Ungermann-Bass
Encyclopedia
Ungermann-Bass, also known as UB and 'UB Networks', was a computer networking company in the 1980s to 1990s. Located in Santa Clara, California
, in Silicon Valley
, UB was the first large networking company independent of any computer manufacturer. UB was founded by Ralph Ungermann and Charlie Bass
. John Davidson, vice president of engineering, was one of the creators of NCP
, the protocol suite
of the ARPANET
before TCP/IP.
UB specialized in large enterprise networks connecting computer systems and devices from multiple vendors, which was unusual in the 1980s. At that time most network equipment came from computer manufacturers and usually used only protocols compatible with that one manufacturer's computer systems, such as IBM's SNA or DEC
's DECNet
. Many UB products initially used the XNS protocol suite and later transitioned to TCP/IP as it became an industry standard in the late 1980s.
UB marketed a broadband
(in the original technical sense) version of Ethernet
known as 10BROAD36
in the mid 1980s. It was generally seen as hard to install.
UB was one of the first network manufacturers to sell equipment that implemented Ethernet over twisted pair
wiring. UB's AccessOne product line initially used the pre-standard StarLAN
and, when it became standard, 10BASE-T
.
UB was bought by Tandem Computers
in 1988. UB was sold in 1997 by Tandem to Newbridge Networks
. Over the next several months, Newbridge laid off the bulk of the Ungermann-Bass employees, and closed the doors of the Santa Clara operation. Newbridge was later acquired by Alcatel
, a French telecommunications company.
Santa Clara, California
Santa Clara , founded in 1777 and incorporated in 1852, is a city in Santa Clara County, in the U.S. state of California. The city is the site of the eighth of 21 California missions, Mission Santa Clara de Asís, and was named after the mission. The Mission and Mission Gardens are located on the...
, in Silicon Valley
Silicon Valley
Silicon Valley is a term which refers to the southern part of the San Francisco Bay Area in Northern California in the United States. The region is home to many of the world's largest technology corporations...
, UB was the first large networking company independent of any computer manufacturer. UB was founded by Ralph Ungermann and Charlie Bass
Charlie Bass (engineer)
Charlie Bass , was a co-founder of the networking company Ungermann-Bass in 1979. Led by Ralph Ungermann and staffed by several colleagues from Zilog, Ungermann Bass helped commercialize ethernet, had a successful IPO, and then was purchased by Tandem Computers.Bass was also co-founder of...
. John Davidson, vice president of engineering, was one of the creators of NCP
Network Control Program
The Network Control Program provided the middle layers of the protocol stack running on host computers of the ARPANET, the predecessor to the modern Internet...
, the protocol suite
Internet protocol suite
The Internet protocol suite is the set of communications protocols used for the Internet and other similar networks. It is commonly known as TCP/IP from its most important protocols: Transmission Control Protocol and Internet Protocol , which were the first networking protocols defined in this...
of the ARPANET
ARPANET
The Advanced Research Projects Agency Network , was the world's first operational packet switching network and the core network of a set that came to compose the global Internet...
before TCP/IP.
UB specialized in large enterprise networks connecting computer systems and devices from multiple vendors, which was unusual in the 1980s. At that time most network equipment came from computer manufacturers and usually used only protocols compatible with that one manufacturer's computer systems, such as IBM's SNA or DEC
Digital Equipment Corporation
Digital Equipment Corporation was a major American company in the computer industry and a leading vendor of computer systems, software and peripherals from the 1960s to the 1990s...
's DECNet
DECnet
DECnet is a suite of network protocols created by Digital Equipment Corporation, originally released in 1975 in order to connect two PDP-11 minicomputers. It evolved into one of the first peer-to-peer network architectures, thus transforming DEC into a networking powerhouse in the 1980s...
. Many UB products initially used the XNS protocol suite and later transitioned to TCP/IP as it became an industry standard in the late 1980s.
UB marketed a broadband
Broadband
The term broadband refers to a telecommunications signal or device of greater bandwidth, in some sense, than another standard or usual signal or device . Different criteria for "broad" have been applied in different contexts and at different times...
(in the original technical sense) version of Ethernet
Ethernet
Ethernet is a family of computer networking technologies for local area networks commercially introduced in 1980. Standardized in IEEE 802.3, Ethernet has largely replaced competing wired LAN technologies....
known as 10BROAD36
10BROAD36
10BROAD36 is an obsolete computer network standard in the Ethernet family. It was developed during the 1980s and specified in IEEE 802.3b-1985....
in the mid 1980s. It was generally seen as hard to install.
UB was one of the first network manufacturers to sell equipment that implemented Ethernet over twisted pair
Ethernet over twisted pair
Ethernet over twisted pair technologies use twisted-pair cables for the physical layer of an Ethernet computer network. Other Ethernet cable standards employ coaxial cable or optical fiber. Early versions developed in the 1980s included StarLAN followed by 10BASE-T. By the 1990s, fast, inexpensive...
wiring. UB's AccessOne product line initially used the pre-standard StarLAN
StarLAN
StarLAN was the first implementation of 1 megabit per second Ethernet over twisted pair wiring. It was standardized by the standards association of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers as 802.3e in 1986, as the 1BASE5 version of Ethernet.-Description:StarLAN was developed by AT&T...
and, when it became standard, 10BASE-T
10BASE-T
Ethernet over twisted pair technologies use twisted-pair cables for the physical layer of an Ethernet computer network. Other Ethernet cable standards employ coaxial cable or optical fiber. Early versions developed in the 1980s included StarLAN followed by 10BASE-T. By the 1990s, fast, inexpensive...
.
UB was bought by Tandem Computers
Tandem Computers
Tandem Computers, Inc. was the dominant manufacturer of fault-tolerant computer systems for ATM networks, banks, stock exchanges, telephone switching centers, and other similar commercial transaction processing applications requiring maximum uptime and zero data loss. The company was founded in...
in 1988. UB was sold in 1997 by Tandem to Newbridge Networks
Newbridge Networks
Newbridge Networks was an Ottawa, Ontario, Canada company founded by Welsh-Canadian entrepreneur Sir Terry Matthews. It was founded in 1986 to create data and voice networking products after Matthews was forced out of his original company Mitel...
. Over the next several months, Newbridge laid off the bulk of the Ungermann-Bass employees, and closed the doors of the Santa Clara operation. Newbridge was later acquired by Alcatel
Alcatel
Alcatel Mobile Phones is a brand of mobile handsets. It was established in 2004 as a joint venture between Alcatel-Lucent of France and TCL Communication of China....
, a French telecommunications company.
External links
- http://www.historyofcomputercommunications.info/Organizations/Startups/Ungerman-Bass/UngermanBassHome.html A HISTORY OF COMPUTER COMMUNICATIONS: 1968 -1988: UNGERMAN-BASS[sic] IN BRIEF