Whitetree Delivers High-Performance LAN Emulation Services For Adaptable
WS3000 Workgroup Switch

PALO ALTO, CALIF.,- January 22, 1996 - Whitetree, Inc., a developer of
workgroup Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM) products, announced today the
immediate availability of version 2.1 software for the Whitetree WS3000
Workgroup Switch. The new software features ATM Forum-compliant LAN
Emulation Services (LANES) for seamless connectivity between Ethernet and
ATM in today's existing local area networks.

LANES is Whitetree's high-performance implementation of the LAN Emulation
specification issued by the ATM Forum. LAN Emulation is key to bringing
ATM into production local area networks as it provides transparent
internetworking of existing networked applications in an ATM or mixed
ATM/Ethernet environment. Unlike any other implementation available today,
Whitetree's LAN emulation capability is embedded into each Whitetree
switch to maximize performance and minimize the complexity associated with
external LAN Emulation. Whitetree's LANES is also unique in that its
implementation has no CPU in the data path, thereby ensuring high
performance in all LAN applications.

"LAN Emulation is absolutely pivotal in enabling 'production' ATM to the
desktop," said Trudy Barker, director of the Networking Service at
Dataquest, a San Jose, Calif.-based industry research firm. "Today's
corporate networks cannot support ATM without LAN Emulation, nor should
these organizations be expected to disrupt large existing local area
networks. Whitetree's delivery of LAN Emulation demonstrates their
commitment to inter-operating with existing networks."

In addition to allowing interoperability between ATM and Ethernet,
Whitetree's LANES also enable the configuration of logical workgroups or
emulated LANs (ELANs), eliminating the physical constraints of the local
area network design. LANES has the ability to logically emulate the
attributes of a physical LAN irrespective of its physical location in the
network. Each WS3000 is capable of supporting multiple ELANs in a switch
or across a network. Ports of any given switch, switch stack or network
may be members of a single ELAN. ATM-attached end stations may be members
of multiple ELANs; and, using Whitetree's LAN Emulation Configuration
Server (LECS), ELAN configuration is managed on a network-wide basis.

Whitetree's LANES include the LAN Emulation Server (LES), the Broadcast and
Unknown Server (BUS), the LAN Emulation Configuration Server (LECS) and
the LAN Emulation Client (LEC). A LES and BUS exist for each emulated LAN
represented in the switch. Unique to Whitetree's LANES implementation, the
broadcast function of the BUS is hardware- assisted, providing optimal
performance in a broadcast/multicast environment. The LEC component is an
802.3-type bridging client and assures wire-speed performance to all ports
operating in Ethernet mode.

The Whitetree WS3000 Workgroup Switch

The WS3000 is a 12-port stackable switch that provides automatic
adaptability between switched Ethernet and ATM to the desktop, easing the
migration to ATM-based networking. The WS3000, with its optional Stacking
Bus module, can be stacked up to 12 ports high (or 144 desktop ports) for
scalable performance up to 6.4 Gbps average aggregate capacity. The switch
also supports high-speed ATM networking with its optional ATM155 Network
Option module for connectivity to backbone ATM switch/router, server or
client end stations. ATM25 adapters are available from Whitetree and
compliance with ATM Forum standard UNI 3.0/3.1 switched virtual circuit
signaling assures interoperability with all standard ATM25 adapters as
they become available.

Pricing and Availability

Whitetree offers one of the lowest prices per port in its market. Pricing
for the WS3000 starts at $650 per port and $7,795 for the 12 ports of
switched Ethernet and ATM25. Version 2.1 of the Whitetree WS3000 Workgroup
Switch is available immediately. For further information on the WS3000,
customers should contact Whitetree at (415) 855-0855 or via fax at (415)
855-0864. Information about the company and its products can also be
obtained via Email at info@whitetree.com or URL http://www.whitetree.com.

About Whitetree, Inc.

Whitetree, Inc. is a pioneer and supplier of high-value desktop local area
network products based on Asynchronous Transfer Mode technology. The
company is the first to develop 'adaptable switching,' an innovative
technology that delivers advanced workgroup connectivity by combining the
benefits of switched Ethernet with next-generation ATM to the desktop.
Whitetree distributes its products worldwide through strategic
partnerships with leading value added resellers, system integrators and
OEMs including Madge Networks and Mitsui & Co., Ltd. The company is funded
by several premier venture capital firms including Institutional Venture
Partners, Matrix Partners and Greylock. Founded in 1993, Whitetree is
headquartered in Palo Alto, Calif.

Contact:
Kurt Bauer
Whitetree, Inc.
(415) 855-0870
kbauer@whitetree.com

Shannon Hall
Jennifer Logan
The Horn Group, Inc.
(415) 579-6400
shannon@horngroup.com
 
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