Ascend GRF400

Mon Apr 28 13:44:27 UTC 1997

> 
> At 08:49 AM 24-04-97 -0500, Tim Salo wrote:
> >
> >It is probably useful to differentiate between Netstar, which was
> >recently acquired by Ascend, and the rest of Ascend.  The GigaRouter
> >was developed by Netstar prior to its acquisition by Ascend.
> >
> >-tjs
> >
> >
> Correct me if I am wrong, but I thought the GRF-400 was an Ascend product
> and the GRF-1600 is the NetStar GigaRouter, with some additional developments.
> 
> Am I right?

A very brief synopsis of the Netstar/Ascend GigaRouter/GRF history:

June 1994:
        GigaRouter      - Original Creation of Netstar, 16 slot chassis,
			  external UNIX-centric router manager system, etc.
			  Ships to first customer in Germany. 
1995:
        GigaRouter II   - Version #2 of the original.. Better (blue)
                          cabinet with more easily serviced parts (fans,
			  power supplies, etc); external PC now 
			  industrialized (SCSI rather than IDE, for 
			  example and rack mountable rather than 
			  tabletop).  Also new rev of router manager board
			  (card that fills the center slot).  Various
			  other minor changes.
August 1996:            - Ascend acquires Netstar ($305M) and calls the 
			  Netstar operation "Ascend's High Performance
                          Networking Division."  Says, "Who in their
                          right mind would buy a 16 slot box?  Make a 4
                          slot box instead."
October 1996:           - HPND finds a chainsaw a chops 12 slots off the
			  GigaRouterII, and puts it in (yet another)
			  new Ascendish cabinet.  Backplane componentry
			  stays the same, except slots 5-16 (which
			  don't exist) aren't wired.  External Router
			  Manager System (UNIX platform) previously run
			  on a standalone PC rolled under the hood.
			  Router manager board obsolete in the new
			  order.  New product called the GRF400.
			  Netstar OS v5.0 software renamed Ascend Embedded
			  OS v1.0.
4Q1996			- GRF400 met with enthusiasm by customers, for a 
			  variety of reasons..  Complaints of, "4 slots
			  just aren't enough" are however heard.
			  Ascend directs HPND to establish a new vision
			  and build a 16 slot box.
1Q1997                  - HPND finds the 12 slots on the floor from the 
                          previous chainsawwing and glues them to the 
			  developments of the GRF400:  Underhood
			  RMS, Ascendish-cabinet, etc.  GRF1600 is born.
Very early 1997		- Ascend shows the new GRF1600.

	-Jeff

-- 
Jeff Wabik                              E/Mail:  jeff at netstar.com
Ascend Communications (www.ascend.com)  Phone:   +1 612 996 6814
High Performance Networking Division    FAX:     +1 612 943 8939
Minneapolis, MN  55344                  Pager:   +1 800 493 9804
	 "The artists formerly known as Netstar, Inc."