Small Tree’s new GbE cards provide an immediate performance increase

Small Tree Communications, designers and manufacturers of high-performance networking products for Mac OS X, introduces a series of multi-port, Intel-based, RoHS-compliant PCI-X Gigabit Ethernet (GbE) cards offering users greater integration flexibility (Web site). Ideal for data center and enterprise installations, Small Tree’s new GbE cards provide an immediate performance increase on large transfers and feature solutions for short- and long-distance connectivity. A six-port GbE card, Small Tree’s PGX6iSFP brings unique flexibility to the market. Featuring six empty Small Form-factor Pluggable (SFP) sockets, the PGX6iSFP can be customized to simultaneously meet optical and copper networking requirements. Customers can specify which sockets should be dedicated for optical or copper use. Additionally, users have the option of populating only those sockets necessary for current needs, leaving open the opportunity of tailoring remaining ports for future specifications. The PGX6iSFP costs $949, plus $99 per copper SFP and $149 per optical SFP. For smaller installations, Small Tree has created a dual port SFP card — the PGX2iSFP — for $275, plus $99 or $149 for copper or optical SFP modules, respectively. In addition to its newest SFP products, Small Tree unveils the PGX4iF, the densest plug-in optical card currently available. A cost-effective solution — available for $1,599 — the PGX4iF enables long-distance optical multi-network connectivity with one Apple xServe. “Delivery speed is essential in today’s business environment, and Small Tree is dedicated to providing economical, high-performance enterprise solutions,” stated Corky Seeber, president of Small Tree Communications. “Used in conjunction with Small Tree’s leading-edge Mac OS X drivers, our multi-port, Intel-based GbE cards improve network bandwidth, transparent load balancing among ports and critical fail-over if one or more ports become disabled. Available now for use with PCI-X, we expect PCI-E variants to be available by the third quarter.” Additionally, in accordance with manufacturing RoHS-compliant products, Small Tree has replaced its six-port PGX6 card with the Intel-based PGX6i. Customers can expect the same reliability and performance they have come to expect with the PGX6 card in the more environmentally friendly PGX6i.