FORE SYSTEMS INTRODUCES ATM-READY ETHERNET SWITCH WITH INDUSTRY'S MOST
ADVANCED NETWORK MANAGEMENT CAPABILITIES NEXT-GENERATION ARCHITECTURE
COMBINED WITH SOFTWARE TO PROVIDE USERS WITH AFFORDABLE PORT-LEVEL RMON
SUPPORT FORE SYSTEMS CONTACTS:

Pittsburgh, PA - September 18, 1995 - FORE Systems, Inc. (Nasdaq:FORE), the
worldwide leader in local area networking products based on asynchronous
transfer mode (ATM) technology, today introduced the ForeRunner ES-3810,
the first in a family of ATM-ready Ethernet switches. The ES-3810 provides
high-performance desktop connectivity with a clear migration path to ATM.

The ForeRunner ES-3810 was developed by FORE's new Ethernet Switching Group
and is the first product resulting from FORE's acquisition of Applied
Network Technology Inc. (ANT). The ForeRunner ES- 3810 incorporates the
industry's most advanced network management solution for switched Ethernet
and ATM networks. The switch is based on award-winning distributed
store-and-forward switching technology and comes ready to integrate FORE
Systems' industry leading ATM technology. "More and more companies are
alleviating the desktop bandwidth crunch with Ethernet switches. Proactive
network management solutions are a critical component for optimizing
Ethernet switching technology, and the ES-3810 provides these solutions.
Network administrators must have all of the tools necessary to monitor and
control the entire network end-to-end," explained Abbot Gilman, marketing
director with FORE's Ethernet Switching Group.

The ForeRunner ES-3810 not only provides network managers with
next-generation switching, but also enables them to take advantage of the
industry's most advanced network management tools - in one package. "FORE
is one of the few vendors that has recognized the importance of network
management to the switched Ethernet and ATM environment," said Charlie
Robbins, vice president of communications research for Aberdeen Group.
"They have combined ANT's hardware- based network management functionality
with FORE's suite of network management software to develop a product
family that offers the ability to accelerate Ethernet switching's adoption
as an effective, real- world solution. And with ForeView Network
Management Software users can easily migrate to an ATM environment when
ready."

COMPREHENSIVE NETWORK MANAGEMENT FUNCTIONALITY

The ForeRunner ES-3810 features hardware-embedded agents and statistic
counters, enabling users to take advantage of the industry's only
integrated SNMP/RMON agent for complete RMON support on each LAN segment
or port. The ForeRunner ES-3810 also works with FORE's ForeView Network
Management Software, an SNMP-based suite of network management
applications that allows users to customize the configuration of the
network and collect information about the operation of the network.
Additionally, ForeView provides network mapping, automatic component
inventory and VLAN configuration capabilities. FORE offers users a variety
of network management options. The ES-3810 provides console management
capability using SNMP through the serial port. Users can also select a
standalone version of ForeView running on Windows NT, Sun OS, Sun Solaris,
or HP-UX. FORE offers RMON support via Hewlett-Packard's
OpenView/ProbeView.

FLEXIBLE CONFIGURATIONS TO MEET WORKGROUP AND BACKBONE NEEDS

FORE offers two pre-configured ForeRunner ES-3810 LAN switches and three
add-on modules to allow users to customize a flexible and scalable
Ethernet switching solution to meet current and future networking needs.
Additionally, the ES-3810 is ATM-ready in anticipation of FORE's shipment
of a user-installable ATM add-on module in the first half of 1996.

"Our base-level configurations, combined with our add-on modules, enable
FORE to deliver a building-block approach to LAN switching. Users can
start today with a 16- or 24-port entry-level package and then simply add
10 Mbps or 100Base-T ports as well as increased management capabilities
and ATM functionality," said Gilman. The ForeRunner ES-3810 pre-configured
models include the ForeRunner ES-3810/16 and ES-3810/24M. The ES-3810/16
is a LAN switch with 16 10 Mbps ports and out-of-band management
capabilities via a serial port. The ForeRunner ES-3810/24M is an
in-band-managed SNMP/RMON LAN switch with 24 10 Mbps ports. FORE also
provides a 24-port add-on module, an SNMP/RMON (all nine groups) add-on
management module, as well as a 100Base- T two-port add-on module to allow
users to configure the switching solution that best meets their needs.

INDUSTRY LEADING PERFORMANCE

At the heart of the ForeRunner ES-3810 product family is next- generation
distributed store-and-forward switching technology via a set of
Application Specific Switched Silicon (AS3), improved ASICs for 100Base-T,
10 Mbps switched Ethernet and network management. Each chip has one or two
ports with its own address database, MAC, Encoding/Decoding (ENDEC) and
memory. The high-speed 640 Mbps packet bus and distributed
store-and-forward switching architecture allow forwarding, filtering and
station migration right at the port level. This design means that packets
need only travel over the bus once. The result is extremely low latency
and fast throughput.

The ForeRunner ES-3810 provides 61 microseconds latency, wire- speed
forwarding/filtering and sustained transfer rates of over one- million
packets per second. Port overflows are prevented with a 256 KB buffer at
each 10 Mbps port and a 1 MB buffer at each 100Base- TX port, the largest
fixed-buffer currently available in an Ethernet switch.

Each ForeRunner ES-3810 measures 4 3/4-inches (h) by 17-inches (w) by
10-inches (d) and can incorporate a variety of configurations, including
up to 72 ports in the same enclosure. It can be mounted in a rack, stacked
on a desktop or installed in a wiring closet.

PRICING AND AVAILABILITY

FORE's ForeRunner ES-3810 is available immediately through selected
distribution partners. Pricing is available upon request from FORE's
distributors. (To request a list of FORE's international distributors call
any FORE contact listed at the beginning of this release.)

Configurations include:

   ForeRunner ES-3810/16
      (out-of-band-managed 16-port 10 Mbps LAN switch)
   ForeRunner ES-3810/24M
      (SNMP/RMON-managed 24-port 10 Mbps LAN switch)
   ESM-24: 24-port add-on module for ForeRunner ES-3810
   NMM: SNMP/RMON add-on module for ForeRunner  ES-3810
   FEM-2/TX: 100Base-TX two-port add-on module for ForeRunner ES-3810

ABOUT FORE SYSTEMS

FORE Systems is the worldwide leader in the design, development,
manufacture and sale of high-performance local-area networking products
based on ATM (Asynchronous Transfer Mode) technology. FORE offers the most
comprehensive ATM LAN product line available today, including ForeRunner
switches, adapter cards, LAN access products, video adapters, ForeThought
internetworking software and ForeView network management software.

FORE acquired its Ethernet Switching Group (based in Westford, Mass.) in
May of 1995. The Ethernet Switching Group was formerly Applied Network
Technology Inc., an innovator in high-performance, low cost Ethernet and
Fast Ethernet switching solutions. With the acquisition of Applied Network
Technology, FORE has added Ethernet switching solutions to its acclaimed
ForeRunner product line.

FORE has delivered ATM solutions to over 600 customers, including Fortune
500 companies, telecommunications service providers, government agencies,
research institutions and universities. FORE Systems' headquarters are
located at 174 Thorn Hill Road, Warrendale, Pennsylvania 15086. FORE
Systems can be reached by telephone at (412) 772-6600, by fax at (412)
772-6500, or by Internet at info@fore.com or http://www.fore.com.
 
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