Competition Takes a Back Seat to Education As Companies Join Forces to
Deploy World's Largest Event-Oriented Interoperability Demonstration

FOSTER CITY, CA (September 5, 1995) - The latest in enterprise-wide network
technology will be deployed through the InteropNet, the world's largest
event-oriented multiprotocol, multivendor network at the NetWorld+Interop
95 Atlanta Conference and Exhibition, September 25-29 at the Georgia World
Congress Center (GWCC).

The InteropNet will supply an anticipated 50,000 attendees with a
full-scale networking and interoperability platform that offers exhibitors
both stability for interoperability demonstrations as well as the
opportunity to test leading-edge technologies in the networking industry.
This unique opportunity brings direct marketplace competitors together to
create networking solutions in the name of education and open industry
standards. The InteropNet is a technological phenomena that is deployed,
maintained and torn down in less than two weeks, and supports seven
NetWorld+Interop events around the world.

"The challenges of the InteropNet mirror the interoperability and
connectivity demands placed on today's business organizations. The people
responsible for buying the technology and services that will meet or
exceed these demands look at the InteropNet as a proof of concept for open
solutions that successfully integrate multivendor, cross-protocol
environments," said Mike Millikin, Senior Vice President of
NetWorld+Interop. "The InteropNet creates an environment where buyers can
see advanced standards-based solutions at work. Additionally, the
InteropNet functions as a proving ground for emerging, leading- edge
technologies as they come ready for production-class deployment."

The 6,000 node InteropNet comprises more than 4,000 pieces of equipment,
valued at over $15 million, and approximately 130 miles of cable, most of
which is donated by exhibitors through the InteropNet Contributors Program
[see attached list]. The InteropNet is designed, implemented and operated
by members of the Network Operations Center (NOC) team. The NOC team is
comprised of volunteers who are the top experts from industry, government
and academic sectors of the networking industry.

What's Unique About the Atlanta 95 InteropNet?

The hallmark of the Atlanta 95 InteropNet design is that it is a modular
network. The same network that is used at NetWorld+Interop 95 Paris (and
past 1995 NetWorld+Interop events) will be expanded to work in
Atlanta--within a mere two week time frame. The InteropNet is also
designed to connect exhibitors to each other as well as to the rest of the
world with its links to the Internet. For the first time ever, the
InteropNet's connectivity to the Internet will include Frame Relay over a
DS3 link and will be running at 90 Mbps--a speed roughly 50 times greater
than the typical university or corporate enterprise network. In addition,
wireless technology (used at some of the highest speeds on the market)
will be used to connect the InteropNet to attendees at four surrounding
area hotels.

ATM on the InteropNet

Despite the challenges of reaching over 500 exhibitors in two separate
halls, the InteropNet successfully implements two different backbones-
-ATM and FDDI--that connect multiple vendor networks, from legacy to the
latest in the industry. The InteropNet for Atlanta is the largest
multivendor ATM network that has ever been built, and will feature
interoperating ATM products from ten different vendors. It is also the
largest ATM Forum-compliant LAN Emulation (LANE) network every built and
the first to use routers supporting LAN Emulation.

"In past shows, we pioneered the use of ATM to develop the InteropNet
backbone," said Jim Martin, Lead Engineer of the InteropNet. "In Atlanta,
we plan to take that ATM backbone a step further - building the largest
multivendor, ATM Forum-compliant LAN Emulation network ever. The
InteropNet will once again bring together competitors in the name of
education."

Live Internet Broadcasts Via the InteropNet

An InteropNet technology highlight at the Atlanta show will be the
real-time broadcast of the four keynote speeches and some special
conference sessions via the InteropNet for public access on the Internet.
Using CU-SeeMe, full audio and video desktop videoconferencing software
jointly developed by White Pine Software and Cornell University, Internet
browsers and attendees of N+I Online! can download live broadcasts of the
keynote speeches and some of the conference sessions. To access the
broadcasts, users will need a Web browser, and basic audio/video
capabilities.

To experience the InteropNet, attendees can take self-guided tours or sign
up for a free guided tour led by members of the NOC team. The guided
InteropNet tours will start in the GWCC main lobby and will be led every
hour. Attendess can also access the InteropNet by using the Network
Applications Centers located throughout the GWCC, seeing the new
technology Solutions Showcase Demonstrations area in G Hall, and visiting
exhibitor booths (marked with "I'm connected to the InteropNet" signs) to
see a variety of vendor product demonstrations run off the InteropNet.

NetWorld+Interop is a comprehensive networking event that offers a
combination of conferences, tutorials, workshops, exhibits and interactive
technology demonstrations. Launched in Las Vegas in 1994, NetWorld+Interop
also produces events in London, Sydney, Frankfurt, Tokyo, Atlanta and
Paris. These events have been widely hailed as The Summit for Networking
and Computing Professionals. The Summit addresses the business, technology
and product issues of the networking industry.

NetWorld+Interop is the world's foremost networking event where attendees
can actually test, inspect and experience new and emerging networking
technologies before making critical purchasing decisions. NetWorld+Interop
information is available on-line through the World Wide Web
(http://www.interop.com).

N+I Online!, the first Virtual Trade Show on the Internet, takes place two
weeks before, during and two weeks after each NetWorld+Interop worldwide,
bringing buyers and sellers together more effectively. Attendees can
research the latest in exhibitor product information, technology
conference offerings and show events at http://www.interop.com.
 
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