FIRST PROTOCOL ANALYZER FOR MEDICAL INDUSTRY INTRODUCED.

Network Instruments, LLC and Siemens AG have introduced Observer(R) DICOM Extension, the only analyzer to support the decoding of the Digital Imaging and Communications in Medicine (DICOM) protocol. The DICOM Extension is the result of a joint development partnership that began one year ago when Siemens selected Network Instruments' Observer as the system on which to co-engineer the first DICOM-specific protocol analyzer. Siemens is one of the world's leading developers of DICOM-based medical systems. Network Instruments is the developer of Observer, the most comprehensive, low-cost protocol analyzer available. Observer DICOM, which is implemented as an extension module to Observer 5.1, provides users of medical imaging equipment an affordable, portable troubleshooting tool. Observer DICOM Extension decodes and analyzes the interaction procedures for medical/technical equipment which utilize the DICOM standard. "With the DICOM Extension, technicians and administrators have a feature-rich troubleshooting tool co-engineered by two of the industry's most innovative companies," said Douglas Smith, president of Network Instruments. "As a result, users can be assured that Observer DICOM Extension will remain the most advanced and accurate analyzer for the medical imaging system community." The Observer protocol analyzer is the most comprehensive, low-cost protocol analyzer available. Observer is a 32-bit PC application for the Windows 95/98/NT environments. It offers a powerful range of analysis reports and diagnostic tools to the network user, yet it simple to use. And, because Observer does not require special equipment, it is the most affordable protocol analyzer on the market. Its features include: Ethernet Collision Expert Analysis, FDDI error-tracking features, a rich Trending interface, remote software Probes, multiple concurrent modes, full packet capture and decode, long-term trending and reporting, network errors-by-station, protocol and station statistics, graphical network mapping, and QoS and up-time logging and statistics. The DICOM standard is a specification for packet structure as well as a communication definition for exchanging data between medical equipment. The DICOM standard is used to transfer highly complex data in nuclear medicine, ultrasound, computed radiography, digitized film, video capture, HIS/RIS information, and connections between networked hard-copy output devices. The development of the DICOM Extension enables a technician to carry a cost-effective, portable DICOM diagnostic tool. Observer's ease of use and the addition of DICOM decoding provide quick and efficient troubleshooting to pinpoint malfunctions in networked medical environments. New network installations or additions in such environments often produce system malfunctions and hardware mismatches. These malfunctions can be due to ongoing network traffic problems or to incompatible systems from different vendors. The DICOM Extension provides a technician or administrator an inexpensive tool that addresses DICOM-specific troubleshooting demands. In addition, because Observer supports TCP/IP, SNA, IPX/SPX, NetBios, and many other protocols over Ethernet, Token-Ring, and FDDI LANs, administrators and technicians can also utilize the DICOM Extension for general network troubleshooting. Observer's distributed architecture enables remote diagnosis on multi-segment LANs as well.

Observer DICOM Extension displays three protocol decode and packet views: raw data TCP packets (displayed in hexadecimal); PDUs of DICOM upper-layer protocol in order of appearance (selected PDUs can then be decoded and displayed), and sorted DICOM messages (selected messages are decoded and displayed) shown simultaneously as both raw data and as decode for easy line-by-line comparison. Pricing and Availability The Observer DICOM Extension is priced at $2100. The Extension is available direct from Network Instruments or through authorized dealer or distributors. System Requirements The DICOM Extension requires a licensed copy of Observer 5.1 or Distributed Observer 5.1, the DICOM Extension Module, Windows 95/98/NT, a Pentium 133 with 32MB RAM (64MB preferred), and SVGA running in at least 600 x 800 recommended. About Network Instruments Network Instruments is a privately held company based in Minneapolis, with a European sales office in the UK and distributors in 30 countries. Information on the company and its products can be obtained by calling 612/932-9899