Asante Rolls Out Complete Line of PC Token Ring Interface Cards, Expands
MacRing Family of Token Ring Cards 

First PC cards to use new single chip Token Ring controller technology from
National Semiconductor

Sunnyvale, CA, 5/11/92--Asante Technologies, Inc., the market leader in
high performance Macintosh network products, today moved closer to its
goal of becoming a comprehensive network products company by introducing a
series of Token Ring adapter cards aimed at the PC and compatibles market.
In addition to the new PC products, Asante today announced two additions
to its MacRing family of Token Ring adapter cards for Macintosh computers.
Announced in conjunction with an intelligent 10BaseT hub and a complete
family of PC Ethernet cards, this move is another step towards Asante's
long term goal to become a comprehensive network products company.

TokenPaC, the Token Ring personal adapter cards for IBM PCs and
compatibles, are the first to announce the use of National Semiconductor's
Token Ring Protocol Interface Controller, called TROPIC, the result of a
technology alliance between IBM and National Semiconductor. Based on IBM
tested and certified microcode and chip design to ensure compatibility,
the TROPIC controller provides full 4/16 Mbps network speeds without risk
of signal mis-timing or "jitter". This improves Token Ring network
reliability by minimizing a signal's sensitivity to distance, allowing
businesses to construct larger Token Ring networks.

"The technology alliance between IBM and National Semiconductor provides
third-party vendors with a 100% IBM compatible Token Ring controller
solution," explained Wilson Wong, Asante president and CEO. "This will in
turn lower the cost of Token Ring cards and increase the acceptance of
Token Ring by end users."

Asante also expanded its family of MacRing cards which enable a Macintosh
to connect to IEEE 802.2 and 802.5 Token Ring networks at both 4 and 16
Mbps speeds. With the addition of these MacRing cards, any Macintosh with
an internal slot can now be connected to a Token Ring network, providing
immediate access to PCs, other Macs, Novell file servers, and IBM
mainframe and midrange systems at high Token Ring speeds.

"Our new line of PC Token Ring cards complements our full family of
Macintosh Token Ring adapter cards," said Wilson Wong. "Now that Asante
offers the widest selection of Token Ring and Ethernet connectivity
solutions, users can come to us for all their high-performance PC and Mac
networking needs. We will continue to expand our LAN products family until
every personal computer and workstation may be networked together
easily."

The Token Ring Market

According to research conducted by International Data Corporation (IDC),
worldwide shipments of Token Ring will increase at a 23% Compound Annual
Growth Rate (CGAR) from 1990 to 1995.1 IDC forecasts that the installed
base of Token Ring connected PCs will be just under 22 million by year-end
1995, and the installed based of Ethernet connected PCs will be over 32
million by the end of 1995.2

TokenPaC Features

Compliant with all IEEE 802.2 and 802.5 specifications for Token Ring, the
TokenPaC series cards enable ISA, MCA and EISA personal computers to
connect to a Token Ring network. The cards are 100% IBM compatible and
will run all IBM network software including IBM's own 3270 communications
packages and IBM's LAN Server software. The cards support all popular
network operating systems and protocols, including Novell NetWare,
Microsoft LAN Manager, Banyan Vines, and TCP/IP. As with all of Asante's
cards, the TokenPaC series cards are backed by a 5 year warranty with 100%
repair or replacement.

MacRing Features

Asante's existing line of MacRing Token Ring cards for the Macintosh SE and
II family (NuBus) of computers has been expanded to enable Macintosh LC,
LC II, SE/30 and IIsi computers to connect to a Token Ring network. As
with Asante's PC adapter cards, the MacRing series cards comply with all
IEEE 802.2 and 802.5 specifications for Token Ring. The cards are
compatible with Apple System 7, TokenTalk, Novell NetWare, Apple IPC,
Mac-to-IBM 3270 emulation software, Microsoft LAN Manager, and Banyan
Vines.

Pricing and Availability

The TokenPaC network interface cards for ISA and MCA personal computers
each have a suggested retail price of $699. The ISA card will ship in June
and the MCA card will ship in the fall. The MacRing for LC card supports
both Macintosh LC and LC II computers. The MacRing for IIsi supports both
Macintosh IIsi and SE/30 computers. The MacRing network interface cards
each have a suggested retail price of $599 and will ship in June. The
TokenPaC and MacRing series cards will be exhibited at PC Expo in booth #
2032.

About Asante

Founded in 1988, Asante Technologies, Inc. manufactures the industry's most
complete line of high-performance network products for personal computers.
Asante leads the industry in Macintosh Ethernet adapter sales through the
distribution channel.

All Asante products strictly adhere to the IEEE specifications for Ethernet
and Token Ring. They support a variety of network operating systems and
protocols including AppleShare, NetWare, 3+ Open, TCP/IP, DECnet and all
AFP-compatible software. All Asante products are 100% quality assurance
tested before shipping and are backed by free technical support and
Asante's five year product warranty.

Leading Fortune 500 corporations, universities and government agencies have
standardized on the Asante product line. Asante products are distributed
through Ingram Micro, Merisel and Tech Data. Asante Technologies is
located at 404 Tasman Drive, Sunnyvale, CA 94089, 408-752-8388.

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