Cabletron unveils new line of easy to use, powerful remote access products for the small and home office; Top Intranet provider delivers feature-rich CyberSWITCH ISDN line at industry-leading introductory price of $649.

ROCHESTER, N.H.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Aug. 12, 1996-- Cabletron Systems (NYSE:CS), the leading provider of high-performance intranet solutions, today announced a new line of Remote Access ISDN products designed for the needs of the small and home office (SOHO). The CyberSWITCH 100 family of personal ISDN routers, Cabletron's aggressive foray into the burgeoning Remote Access marketplace, delivers remarkable value, ease of use, performance and management for the home or small office equal to Cabletron's corporate intranet products.

Additionally, the CyberSWITCH 100 line carries an introductory price starting at $649 US, delivering functionality and performance only available at more than double the price from other Remote Access vendors. These Cabletron-developed products will also complement and interoperate with the head-end/enterprise products being incorporated from Cabletron's recent acquisition of Network Express, thus expanding Cabletron's complete range of Remote Access products from the central office to the individual home or small office user.

The CyberSWITCH 100 family provides telecommuters, remote offices and individual web surfers high speed dial-up access to corporate intranets and the Internet using the advanced and reliable technology of the Integrated Services Digital Network (ISDN) over existing phone lines.

How ISDN Works: Twenty Times The Speed Of Conventional Modems

The ISDN Basic Rate Interface (BRI) uses a single phone line and provides two user (bearer) channels of 64 Kilobytes (Kbps) and a signal (D) channel of 16 Kbps for communications with the telephone network. Thus, the two B channels can carry voice, video and data starting at 128Kbps and up to 512Kbps with the CyberSWITCH's built-in data compression, nearly 20 times faster than today's conventional analog modems used with most computers.

In addition, ISDN offers the flexibility of using the same line simultaneously for additional devices such as traditional analog modems, fax machines or even telephones, further enhancing the value and versatility for the end user. For the remote office, a single CyberSWITCH 100 can be utilized by unlimited users for cost-efficient Remote Access.

The Exploding SOHO Market: Ethernet Comes Home Over ISDN

The rapid growth of the Internet and the boom in telecommuting has precipitated the need for high-speed Remote Access devices and technologies such as ISDN and Frame Relay. According to the GartnerGroup, more than 55 million worldwide users will be regular telecommuters by the year 2000, with expenditures as much as $82.5 billion in Remote Access training and accessories.

At an estimated cost of $1,000 or more per user, corporations and individual users are expecting personal ISDN routers to become less costly to acquire and easier to set up, operate and manage. "The CyberSWITCH 100 line establishes a strong presence for Cabletron in the Remote Access SOHO market while raising the bar for the competition," said Chris Oliver, director of manufacturing and engineering for Cabletron Systems. "We've carefully engineered the usability features and performance into the CyberSWITCH from the start, giving the home or remote office user the same ease of use, reliability and legendary service and support that Cabletron delivers to the enterprise network. In addition, we're delivering incredible value with our introductory pricing at half the cost of a comparable ISDN product from Ascend, Cisco or Gandalf."

Security and Interoperability

The Cabletron CyberSWITCH family is standards-compliant, using industry-standard security features, protocols and network management tools. Security with PAP and CHAP (PPP) user authentication as well as firewall building and bridging filters helps prevent unauthorized or inadvertent access to critical corporate or user resources. The standards-compliant CyberSWITCH interoperates with other vendors' compliant products, assuring ease of use and investment protection.

QuickSET Utility: The End of ISDN Install Woes

Every product in Cabletron's CyberSWITCH line comes complete with a revolutionary installation package on CD called QuickSET. QuickSET's graphical user interface (GUI) for Windows95 or WindowsNT guides both novice or advanced users through a brief set up and installation process.

Competing products have produced configuration nightmares for end users, usually resulting in endless and frustrating support calls, a network administrator house call or returned products. QuickSET was engineered with true plug-and- play configuration in mind, easing the ISDN install process for the end user and network administrator or as a turn-key solution for service providers.

"The QuickSET installation package is unique and definitely differentiates the CyberSWITCH line," said Glenn Gabriel Ben-Yosef, president of Clear Thinking Research of Boston, MA. "Easier installation and set-up will help reduce some of the true costs of providing corporate Remote Access while also appealing to the home user who's on his own without a help desk."

The QuickSET utility walks users through a brief six-step, no-tools-involved process, providing connectivity from the CyberSWITCH to the 10Base-T Ethernet Network Interface Card on their PC.

The brief instruction manual is supported with context- sensitive on-line help on the CD, making the entire process as streamlined and user-friendly as possible. Should users require technical assistance, Cabletron's superior service and support organization will extend the same level of prompt attention that corporate customers have come to depend on. Technical phone support from 8-8 EST in addition to CompuServe, ftp/telnet, Internet Mail and Cabletron's Web Site will all be at the disposal of CyberSWITCH users should the need arise for assistance.

Pricing and Availability

CABLETRON PRODUCT       DESCRIPTION      US      INTRO  AVAILABILITY
                                         LIST    PRICE

CyberSWITCH CSX101      ISDN with S/T    $1195   $649   IMMEDIATELY
                         Interface
CyberSWITCH CSX101-IPX  ISDN with S/T    $1395   $795   IMMEDIATELY
                         Interface with IPX
CyberSWITCH CSX103      ISDN with S/T    $1395   $649   IMMEDIATELY
                         and U Interface
CyberSWITCH CSX103-IPX  ISDN with S/T    $1395   $795   IMMEDIATELY
                         & U Interface
                         w/IPX
MR9T                    9-port Ethernet  $695    $149   IMMEDIATELY

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CABLETRON PRODUCT       DESCRIPTION      US LIST    AVAILABILITY

CyberSWITCH 105         ISDN with S/T    $1495      90 Days
                         & U Interface,
                         US 2-line POTS
CyberSWITCH 105-IPX     ISDN with S/T    $1695      90 Days
                         & U Interface,
                         IPX and US
                         2-line POTS
CSX100-IPX-UGK           IPX Upgrade Kit $200       90 Days
CyberSWITCH
 CSX100-CON-OPT          Console Cable    N/C       90 Days
                         configurations in
                         Macintosh and PCs
                         not running Windows

    Cabletron Systems is the recognized leader in providing high-
performance intranetworking solutions, including LAN and ATM switches
and advanced network and systems management software.  Under its
Synthesis product framework, Cabletron markets products throughout
the world for linking and managing enterprise-wide networks.
    With corporate headquarters in Rochester, NH, Cabletron employs
over 5,700 people worldwide.  Cabletron's common stock is traded over
the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol CS.  Over the last four
quarters, the company has reported record revenue of $1.1 billion.
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    Cabletron's World Wide Web site can be reached on the Internet at
http:// www.cabletron.com/.
    Cabletron, CyberSWITCH, and QuickSET are trademarks or registered
trademarks of Cabletron Systems.  "The Stuff Intranets Are Made Of"
is a service mark of Cabletron Systems.  All other products or
services found in this document are identified by the trademarks or
service marks of their respective companies or organizations.

CONTACT: Cabletron Systems

Rich Teplitsky, 603/337-1356

e-mail: [e-mail]