NEW NETMETER TRACKS NETWORK TRAFFIC WITH MOVIES, PICTURES, SOUNDS, MORE

Use the Modules or Build Your Own Multimedia Network Monitor! 

Walnut Creek, CA--October 9, 1995--Returning to the creative roots of the
Macintosh, The AG Group today shipped NetMeter, a real time network
monitoring application which displays network traffic data in a variety of
customizable "meter" formats. Each meter is a simple visual or audio
presentation of specific pieces of network information selected by the
user, allowing network managers to zero in on devices and traffic
important in their specific network environments. The first release
includes eight meter interfaces. A kit explaining how users can create
their own multimedia Ethernet network monitoring modules as well as
newly-created modules by users and AG Group engineers will be distributed
via an Internet site hosted by The AG Group and may be considered for
later release with commercial versions of NetMeter. 

"We've been doing things on the Mac platform that can't be done on any
other platform," explained Mahboud Zabetian, Vice President of R&D. "So we
thought we'd highlight our Macintosh roots by allowing network managers to
exercise some self-expression--and give the product a focus on simple,
valuable information." 

NetMeter Description

NetMeter is a way of viewing network traffic data collected by AG Group's
Satellite? data collection engine. Previously, only AG Group's Skyline?
application could be used for this purpose. NetMeter provides real-time
information with a variety of options for focusing meters on specific data
points of interest. Data options include: 

- Overall network utilization
- Single node
- Single protocol or subprotocol
- Specific conversation (e.g. client-server)
- All packets of a certain protocol sourced from a particular node

NetMeter provides status on chosen data with just a glance. Display options
include percent utilization, packets/second, bytes/second, and
bits/second. This flexibility in data retrieval and display allows network
managers to create a command center for monitoring relevant devices and
traffic types. For example, users can set up individual meter to monitor
routers for packet count and servers for packet size since these are the
relevant indicators of health for these devices. 

Types of Meters

The 1.0 release of NetMeter includes 8 meter modules:

- Text Meter: Displays traffic levels in numbers. 

- Traffic Signal: Displays a traffic signal: green indicates healthy
levels, yellow raises caution and red indicates a threshold has been
crossed. 

- Strip Chart: Shows traffic levels over time, as if on a long, moving
strip of paper. 

- Movie Meter: Shows traffic levels as frames of a QuickTime movie, such as
a face moving from sleepy to wide awake or a container of water going from
empty to full. 

- W Meter: Traffic appears as a needle on a voltmeter or auto speedometer.


- Speaking Meter: Speaks actual values. 

- Music Meter: Represents levels and traffic types with musical instruments
and tones. 

- Phrase Meter: Represents different gradations of traffic by speaking
phrases. 

As the list above indicates, possibilities for meter interfaces are
limitless. 

Pricing, Availability and System Requirements

NetMeter 1.0 is available now. The package includes the NetMeter
Application, eight NetMeter Modules and one Satellite data collection
engine. NetMeter customers wishing to deploy additional Satellites for
multiple segment, WAN monitoring may purchase additional Satellites.
NetMeter customers seeking more sophisticated traffic browsing and
historical traffic data receive a coupon allowing them to buy the Skyline
application for $399. 

NetMeter with one Satellite lists in the U.S. and Canada for $395 with
discounts available for education, developer, and government accounts. The
product can be purchased from MacWarehouse, Ingram Micro (North America
only) AG Group resellers, international distributors and directly from The
AG Group, Inc. Additional Satellites are available in 1-, 5- and 10-packs.
Pricing car be summarized as follows: 

Item Description List Price

NetMeter/Satellite. NetMeter and 1 Satellite data collection engine. Also
includes a coupon to purchase Skyline, an alternate browsing application
with historical capabilities, for $399.          $395 

NetMeter. NetMeter alone; for Skyline/Satellite owners only. $149

Satellite 1-Pack. 1 Satellite data collection agent. $300

Satellite 5-Pack. Data collection agents for up to 5 remote Ethernet
segments. $1,195 

Satellite 10-Pack. Data collection agents for up to 10 remote Ethernet
segments. $1,995 

All AG Group products include free telephone, e-mail and fax support for
the life of the product and a 90-day free update period. As an alternative
to purchasing upgrades to NetMeter, registered NetMeter owners may
purchase extended maintenance, thereby increasing the 90-day update period
by 12 or 24 months. Annual maintenance provides priority technical
support, automatic shipment of product upgrades and updates, "TechTips"
mailings, free utility software and more. NetMeter 12-month service
contracts are $90 in the U.S. 

NetMeter runs on any Macintosh IIx or higher, including native on
PowerPC-based Macintosh computers and requires System 7.1. Satellite
requires System 7.1 or higher on a Macintosh IIci or higher and a
supported Ethernet interface (Satellite currently supports over 50 cards
and built-in ports; please contact The AG Group or refer to any online
location for a complete list of supported interfaces). 

About the AG Group

The AG Group specializes in software tools for troubleshooting, optimizing,
maintaining and expanding multivendor computer networks. The primary
objective of the company is to develop powerful, affordable network
management products which are easy to learn and easier to use. While all
AG Group products run on Macintosh to take advantage of its intuitive
interface and support for color and sound, they are designed to support
mixed-platform and multiple-protocol installations. The company was
founded in early 1990 by Timothy McCreery and Mahboud Zabetian. The AG
Group is located at 2540 Camino Diablo, Suite 200, Walnut Creek, CA 94596.
Telephone (800) 466-2447 or (510) 937-7900. FAX (510) 937-2479. Internet:
info@aggroup.com. AppleLink: AG.Group. Compuserve: 74431,2500. eWorld:
AGGROUP. Worldwide Web Server: http://www.aggroup.com/
 
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