Foundry Networks and Spirent Communications Set New 10-Gigabit Ethernet Test Benchmark Record At Networld+Interop.

Business Editors/Hi-Tech Writers

NetWorld+Interop 2002 Las Vegas

LAS VEGAS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 7, 2002

Spirent's Scalable 10GbE Test Solutions and Foundry's BigIron(R)15000

Chassis Unveil 280 Gigabits per Second, Line-Rate Switching/Routing

Performance on Fourteen 10-Gigabit Ethernet Ports

Foundry Networks(R) Inc., (NASDAQ:FDRY), a leading provider of high-performance enterprise and service provider switching, routing and Web traffic management solutions, and Spirent Communications(TM), a wholly owned business group of Spirent plc (NYSE: SPM and LSE:SPT), today announced that they will feature the world's largest 10-Gigabit Ethernet (10GbE) test bed demonstration at NetWorld+Interop in Las Vegas, May 7-9. The live demonstration, in Foundry's booth #5839, will prove 280 Gigabits per-second of line-rate 10-Gigabit Ethernet performance for Foundry's 10GbE products running long range (LR) and extended range (ER) optics using Spirent's scalable 10GbE test solutions.

For the show demonstration, the BigIron(R) 15000 Layer 3 switch will be fully loaded with 14-ports of 10-Gigabit Ethernet along with an 8-port Gigabit Ethernet management module to validate wire-speed performance. Foundry's unique IronCore(TM) and third generation JetCore(TM) ASIC chipsets enable fully distributed, wire-speed switching and routing, which enables networks to scale up to 345 Million packets per second (Mpps) - providing massive switching and routing capacity to address Enterprise and Service Provider networking requirements today and into the future.

Foundry has chosen Spirent Communications 10GbE integrated test solution including its SMB-6000B and AX/4000 chassis, LAN-3710AL 10GbE test modules, AX/4000 10Gbps Generator/Analyzer, and test modules with Uni-PHY Interface to demonstrate unparalleled performance. Spirent's 10GbE test solutions are the first scalable multi-port network performance analysis solutions that allows users to identify weaknesses in their networks or network products through rigorous performance test of both new and legacy networking technologies.

All of Foundry's modular chassis provide integrated redundant hot-swappable auto-sensing AC or DC power supplies, redundant management modules (including temperature sensors), hot-swappable interface modules, a full complement of LAN and WAN interfaces, with the added bonus of being 10-Gigabit Ethernet ready - without requiring any "technology migration" forklift upgrade. The BigIron 15000 (15-slot) Layer 3 modular chassis fully loaded with 14 10-Gigabit Ethernet modules was specifically selected for this exciting, leading edge and ground-breaking demonstration.

"By participating with Spirent in this live 10GbE demonstration, Foundry continues to showcase its comprehensive technology advantage unmatched by the competition today," said Bobby Johnson, President and CEO of Foundry Networks. "With our industry-leading and proven10-Gigabit Ethernet products, Foundry continues to advance its market leadership position with a very powerful and compelling solution for the construction of next-generation, high-performance networking infrastructures."

Foundry's 10-Gigabit Ethernet modules also support JetScope Traffic Accounting and Monitoring technology. For the first time, network administrators have the ability to see, manage, and account for at a system level, their networking traffic throughout their switched and routed environment without impacting network performance or requiring expensive network probes, in effect - truly an industry first.

"Teaming with an industry leader, such as Foundry, for this largest-ever, live 10GbE performance test is yet another example of our company's commitment to the advancement of the 10GbE market," said Bahaa Moukadam, vice president of product marketing, Spirent Communications. "With solutions such as our 10GbE, we will continue to provide performance analysis test systems and service assurance expertise that allow our customers to move new technologies out of the laboratory and into widespread deployment as quickly and profitably as possible."

Spirent will feature its full range of 10GbE test solutions including its LAN, WAN, Uni-PHY, XENPAK, XAUI, POS OC-192, and its most recently introduced 10GbE Metro Test System, in its booth #6089 at NetWorld+Interop.

About Foundry Networks

Foundry Networks, Inc. (NASDAQ: FDRY) is a leading provider of high-performance enterprise and service provider switching, routing and Web traffic management solutions including Layer 2/3 LAN switches, Layer 3 Backbone switches, Layer 4 - 7 Web switches and Metro Routers. Foundry's 4,000 customers include the world's premier ISPs, Metro service providers, and enterprises including e-commerce sites, universities, entertainment, health and wellness, government, financial, and manufacturing companies. Some of these customers include: AOL (NYSE: AOL), EarthLink, China Telecom, MSN (NASDAQ:MSFT), Verio, Cable & Wireless (NYSE: CWP), Yahoo! (NASDAQ: YHOO), Incyte Genomics, Inc. (NASDAQ: INCY), Deutsche Bank, The University of Washington, University of Miami, Institut National de Recherche en Informatique et en Automatique (INRIA) of France, The British Library, U.S. Army, Air Force and Navy, NASA and the National Space Development Agency of Japan. For more information about the company and its products, call 1.888.TURBOLAN or visit www.foundrynetworks.com.

About Spirent Communications

Spirent Communications is a worldwide provider of integrated performance analysis and service assurance systems for next-generation network technologies. Spirent's solutions accelerate the profitable development and deployment of network equipment and services by emulating real-world conditions in the lab and assuring end-to-end performance of large-scale networks. www.spirentcom.com

Spirent Communications is a wholly owned subsidiary of Spirent plc, an international network technology company. Spirent plc is listed on the London Stock Exchange (ticker: SPT). The company is also listed on the New York Stock Exchange (ticker: SPM; CUSIP number: 84856M209). www.spirent.com

Spirent Communications, the Spirent logo, TeraMetrics, and SmartBits are trademarks or registered trademarks of Spirent plc. Foundry Networks, BigIron, and the 'Iron' family of marks, are trademarks or registered trademarks of Foundry Networks, Inc. in United States and other countries. All other trademarks or registered trademarks are held by their respective companies. All rights reserved.

Spirent and the Spirent logo are trademarks of Spirent plc. All other trademarks or registered trademarks are held by their respective companies. All rights reserved.

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