LINX Installs Foundry Networks' Layer 3 Switches to Handle Traffic Growth; New Equipment Provides Migration Path to 10 Gigabit Ethernet.

Business Editors, Technology Writers

SAN JOSE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--March 13, 2001

Foundry Networks(R), Inc. (Nasdaq:FDRY), a performance and total solutions leader for end-to-end switching and routing, today announced that The London Internet Exchange (LINX) is deploying Foundry's Gigabit Ethernet backbone solutions to help meet growing demand.

The non-profit organization that handles more than 90-percent of the UK's Internet data flow is installing Foundry's BigIron(R) 15000 and 8000 switches at its exchanges in London.

The announcement comes shortly after LINX disclosed that peak traffic flows are now averaging more than five gigabits per second -- more than three times the level it was at in January 2000.

The installation supplements similar purchases of Foundry's BigIron(R) 8000 and 4000 Layer 3 switches made last June to equip LINX's additional expansion sites. The BigIron 15000 is a 15-slot Layer 2/3 switch that scales routing performance to 178 Million packets per second (Mpps) in a single chassis. The BigIron 15000 extends the performance and port density of the BigIron 8000 and BigIron 4000 yet maintains complete module and feature compatibility. The BigIron is 10 Gigabit-ready scaling up to 120 Gigabit Ethernet ports and can deliver an immense 480 Gigabits per second of total switching capacity.

"We need to continually invest in new hardware in order to keep up with the rapid growth in Internet traffic and have established an excellent relationship with Foundry," said Mike Hughes, head of network architecture at LINX. "Foundry's BigIron Layer 3 Gigabit Ethernet switches suit our needs ideally. They have a compact design and are 10 Gigabit Ethernet ready, which means we can utilize this bandwidth once the standard is agreed."

Andy Palmer, regional sales director for Europe, Middle East and Africa of Foundry Networks said, "LINX is a very high profile customer and to secure this contract is a tremendous endorsement of our technical capabilities and quality. We look forward to providing LINX with the high level of service and technical reliability that they have come to expect from Foundry equipment."

About LINX

The London Internet Exchange is a non-profit making organization owned by more than 115 leading Internet Service Providers from the UK, USA and mainland Europe. It operates facilities that connect the networks of its members and can currently carry more than 90 per cent of the UK's Internet traffic. It has two major exchange sites in London Docklands and additional `expansion' sites at a number of other London locations.

About Foundry Networks

Foundry Networks, Inc. (Nasdaq:FDRY) is a performance and total solutions leader for end-to-end switching and routing including Internet routers, Layer 2/3 LAN switches, and Layer 4-7 Internet traffic and content delivery switches. Foundry's 3,000+ customers include the world's premier ISPs and enterprises, portals, search engines, e-commerce sites, and universities along with the leading entertainment, pharmaceutical, government, financial, and manufacturing companies. Some of these customers include: AOL (NYSE: AOL), EarthLink (Nasdaq: ELNK), AT&T WorldNet, MSN, and Cable & Wireless (NYSE: CWP), Yahoo! (Nasdaq: YHOO), Incyte Genomics, Inc. (Nasdaq: INCY), The University of Washington, University of Miami, LucasFilm, U.S. Army, Air Force and Navy, NASA and NIH. For more information about the company and its products, call 1.888.TURBO.LAN or visit www.foundrynetworks.com.

Foundry Networks and BigIron are registered trademarks of Foundry Networks, Inc. All other trademarks are the sole property of their respective holders.

Safe Harbor Statement

This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, and is subject to the safe harbor created by that section. These statements include a statement regarding LINX's need to continually invest in new hardware in order to keep up with growth in Internet traffic. These statements are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties, which could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by our forward-looking statements. These risks and uncertainties include continued or increased consumer demand for LINX's services, the strength of the overall economy, LINX's ability to obtain additional capital which may be necessary to support expansion and continuing operations, and LINX's business plans or objectives which may change. Foundry assumes no obligation to update the forward-looking statements contained in this press release.