NETSYS Technologies Announces NETSYS Advisor, First Tool to Automatically Solve Complex Network Problems; Additions to the Enterprise/Solver Product Family Speed Network Troubleshooting and Repair through Java-Based Web Management.

PALO ALTO, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nov. 11, 1996--NETSYS Technologies, Inc., provider of the first family of network intelligent management software products, today announced the NETSYS Advisor, a new product in the award winning Enterprise/Solver product family that is designed to help Information System (IS) staff meet service level agreements and achieve greater end-to-end network performance.

NETSYS Advisor works with other products in the Enterprise/Solver family to quickly isolate network problems and identify solutions. NETSYS Advisor also automates many routine network management tasks, saving network operators valuable time and money. With the introduction of the NETSYS Advisor, NETSYS is the first company to deliver network change management software that addresses each point of the VISTA (View, Isolate, Solve, Test, Apply) network change methodology.

"As enterprise networks increase in size and complexity, IS organizations require advanced tools capable of automating and simplifying the management process," said Herb Madan, president and CEO of NETSYS Technologies. "NETSYS Advisor dramatically simplifies the network change process by providing network managers with the only tool that lets them manage the complete network change life cycle from planning to problem identification and repair."

NETSYS Advisor Speeds Network Repair

With the introduction of NETSYS Advisor, NETSYS is the first company to automate network change management. The NETSYS Advisor QuickSolver function isolates and solves many common routing and security problems by suggesting command specific changes to the network to fix these problems. Proposed changes can then be quickly tested off-line in NETSYS' network model before being deployed on the production network.

This is accomplished through a technique pioneered by NETSYS known as model-based reasoning. Model-based reasoning uses a comprehensive understanding of the underlying configurations of devices on the network to diagnose and solve complex network problems. This technique allows NETSYS Advisor to understand how real devices will interact on a network, then use this information to isolate problems and test solutions without affecting the network itself.

"Many network support teams are maxed-out constantly firefighting problems," said Greg Howard, analyst, at Infonetics Research. "By using the NETSYS Advisor to automate and shorten problem resolution time, IS organizations can get more out of their network support staff, thereby reducing overall network management costs."

NETSYS Advisor also provides the most extensive automated data collection, report generation, routing diagnosis, and problem resolution available today. IS organizations can quickly see which router configurations have changed, how they have changed, and how those changes impact connectivity and performance across the entire network.

NETSYS Advisor saves network management time and effort by automatically collecting data (such as router configurations, traffic and performance data, and observed routing tables), and suggesting changes to the network to fix existing problems and prevent potential problems.

VISTA -- Full Cycle Network Change Management

Network change is a constant process, and is the largest source of network problems. By means of a new VISTA -- View, Isolate, Solve, Test, and Apply -- network change methodology, Enterprise/Solver products provide specific support for each step in the lifecycle of managing change. Enterprise/Solver products use actual device configurations to quickly build protocol-sensitive topologies.

This capability provides the first comprehensive view of the physical and logical relationships between network devices. The integrity checks and the NETSYS Advisor are the only products to automate problem isolation, diagnosis and network repair.

The integrated simulation capabilities enable network operations managers to safely validate proposed changes off-line on a model of their network prior to implementing them. Router-ready configuration files can then be applied directly to the network device, enhancing the productivity of network managers and reducing the chance of configuration errors.

Web-Based Network Management

NETSYS Advisor also makes Connectivity reports, Performance reports, integrity checks, and NETSYS' exclusive multi-protocol topologies available through any Java enabled browser. This allows anyone on the network operations team to access important information on network health from anywhere on the network, in any level of summarization or detail desired.

NETSYS Connectivity reports show exactly how detected changes affect connectivity and security across the network. Performance Tools reports show the impact of configuration changes on the network performance, and integrity checks identify potential problems in configuration files.

"NETSYS Advisor's automatically-created Java-based topologies and reports have great potential for tracking configuration changes in BT router networks," said Duncan Aldridge, BT. "For BT engineers, they provide vital visual context to reported routing and connectivity exceptions. For our customers, the topologies provide vital visual context to show the logical layouts of their respective network."

In addition to the release of NETSYS Advisor, NETSYS Technologies also announced significant enhancements to its Connectivity and Performance Tools.

Connectivity Tools 3.0 Enhancements Ensure Network Availability

The NETSYS Connectivity Tools are a network management solution that manages the network as a system, rather than individually as independent devices. Among the significant enhancements to the NETSYS Connectivity Tools 3.0 are a topology manager, expanded reporting capabilities and new simulation commands.

The new topology manager makes it easy to get immediate feedback about the state of the network through visual queries. Visual queries instantly show routing domain boundaries, identify devices running combinations of network and routing protocols, and discriminate between Wide Area Network (WAN) types and speeds.

New connectivity reports such as IP, IPX and observed IP routing exceptions, blocked routing adja es, partitioned IP major networks, WAN link justification, and missing WAN link reports allow network managers to quickly locate holes in their routing environment. These reports clearly identify routers that are unable to reach certain subnets. Using NETSYS Advisor in conjunction with these reports, a network manager can receive specific commands required to repair these conditions.

Performance Tools 2.0 Enhancements Optimize Performance, Reduce WAN Costs

The NETSYS Performance Tools are used to diagnose and solve network performance problems, lower WAN costs, and plan network changes. The Performance Tools leverage network investments by collecting data from existing RMON probes, analyzers and routers. By modeling the network using vendor-certified device information, NETSYS Performance Tools give network managers the first accurate representation of actual network performance.

The new Performance Tools 2.0 now include support for 7xxx and 75xx with RSP, 7200, 4700, AS5100 and AS5200 routers. Also included in the Performance Tools are extended data import/collection options such as Hewlett-Packard NetMetrix, Bay Networks, and Network General Sniffer Network Analyzer. Data set displays can be used to optimize probe placement for minimized instrumentation cost.

The Performance Tools 2.0 are the first tools to calculate and show frame relay over-subscription and provide information on accuracy of provisioning, helping reduce WAN costs and ensuring the most efficient, economical operation.

The Performance Tools exceed the functionality of traditional monitoring tools by allowing the network manager to test alternative configurations and provisioning parameters to determine an optimum price/performance balance. Frame relay circuits modeling includes support for Committed Information Rate (CIR), Burst Tolerance and Committed Burst.

Multi-Vendor Support

Also new in the NETSYS multi-vendor module. This module extends the capabilities of the Enterprise/Solver product family to heterogeneous network environments by adding support for routers from Bay Networks. Additional device modules supporting other vendor routers will be added in 1997.

Pricing and Availability

The NETSYS Advisor, Connectivity Tools 3.0, Performance Tools 2.0, and multi-vendor module will be available November 21, 1996, directly from NETSYS and through NETSYS resellers, Cisco Systems, Inc., and Network General Corporation.

NETSYS Connectivity Tools 3.0 and Performance Tools 2.0 are priced at $5,000 and up depending on the number of routers. The NETSYS Advisor is priced at 30% of the Connectivity Tools price, and the multi-vendor module is priced at $15,000. Additional pricing and ordering information is available through NETSYS Technologies at 800/4-NETSYS, Cisco Systems at 408/526-4000, and Network General at 800/SNIFFER.

Company Information

NETSYS Technologies, Inc., developed the first family of network intelligent management software products. The Connectivity and Performance Tools provide the first accurate, protocol-sensitive view of the network. The tools allow network managers to quickly and easily manage and plan changes to their networks and ensure error-free connectivity and the highest levels of network performance and security.

Since shipments began in June 1995, NETSYS products have been selected by over 200 companies as a strategic part of their network management solutions. NETSYS' strategic partnerships with industry leaders, including Cisco Systems and Network General Corporation are unmatched by any other independent provider of network management software.

NETSYS is headquartered in Palo Alto, CA, and can be reached at 415/833-7500, through email at [e-mail] or on the web at www.netsystech.com.

In October 1996, Cisco Systems and NETSYS reached an agreement for Cisco Systems to acquire all of the outstanding shares of NETSYS(a). This transaction is expected to be completed by the end of the year.

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Note (a): See press release "Cisco Systems to Acquire NETSYS Technologies; Transaction Adds to Enterprise Network Management Offerings," October 14, 1996.

Note to Editors: Enterprise/Solver is a trademark of NETSYS Technologies, Inc. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

CONTACT: NETSYS Technologies, Inc.

David Jones, 415/833-7543

[e-mail]

or

Stirling & Cohan, Inc.

Julie Karbo/Erin Bergamo, 415/513-0974/415/513-0621

[e-mail]/[e-mail]