 3 switches ''Apresia(R) 3248G'' and ''Apresia(R) 3248G-PSR.'' While inheriting the existing Apresia(R) features, these new switches have AEOS(R) and new high-performance switch LSIs that allow fine bandwidth control and guaranteed bandwidth, high-speed hardware routing, and various packet filter settings. Our existing Apresia(R) 2000 Series uses network authentication (NA), a function also provided with the new Apresia(R) 3248G switches, enabling authentication at the core as well as edge switches. We plan to add ''IEEE802.1X'' (*3) as a user authentication protocol (*4), and users will be able to implement either NA or IEEE802.1X on a single Apresia(R) switch, depending on the system environment.

We are striving to increase our market share in Ethernet switches for telecommunications carriers and enterprise customers, utilizing existing Apresia(R) sales partner distribution channels. Our sales target for Apresia(R) products for Fiscal year 2005 is 8 billion yen.

*1	Apresia(R) is a registered trademark of Hitachi Cable, Ltd. in Japan.
*2	Ethernet is a registered trademark of Fuji Xerox Co., Ltd.
*3	IEEE802.1X is a standard for user authentication based on username and password. It is now popularly used for user authentication on wireless LAN.
*4	We are planning to make it available through a firmware upgrade by the end of this year.

<Classification of Apresia(R)switches by generation>

Generation OS Switch LSI Main features 1st Model-specific Existing products NA, MMRP 2nd AEOS(R) Existing products NA, MMRP, RSTP (*5), MSTP (*6), PIM-SM (*7) 3rd AEOS(R) New LSI for 3rd-generation Apresia(R) NA, MMRP, RSTP, MSTP, PIM-SM, Stacked VLAN (*8) Bandwidth control & guarantee in steps of 64 kbps High-speed and stable hardware routing Various packet filter settings

*5	RSTP (Rapid Spanning Tree Protocol) is standardized as IEEE802.1w. It allows faster switching compared to the existing standards.
*6	MSTP (Multiple Spanning Tree Protocol) is standardized as IEEE802.1s. It allows STP to function in each domain to achieve load-balancing/redundancy for each VLAN group.
*7	PIM-SM is a multicast routing protocol that allows multicast groups to exchange information through layer 3 switches.
*8	Stacked VLAN is an extended VLAN where TAG VLAN (IEEE802.1Q) frames are further encapsulated through double VLAN tagging to perform switching.

<Main Specifications: Apresia(R)2124-SS>
(Specifications are subject to change without notice.)

Item Specifications Basic configuration Switch cabinet Interface 10/100M Ethernet x 24 ports Switch capacity 4.8 Gbps Power supply AC 100 V VLAN IEEE802.1Q/p 255VLAN Features NA(Network Authentication) MMRP(Multi Master Ring Protocol) RSTP MSTP Packet filtering QoS features (4 hardware queues) Power consumption 50 W or less External dimensions 436 mm (W)x 330 mm (D)x 43 mm (H) Approximate weight 5 kg or less Other Fanless (stackable)

<Main Specifications: Apresia(R)2124GT>(Specifications are subject to change without notice.)

Item Specifications Basic configuration Switch cabinet Interface Gigabit Ethernet uplink GBIC slot x 2, or 1000BASE-T Ethernet x 2 ports (each port can be selected separately) 10/100M Ethernet x 24 ports Switch capacity 8.8 Gbps Power supply AC 100 V VLAN IEEE802.1Q/p 255VLAN Features NA(Network Authentication) MMRP(Multi Master Ring Protocol) RSTP MSTP Packet filtering QoS features (4 hardware queues) Power consumption 60 W or less External dimensions 436 mm (W)x 342 mm (D)x 43.8 mm (H) Approximate weight 5 kg or less

<Main Specifications: Apresia(R)3248G>(Specifications are subject to change without notice.)

Item Specifications Basic configuration Switch cabinet Interface Gigabit Ethernet uplink SFP slot x 4 10/100M Ethernet x 48 ports Switch capacity 17.6 Gbps Power supply AC 100 V- 120 V AC 200 V- 240 V VLAN IEEE802.1Q/p 4094VLAN Statcked VLAN Protocol VLAN Features NA(Network Authentication) MMRP(Multi Master Ring Protocol) RSTP MSTP Packet filtering QoS features (8 hardware queues) RIPv1/v2 OSPF PIM-SM Jumbo Frame Power consumption 60 W or less External dimensions 436 mm (W)x 342 mm (D)x 43.8 mm (H) Approximate weight 6 kg or less

<Main Specifications: Apresia(R)3248G-PSR>
(Specifications are subject to change without notice.)

Item Specifications Basic configuration Switch cabinet Power input unit (AC or DC)x 2 Interface Gigabit Ethernet uplink SFP slot x 4 10/100M Ethernet x 48 ports Switch capacity 17.6 Gbps Power supply Redundant power input unit (100V AC / 48V DC) VLAN IEEE802.1Q/p 4094VLAN Statcked VLAN Protocol VLAN Features NA(Network Authentication) MMRP(Multi Master Ring Protocol) RSTP MSTP Packet filtering QoS features (8 hardware queues) RIPv1/v2 OSPF PIM-SM Jumbo Frame Power consumption 120 W or less External dimensions 436 mm (W)x 449.7 mm (D)x 43.8 mm (H) Approximate weight 7 kg or less (power supply is not included.)

<Manufacturing site>
Takasago Works
880 Isagosawa-cho, Hitachi-shi, Ibaraki Pref. 319-1418, Japan