N+I 1999: HP Introduces New Line of LAN Analyzers
Hewlett-Packard Co. (HP; Palo Alto, CA) plans to launch a new company consisting of its test-and-measurement, components, chemical-analysis, and medical businesses. These businesses represented $7.6 billion of HP's total revenue in fiscal 1998. With leading positions in multiple market segments, this technology-based company will focus on high-growth opportunities such as communications and life sciences.
The company's headquarters will be where HP constructed its first building in 1943. More than 400 employees will move into the facility when construction of a new building on the site is completed in spring of 2000.
HP is considering an initial public offering (IPO) for approximately 15% of the new company's outstanding shares by year-end. This offering would be the largest technology IPO in Silicon Valley history.
HP brings goods to the show
HP's test and measurement group introduced its newest line of LAN analyzers at Networld+Interop. The HP LAN Analyzer product line, which is initially based on products and technology licensed from Shomiti Systems (San Jose, CA), allows users to capture and decode network traffic, trouble-shoot network equipment, tune network performance and isolate bottlenecks on today's LANs.
Product-family offerings range from HP's first software-only analyzer, which runs on a standard notebook computer and has an introductory price of less than $1,000, to solutions that provide wire-speed data capture for multilocation 100 Mbps Fast Ethernet networks. Add-on options support distributed network analysis, as well as full-duplex monitoring of switched network environments.
HP's entry-level analyzer, the LAN Analyzer, is a Windows-based software analyzer that can run on a standard notebook computer equipped with a network interface card. The system, designed for management of small- and medium-sized enterprise networks, provides real-time network- and application-layer statistics, as well as seven-layer decodes for all key protocol stacks, including IP, Novell, and AppleTalk.
Users can add optional expert analysis, traffic generation and remote-management capabilities to the system as required. Free trial versions of the software are expected to be available for downloading after June 1 at http://www.hp.com/go/lananalyzer.