Cabletron Adds Fast Ethernet To SmartSwitch Family of Highly Manageable
Switching Solutions

Strengthens Portfolio With Industry's First Fast Ethernet Switches to
Support Embedded Virtual Routing s

ROCHESTER, NH -- May 13, 1996 -- Cabletron Systems (NYSE:CS), the leading
provider of high-performance intranet solutions, today broadened its
portfolio of enterprise-wide Fast Ethernet products with the announcement
of six new switches for the industry-leading SmartSwitch family of highly
manageable and reliable switches. Through support for Cabletron's
SecureFast Virtual Networking software, the new switches are the
industry's first Fast Ethernet offerings to support embedded virtual
routing.

The new SmartSwitch Fast Ethernet products deploy Cabletron's innovative
SmartSwitch ASIC technology, providing customers with a consistent set of
high-level features under an architecture that spans the desktop to the
backbone. When deployed, the products augment the throughput and
performance of existing LANs with Fast Ethernet and provide high-speed
connectivity options for linking workgroups and servers. The products also
address the growing demand for additional switched network infrastructure
options through switch-to-switch and switch-to-server connections.

"Incorporating Fast Ethernet into the SmartSwitch family allows customers
to leverage the technology for building high-speed networks, while
maintaining enterprise-level capabilities such as advanced management and
virtual network services," said Michael Skubisz, Cabletron's director of
product marketing. "With our SmartSwitch, ATX, Fast Network and stackable
product lines, Cabletron offers the industry's most comprehensive Fast
Ethernet offering, with products available for virtually every segment of
the market."

The SecureFast Advantage - Advanced Virtual Networking All of the new
SmartSwitch Fast Ethernet products introduced today support Cabletron's
SecureFast Virtual Networking software for implementing and managing
switched virtual intranetworks. SecureFast allows customers to embed
layer-three virtual routing services directly in the Fast Ethernet
switches, making enterprise networks easier to administer and providing
key tools for managing and defining policy for user access to essential
resources on corporate intranets.

The new switches also support advanced management features including alarm
thresholding, full error breakdown, redundant links and embedded remote
monitoring (RMON) per port. All of the switches support Full Duplex
operation allowing for extended transmission distances and collision-free
connectivity. In addition, the switches deliver multicast and broadcast
storm protection to provide proactive, self-healing management
capabilities. These mission critical 'SmartSwitch' features, combined with
support for SecureFast, uniquely position Cabletron's Fast Ethernet
switches as the industry's most highly manageable.

THE SMARTSWITCH 10/100

The SmartSwitch 10/100 scales Cabletron's best-of-breed SecureFast
switching technology to the standalone/stackable market. Combining
fourteen 10Mbps Ethernet ports with two high-speed 100BASE-TX or
100BASE-FX interfaces, the SmartSwitch 10/100 is intended for workgroups
or backbones requiring a high degree of management, as well as advanced
virtual networking capabilities.

The fixed-configuration SmartSwitch 10/100 offers Full Duplex support on
all interfaces, with support for IEEE Auto-Negotiation on the 100BASE-TX
ports. The product also supports a unique port mirroring function,
allowing analyzers and/or RMON2 probes to be connected to individual or
multiple ports on the switch.

Cabletron Adds Fast Ethernet to MMAC and Workgroup SmartSwitches To address
Fast Ethernet for the wiring closet and workgroup environments, Cabletron
is introducing two new network interface modules for the MMAC SmartSwitch
and Workgroup SmartSwitch platforms.

With six ports of 100BASE-TX connectivity, the SmartSwitch Fast Ethernet
Network Interface Module (7H02-06) brings high-speed connectivity to
Cabletron's installed base of over 90,000 Multi Media Access Center (MMAC)
chassis. With the new module, the MMAC can be configured to accommodate up
to 12 ports of Fast Ethernet connectivity. The modular nature of the MMAC
SmartSwitch allows customers to uplink to high-speed FDDI and ATM
networks, while still providing Ethernet connectivity.

Similar to the Fast Ethernet module for the MMAC SmartSwitch, but with 12
100BASE-TX interfaces, the new Fast Ethernet Network Interface Module for
the Workgroup SmartSwitch (7H02-12) is an ideal solution for larger
networking environments. The double density module provides the
flexibility to connect up to 30 high-speed workstations or servers within
a single Workgroup SmartSwitch chassis, with dual 100BASE-FX uplinks.

Cabletron is also introducing a dual-port SmartSwitch Fast Ethernet Uplink
module (7H06-02) for the MMAC and Workgroup SmartSwitch platforms.
Featuring full duplex operation and support for Auto-Negotiation, the
uplink module enables connectivity to a Fast Ethernet backbone from the
wiring closet or workgroup.

CABLETRON ADDS FAST ETHERNET TO MMAC-PLUS

For high-speed Fast Ethernet connectivity at the data center, Cabletron is
introducing two new modules for the MMAC-Plus. With this introduction,
Cabletron is the first to provide Fast Ethernet connectivity at the
high-end of the backbone switch market. The two new Fast Ethernet
SmartSwitch Modules (9H421-12 & 9H422-12) allow up to 168 separate
100BASE-TX or 100BASE-FX segments to be switched within a single MMAC-Plus
chassis.

The 100BASE-FX version of the module for the MMAC-Plus (9H421-12) provides
12 dedicated Fast Ethernet ports, while the 100BASE-TX version supports
Auto-Negotiation with 11 Fast Ethernet ports and an additional modular
interface for media flexibility. Both modules support Full Duplex
operation.

Cabletron Systems is the recognized leader in providing high-performance
intranetworking solutions, including LAN and ATM switches and advanced
network and systems management software. Under its Synthesis product
framework, Cabletron markets products throughout the world for linking and
managing enterprise-wide networks.

With corporate headquarters in Rochester, NH, Cabletron employs nearly
6,000 people worldwide. Cabletron's common stock is traded over the New
York Stock Exchange under the symbol CS. Over the last four quarters, the
company has reported record revenue of $1.1 billion. Cabletron's World
Wide Web site can be reached on the Internet at http//www.ctron.com.
Cabletron, SecureFast, MMAC, MMAC-Plus and SmartSwitch are trademarks or
registered trademarks of Cabletron Systems. All other products or services
found in this document are identified by the trademarks or service marks
of their respective companies or organizations.

CABLETRON SYSTEMS, INC.
(603) 332-9400
 
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