Subject: 3. What ISDN equipment does Ascend make?

[removed references to specific resellers in this section. -ddl]

• 3a. Pipeline 50

  The Pipeline 50 is a small (8.5" x 6.25" x 1") IP router and multiprotocol bridge. It sports a basic rate interface (BRI) and an ethernet interface (switchable 10baseT and AUI ports). Bearer channels on the BRI may be aggregated for greater total bandwidth. LAN features include packet filtering, RIP and static IP routing, header and data compression. The BRI code supports most PTT switch types across the United States, Europe, and the pacific rim.

  The P-50 has a Motorola MC68360 CPU.

  Ascend sells the P-50 both with and without an internal NT1 (ISDN telephone network termination device). Typically, "U" interface units with an NT1 (model P50-1UBRI) sell for around $1300, and S/T models without an NT1 (model P50-1SBRI) for around $1200. Corporations and educational institutions also receive significant discounts.

  There are two revisions of Pipeline 50 floating around. The newer model (dubbed "rev B") differs from the older model (dubbed "rev A") in the following ways:
  

  • It has a toggle switch on the back that doesn't do anything yet ("reserved for future use" ("this page intentionally left blank"))
  • Upon powerup, it loads code from flash memory into DRAM and runs directly from main memory, instead of running from flash
  • As a result of the above, revB model P-50s can have new software loaded into flash memory remotely via TFTP (as can the MAX-HP); the revA P-50 cannot.
  There is no upgrade available from revA to revB models.

• 3b. Pipeline 50 HX

  The P-50 HX is identical to the [revB] P-50, except that it's software-limited to allow only one ethernet device to communicate with the wide area network at any time (through filtering of the ethernet hardware address); thus, it's intended for the individual user. Note that it will talk only to the FIRST device it hears from on the local ethernet, which can cause needless anguish if you have multiple hosts around.

  It can be upgraded to the full P-50 for a few hundred dollars. Typical prices are around $1000 with the built-in NT1, and $900 without it.

• 3c. MAX

  The MAX is a multi-slot "central-office" router/bridge. It comes with two T1/PRI (E1/PRI in Europe) ports with integrated CSUs, two serial DTE ports, and two DB-9 control ports on the backplane, and six free slots for optional cards. It's based on an Intel i960 RISC CPU clocked at 16MHz. Available cards include T1 boards with or without integrated CSUs, E1/G.703 boards, eight-port BRI cards, sync serial (v.35 or RS-449) cards, Ethernet cards, and eight-port digital modem (v.32 or v.34) boards.

  NOTE: Because the Pipeline MAX runs its system software from flash, it cannot take load a new version via TFTP (as can the MAX 4000/HP and newer (revB) Pipeline 50s, under software rev 4.4B or later).

  The base MAX unit costs around $13,000, but optional cards can raise that a lot (for most people, an ethernet board isn't optional).

• 3d. MAX 4000 [MAX HP]

  The MAX 4000 (also known as the MAX HP) is a faster MAX (clocked at 25MHz), with four T1/PRI (E1/G.703) ports included instead of two, an on-board ethernet interface, one 8Mbit/sec v.35 sync serial port, only one DB-9 control port, and an internal STAC 9760 compression daughterboard (taking compression processing load off the CPU). All cards available for the MAX work in the MAX-HP.

  The MAX 4000/HP also differs from the original MAX in that it has more DRAM (10MB) and loads and runs its software from it, rather than from flash memory (as the original MAX does). This also means that the MAX 4000/HP can load software into flash via TFTP (using the debug monitor command "tloadcode"), something the original MAX cannot do.

  The base MAX 4000 prices out around $16,000-$17,000.
  (Thanks to Victoria Risk for the updated info!)

• 3e. Pipeline 400

  The P-400 is a multiport router/bridge that has most of the features of the Ascend MAX, but smaller WAN capacity and upgradability. It can handle four BRI interfaces, or a single T1 interface (it also comes in models with four SW-56 ports or eight RS-232 ports). The P-400 also supports also v.32 digital modems (to my knowledge, v.34 support isn't available yet). It also comes with a built-in diagnostic modem, or so the literature says.

  NOTE: Because the Pipeline 400 runs its system software from flash, it cannot take load a new version via TFTP (as can the MAX 4000/HP and newer (revB) Pipeline 50s, under rev 4.4B or later).

  The P-400 generally retails between $3,000 and $7,000, depending on WAN configuration and features.

• 3g. Pipeline 25 [available 1 July]

  The Pipeline 25 is similar in form and function to a Pipeline 50, with the following major differences:

  • Compression and IP routing features are unbundled; that is, they may be purchased separately. The base model P-25 is a transparent bridge only, with no compression. Also, the optional compression is implemented in hardware, as a plug-in daughterboard (the Pipeline 50 compresses in software).
  • The P-25 comes with two POTS (analog telephone) jacks, which may be used with any standard phone/modem/fax/answering machine/etc. The software will handle details of call pre-emption (e.g., when an incoming analog call arrives while both bearer channels are in use for ISDN data)
  • The P-25 CPU is a Motorola 68302 clocked at 16MHz, somewhat slower than the Pipeline 50.
  • Note that there is no coded limitation on the number of ethernet devices which may be attached to the P-25 ethernet port. The rumor that the P-25 is limited to four MAC addresses (earlier mistakenly perpetuated in this FAQ) is completely false.

  The base Pipeline 25 model lists for $895.