Olicom Unveils Industry's First Wire-Speed ATM Uplinks; Provides Token-Ring LANs with Seamless Connectivity to ATM.

DALLAS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oct. 21, 1997--Olicom (Nasdaq:OLCMF), a leading global supplier of high-performance networking solutions, today announced its new CrossFire(tm) ATM155 Uplinks. The OC-8320 and OC-8321 - the industry's first ATM uplinks to deliver true "wire-speed" LAN emulation (LANE) - represent a dramatic performance improvement over existing ATM uplinks. By delivering a 155Mbps connection to an ATM backbone, Olicom's CrossFire ATM155 Uplinks provide Token-Ring LANs with a strategic, cost-effective migration path to ATM.

Olicom's CrossFire ATM155 Uplinks are available in two versions: the OC-8320 (UTP) and the OC-8321 (Fiber). These new ATM uplinks are built around powerful RISC processors and comply with all relevant industry standards. Both are Universal Expansion Modules that plug into the Company's recently introduced CrossFire Token-Ring Switch (OC-8600).

Olicom's CrossFire Token-Ring Switch, the first with ASICs designed specifically for Token-Ring switching, is a high-density, scaleable switch that sets a new standard for price, throughput, and completeness of features. At less than $400 per port, Olicom's OC-8600 gives Token-Ring network managers an economical means to upgrade bandwidth. Olicom's new ATM uplinks and OC-8600 provide network managers with a secure migration path to ATM and allow them to leverage their current investment in Token-Ring technology. The OC-8600 can be equipped with dual ATM uplinks to achieve the fault tolerance required for mission-critical applications and maximum network availability.

"Providing wire-speed connections to the ATM backbone from our OC-8600 Token-Ring Switch is an integral part of our strategy to move our Token-Ring customers forward while protecting their existing investment in networking equipment," said Jorgen Hog, vice president, network products for Olicom. "Olicom's long-held expertise in LAN emulation software helped us achieve the position of being first to market with true wire-speed connectivity to the ATM network."

Olicom's CrossFire ATM155 Uplinks automatically detect and configure the components necessary for communicating with an ATM network. This plug-and-play capability is central to Olicom's drive to simplify the installation and operation of an ATM network. The CrossFire ATM155 Uplink connects directly to a port on Olicom's CrossFire ATM Switch (OC-9100). The OC-9100, an ATM switching solution the Company introduced in September, provides a new level of ATM price-performance and ease of deployment. The CrossFire ATM Switch and ATM155 Uplinks provide network administrators with the industry's most cost-effective, reliable means of integrating their traditional Token-Ring and Ethernet LANs with an ATM backbone.

Additional features of the CrossFire ATM155 Uplinks include:

- Superior traffic-handling capacity, processing 160,000 64-byte frames per second in each direction

- Scaleable VLAN architecture that supports up to 63 ELANs

- 4MB shared frame buffer memory

- Support for up to 2048 switched virtual channel connections (transmit and receive) for use in backbone and server applications

- Support for one IEEE 802.1d spanning tree per ELAN, allowing redundant fault-tolerant connectivity and preventing loop-induced broadcast storms

- Configurable LAN Emulation Client (LEC), including special parameters such as configurable traffic profiles.

Two versions of the CrossFire ATM155 Uplink modules are available: the OC-8320 for UTP-5 copper with a shielded RJ45 connector interface; and the OC-8321 for a 155Mbps Optical Carrier (OC)-3c multimode optical interface with a duplex SC connector. Both facilitate installation without expensive wiring upgrades. Olicom's ATM uplinks achieve their outstanding performance by using a dedicated processor for each forwarding direction, as well as another dedicated processor that performs ATM segmentation and reassembly (SAR).

Olicom's CrossFire ATM155 Uplinks (OC-8320 and OC-8321) for the CrossFire Token-Ring Switch (OC-8600) are priced at $3,495 and $3,995 respectively, and will be available in November 1997.

Olicom's delivery of the first wire-speed ATM uplinks continues its leadership in ATM technology: Olicom developed the first LANE software able to emulate both Token-Ring and Ethernet frames simultaneously, allowing Token-Ring and Ethernet users to access a single file server on an ATM network; Olicom's ATM LANE signaling software has been licensed by Microsoft for future versions of Windows NT; and Olicom's RapidFire(tm) ATM Adapter won an "Editors' Choice" from PC Magazine, which called it the "Swiss Army knife of ATM Adapters."

Olicom Background

Olicom designs, develops, manufactures, and markets high-performance, high-availability networking solutions for the corporate enterprise, specializing in providing end-to-end connectivity solutions and a migration path to high-speed LANs. Olicom products are distributed worldwide by a network of strategic partners and resellers. More information on Olicom is available from the company's SEC filings or by contacting the company directly. Olicom news and product/service information are available at the company's World Wide Web site at http://www.olicom.com

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This news release contains forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ from predicted results. Further information on factors that could affect the company's results are detailed from time to time in Olicom's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Olicom is a registered trademark. All other brand and product names are registered trademarks of their respective holders.

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