On June 5, Hitachi Cable, Ltd. will begin sales of the ApresiaLight 116 and ApresiaLight 108 unmanaged Ethernet switches, capable of achieving high security at low cost, as new products in its ApresiaLight series of Ethernet switches.*1*2

In recent years, with ever-increasing numbers of terminals connecting to internal corporate networks, the need has emerged to ensure adequate numbers of open ports. This has been done in several ways, including by increasing the number of switches. Due to their relatively low cost, unmanaged switches are generally preferred for this application. However, to ensure secure adequate security, corporate users have sought solutions that allow use of loop-prevention and network-authentication systems with low-cost unmanaged switches.

In 2005, Hitachi Cable began selling the low-cost ApresiaLight series, with a narrower feature set than the standard Apresia series. Until now, the ApresiaLight lineup has consisted of the ApresiaLight 200 series of managed switches. To meet market demand, Hitachi Cable has developed two new unmanaged switch models, the ApresiaLight 116 and the ApresiaLight 108, which provide loop-prevention*3 and Extensible Authentication Protocol (EAP) transparency*4 features despite their low cost. It plans to launch sales of these two new models on June 5.

The ApresiaLight 116 model, which measures approximately 265 millimeters wide by 160 millimeters deep, features 16 10Base-T/100Base-TX downlink ports on its rectangular case, while the compact ApresiaLight 108, measuring approximately 195 millimeters wide by 119 millimeters deep, features eight 10Base-T/100Base-TX downlink ports.

By enhancing its product lineup in the ApresiaLight series as well as in the standard Apresia series, Hitachi Cable seeks to further expand its share of the Ethernet switch market for enterprise use.

*1	Ethernet is a product name of Xerox Corp. Ethernet is a registered trademark of Fuji Xerox Co., Ltd. in Japan.
*2	Apresia is a registered trademark of Hitachi Cable, Ltd. in Japan.
*3	By setting Fixed-MDI mode, this loop-prevention feature prevents loops from forming due to mistaken connections made by users using straight cables.
*4	The EAP transparency feature enables use of 802.1X multiple authentication of higher-level authentication switches.

Main specifications for ApresiaLight 116 and ApresiaLight 108 models

(specifications subject to change without notice)

Feature ApresiaLight 116 ApresiaLight 108 Interface 10BASE-T/100BASE-TX×16 10BASE-T/100BASE-TX×8 Power supply 100 VAC 50/60Hz 100 VAC 50/60Hz Power consumption 6.3 W or less 5.9 W or less Approximate weight 1.3 kg 0.71 kg External dimensions 265(W)×160(D)×45(H)mm 195(W)×118.5(D)×39(H)mm Operating temperatures 0 to +40° C 0 to +40° C

External appearance of the ApresiaLight 116

External appearance of the ApresiaLight 108