3Com, Cascade and IBM join forces to speed access to Internet and corporate Intranets.

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan. 28, 1997--

Companies Link Best-of-Class LAN and WAN IP Technologies to

Deliver Significantly Higher Performance Networks

Networking industry leaders, 3Com, Cascade and IBM today announced their plans to cooperate in the implementation of end-to-end IP switching solutions across enterprise and public networks. The solutions will be available later this year. This relationship will enable enterprises and network service providers to deploy new voice, video and graphical applications and services. Based on industry standards, the solutions will integrate best-of-class LAN and WAN technologies from 3Com, Cascade, and IBM to make corporate Intranets and Internet access faster.

These plans represent the first time that leading vendors in the networking industry have joined together to deliver an end-to-end IP switching solution for Intranets and Internet business applications. "IP" refers to software -- the Internet Protocol -- that forms the basis of communications over the Internet. "Switching" refers to networking technology that accelerates networks. The cooperative effort, utilizing industry standards, will speed network deployment faster than other efforts proposed in the marketplace.

The three vendors will deliver their solutions -- Fast IP from 3Com, Multiprotocol Switched Services (MSS) from IBM and IP Navigator from Cascade -- for production networks in second half of 1997. The companies plan to demonstrate interoperability of their IP switching solutions at the Networld+InterOp Networking Conference in Las Vegas, May 6?9, 1997.

"3Com has taken the initiative to bring together these networking industry leaders," said Eric Benhamou, chairman and CEO of 3Com. "Together we have the ability to provide customers with faster information access, marking a shift in networking technology that will propel the marketplace into the next dimension of networking."

LANs and WANs have very different network characteristics, consequently a single technology cannot address the IP performance requirements of both environments. This relationship enables users to take advantage of best-of-class IP technologies for each environment and derive the benefit of guaranteed end-to-end network performance. This also lays the foundation for the delivery of the Quality of Service (QoS) levels for which users are calling.

"We look forward to working with 3Com and IBM and to the interoperation of our IP technologies. This will provide the first integrated solution for attaching LAN and enterprise networks into our carrier-class WAN IP backbone networks," said Daniel E. Smith, president and CEO of Cascade Communications Corp. "This relationship is consistent with our IP Navigator strategy to interoperate with standard edge protocols, allowing network service providers to extend QoS from the WAN to the desktop."

"High performance corporate Intranets and Internet access based on multivendor standards are being implemented today as the next generation of networking needed by many of our customers," said Lutz Hahne, general manager of IBM's Networking Hardware Division. "3Com's Fast IP, Cascade's IP Navigator, and IBM's award-winning Multiprotocol Switched Services, each best-of-breed products, together bring a new dimension to enterprise-wide switched networks. These products solve today's traffic congestion problems and provide tomorrow's multimedia and network computing solutions," Mr. Hahne continued. "Quality of Service and virtual LANs, across the entire enterprise network, will now be possible. IBM's leadership in providing standards-based products will continue in IP switching with IBM's ARIS (Aggregate Route-Based IP Switching), which has been submitted to the IETF."

Together, the three companies address a significant portion of the LAN and WAN markets, making this a natural relationship. 3Com Corporation commands a 40 percent share of the Ethernet network interface card market worldwide (source: International Data Corporation) and 46 percent share of the desktop switch market worldwide (source: Dell'Oro Group). 3Com software runs on more than 40 million desktop computers. Cascade Communications Corp. is the worldwide Frame Relay market share leader, as reported by Vertical Systems Group, a leading communications industry research firm. An estimated 70 percent of all corporate data in the world resides on IBM servers.

Technical Highlights

3Com, Cascade and IBM will deliver the industry's first end-to-end IP solution by integrating their respective IP solutions using industry standards, specifically: the Next Hop Resolution Protocol (NHRP) and IETF RFC 1953 for LAN-to-WAN IP switching integration; and the NHRP, IEEE 802.1Q, and the IEEE 802.1p for LAN-to-LAN IP switching integration.

IBM and 3Com also announced today that they will offer seamless IP switching in LAN infrastructures in the form of standards-compliant specialized client software, which resides in servers and desktop clients. This software will provide enhanced network intelligence about available paths through the network and will ensure that the fastest path of transmission through the network is always taken, once appropriate security policies are applied by devices, such as routers, in the network.

"The beauty of IP switching technology is that it solves real customer problems in practical ways," said Larry Blair, vice president of marketing at Ipsilon. "This announcement by 3Com, Cascade and IBM broadens the applicability of IP switching for Intranet and Internet environments, which will no doubt have long-term implications for the growth of the market. We are pleased that Ipsilon's IFMP -- the IETF RFC 1953 -- is playing a role in that growth."

Technology Available in 1997

3Com's Fast IP is protocol-optimized, intelligent switching technology that simplifies, reduces the cost of and accelerates data transmission in Ethernet, Fast Ethernet, Token Ring, FDDI and ATM LAN infrastructures. Fast IP will be a standard feature in 3Com's full range of High-Function and Boundary LAN Switches and in 3Com's DynamicAccess' software for its full range of network interface cards. It will be available in the third quarter 1997, when the nearly 50 million 3Com users will be able to download Fast IP client software to their existing network interface cards from 3Com's World Wide Web Site.

IP Navigator is the industry's first carrier-class switching solution for IP wide area networks (WANs). IP Navigator combines the efficiency of WAN switching with the intelligence of IP routing in a single platform. IP Navigator extends across the entire Cascade product line, delivering IP transport with end-to-end QoS guarantees. Enhancements in the first half of 1997 to IBM's award-winning Multiprotocol Switched Services (MSS) server will include the industry standard Next Hop Routing Protocol (NHRP) which will allow high performance ATM campus backbones to participate in full end-to-end enterprise virtual LANs. IBM's MSS provides full connectivity among ATM attached devices at both bridge and router levels while reducing traffic with broadcast management and increasing performance with direct connections. Upgrades for existing MSS users will be available and configurable using a Web browser. The new MSS capabilities will operate with the IBM Nways 8270, 8271, 8272 LAN Switches, the IBM 8273 and 8274 Nways Route Switches, and the IBM 8260 Nways Multiprotocol Intelligent Switching Hub.

About 3Com Corporation

3Com Corporation (NASDAQ:COMS) has helped more than 45 million people gain access to critical information through high-speed networks. Designed to serve large enterprises, small offices and homes, 3Com products provide a scaleable architecture to meet the immediate and long-term connectivity needs of today's users. With research and development on three continents, 3Com is one of the data networking industry's largest and fastest growing companies. The company's innovative manufacturing, marketing, sales and support simplify communication, optimize network reliability and protect customer investments.

About Cascade Communications Corp.

Cascade Communications Corp. (NASDAQ:CSCC) is at the forefront of broadband data communications with its family of scalable, carrier-class Frame Relay, IP, ATM and Remote Access switching products. Used by public carriers and Internet service providers worldwide, Cascade products are forming the foundation of the public network infrastructure for global communications. Cascade is headquartered in Westford, Massachusetts, USA, with offices throughout the Americas, Europe and Asia/Pacific.

About IBM

IBM creates, develops and manufactures the world's most advanced information technologies, including computer systems, software, networking systems, storage devices, and microelectronics.

For more information about IBM, computer users can access the IBM Home Page at http://www.ibm.com . Information about networking products and technologies can be obtained at http://www.raleigh.ibm.com, via the IBM Fax Back Service at 1-800-IBM-4FAX [phone]) or by calling 800-IBM-3333.

-0-

3Com is a registered trademark and DynamicAccess is a trademark of 3Com Corporation. All other trademarks are property of their respective holders. IBM is a registered trademark of International Business Machines Corporation. IP Navigator is a trademark of Cascade Communications Corporation.

CONTACT: 3Com Public Relations  IBM Public Relations

David Hayward Tom Belz

[phone] [phone]

[e-mail] [e-mail]

Cascade Public Relations

Lucia Graziano

[phone]

[e-mail]