IBM readies Rainer to take on networked world

IBM is in the final stages of developing a networking chip that it hopes will as common in networking products as the Pentium range is in PCs. Codenamed Rainier, the chip is scheduled for release by the end of the year.

IBM's Network Hardware Division (NHD), which is developing Rainier, said it expects the chip to increase network throughput by at least 30 per cent. Michel Mayer, general manager of NHD, said: "Rainier will be an off-the-shelf network processor that we want to become as ubiquitous as the Pentium. The idea is to make Rainier work with everyone's switching fabric."

Rainier will support Layer 2, 3, 4 and 5 switching and routing and will allow wire-speed links among Ethernet, ATM and Sonet networks.

But analyst, Frank Dzubeck, of Communication Network Architects, cast doubt on Rainier's chances of widespread adoption. "Rainier becoming an industry standard is directly related to its acceptance by engineers," he said. "There are other vendors with similar products. The engineers will make the choices."

An IBM spokesperson said the firm has already sealed some OEM (original equipment manufacturer) deals for the chip, though he would not name any customers.

The Rainier will first be used in IBM's own Internet protocol (IP) switching devices. It will also be included in a line of IBM combination switch/routers and server interconnect devices, which will allow users to link and load balance high-capacity servers.

At first, Rainier will support 40 Fast Ethernet or four Gigabit Ethernet ports. It will also handle Ethernet and packet-over-Sonet traffic and serve as a bridge between the two types of network. Eventually, the chip will support ATM.