3Com First to Ship Complete Campus Backbone ATM Ethernet Solution Featuring Fully-Integrated Standard LAN Emulation; Customers Now Successfully Implementing New LAN Emulation Software and Virtual LAN Management Software with 3Com's ATM Products.

SANTA CLARA, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sept. 18, 1995--3Com Corporation (NASDAQ: COMS) today announced it is shipping standard LAN Emulation software for its fully scalable, complete ATM/Ethernet solution featuring integrated Ethernet and ATM switching.

Today's announcement makes 3Com the only vendor to ship ATM products with fully-integrated, ATM Forum-based standard LAN Emulation in backbone and workgroup switches as well as network interface cards. With LAN Emulation, 3Com ATM products enable full intercommunication between legacy Ethernet and ATM LANs. The company also today unveiled easy ATM virtual LAN management with its Transcend network management software.

"The combination of 3Com's state-of-the-art technology, flexible architecture and impressive price/performance ratio made it the easy choice for integrating ATM into our network," said Eddy Boujaoude, manager of data communications at Oklahoma State University. "Installation of the products was extremely easy. All devices were completely configured and up and running in one day."

By shipping this integrated family of ATM products, 3Com is providing a complete ATM backbone solution that is designed to preserve customer's significant legacy LAN investments. 3Com's ATM campus backbone switch, the CELLplex 7000, dramatically boosts network performance. The LinkSwitch 2700 Ethernet/ATM workgroup switch offers seamless integration of ATM with Ethernet switching. 3Com ATMLink NICs provide a smooth migration to ATM for high-performance workstations and high-end servers. The entire ATM solution can be managed with 3Com's Transcend network management software. No other ATM vendor offers such a comprehensive package of standardized, high-performance ATM products for ATM backbone solutions.

"While many vendors have announced support for standard LAN Emulation, 3Com is the first to actually deliver standard LAN Emulation within a comprehensive end-to-end solution," said Nachman Shelef, general manager of 3Com's ATM Division. "Right now, 3Com's ATM solution, with system-integrated standard LAN Emulation and virtual LAN management, is satisfying real-life needs. No other ATM vendor can make this statement."

Real-World Backbone Applications Using 3Com ATM with LAN Emulation

Oklahoma State University is one of many sites that currently employ the 3Com ATM strategy and family of products to relieve backbone traffic and boost overall network performance. OSU uses three CELLplex 7000 switches and six LinkSwitch 2700 departmental switches to network five PC centers, encompassing more than 200 Pentium machines, as well as 16 Netware servers and Sun workstations. 3Com ATM products have enabled OSU to integrate the power of ATM into its existing network infrastructure. With this ATM-integrated architecture, OSU is running virtual LANs and is managing them with Transcend software.

"The 3Com ATM solution is excellent for sites that have Ethernet in place, but need a boost in network backbone bandwidth," said OSU's Boujaoude. "The VLAN management with Transcend is also very helpful."

3Com Features LAN Emulation Standard

3Com ATM products are the first to ship fully-integrated standard LAN Emulation, which is designed to allow existing network applications and network protocols to run over ATM backbone networks in a standardized manner. It supports both end-systems directly attached to ATM networks and edge devices. This feature, integrated in 3Com's complete solution, allows customers to deploy ATM networks while migrating the embedded base of networking products -- all without any disruption to end-system network protocols and applications.

Customize and Optimize with Virtual LANs

3Com's ATM solution with Ethernet switching and LAN emulation enables enterprise-wide virtual LANs (VLANs) that closely correspond to network and business needs, independent of physical locations. When servers are not co-located with users, or when users are not all co-located, LAN Emulation optimizes workflow patterns by creating virtual workgroups. These workgroups have direct links, regardless of physical location, that enable high-speed communication between each desktop and the server. 3Com now provides comprehensive VLAN management with its Transcend management software, which has been enhanced to manage the multiple logical associations with switched VLANs.

3Com's ATM solution is an integral part of High Performance scalable Networking (HPSN), the company's comprehensive strategy for evolving bandwidth to meet current and future requirements and for extending networks to remote offices, mobile users and the home office. Delivery of an end-to-end ATM solution represents Stage 3 of 3Com's HPSN that was first announced in 1992, charting the company's commitment to integrating ATM with its leading existing VLAN switching strategies.

3Com Corporation has helped more than 22 million people gain access to critical information through high speed networks. Designed to serve large enterprises, small offices and homes, 3Com products provide a scalable architecture to meet the immediate and long term connectivity needs of today's user. 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 marketing, sales and support simplify communication, optimize network reliability and protect customer investments. For further information, visit 3Com's World Wide Web site at http://www.3Com.com. -0-

Note to Editors: CELLplex, LinkSwitch, and ATMLink are trademarks of 3Com Corporation. 3Com and Transcend are registered trademarks of 3Com Corporation. All trademarks belong to their respective organizations.

CONTACT: 3Com Corporation

Ben Gibson, 408/764-5279

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