Out-of-Control Web Sites Made More Effective, Profitable with New Web Management Tool; Mercury Interactive's Astra Instantly Pinpoints Problems and Displays User-Behavior Patterns for Higher Quality Web Sites.

SUNNYVALE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oct. 9, 1996--Mercury Interactive Corporation (NASDAQ: MERQ), the world's leading provider of client/server and Web testing tools, today announced Astra, a comprehensive, visual Web management tool.

Astra addresses the challenges faced by Webmasters and business managers of rapidly growing Web sites and helps them ensure quality, value and return on investment.

As the prominence and complexity of Internet and intranet applications grow, companies are faced with daunting new challenges: How can we manage our Web site for maximum effectiveness? How can we ensure our customers, partners and suppliers get consistent service from our Web site? How can we certify that critical intranet links are up and running when decision makers need them?

Astra is the first completely visual environment for Web site analysis, usage tracking and link testing. Using Astra, Webmasters can view and manage large Web sites and deal with the deluge of issues associated with complex sites, such as broken links, congested paths and dynamically generated pages.

"Along with most of the corporate world, we have come to realize how powerful an intranet application or a Web site can be," said Wayne Sass, manager of Network Architecture at PacifiCare Health Systems, Inc.

"Mercury Interactive's Astra is just the tool we need to help us maximize intranet effectiveness by optimizing performance routes and to quickly identify link problems, which could contribute to unnecessary downtime. Using Astra, we're certain we'll get the most out of our corporate intranet system."

Astra delivers the following visual Web management features:

-- Fast Scan Web Site Mapping: Leveraging powerful multi-threaded parallel scanning and graphical-mapping capabilities, Astra rapidly scans an entire Web site and displays the Web architecture as a graphical, color-coded map on a single screen. To provide maximum control while the scan is in process, Astra displays the Web changes dynamically on the fly.

Map scans can be easily paused, examined, resumed, updated or canceled. Astra is the only Web management tool that maps internal and external links, as well as static and dynamic pages;

-- Visual Web Display: Unlike other tools that map Web sites into a hierarchical "tree" structure, Astra mirrors the actual complexity and interrelatedness of real-world Web sites by representing them as an interconnected "hubs and spokes" map. Web teams can instantly view the entire Web site or easily drill down to display Web sections or pages.

Sites can be viewed by type of URL or by status. For example, Astra can display all CGI scripts, or those that are currently accessed by users. Zoom-in, zoom-out, window-panning, instant focus and a moving viewport enable Webmasters to easily navigate the Web structure for maximum control. Astra maps are accompanied by a full textual display of all Web site data using a split-screen display.

All Astra map information -- both visual and textual -- can be printed for off-line work;

-- Action Tracker Usage Monitoring: Astra can graphically display usage patterns for instant analysis and Web site optimization. Astra superimposes server-log data onto its Web maps, providing a graphical, color-coded view of user movement throughout the Web site. Using simple push-button queries, Webmasters can easily evaluate how users navigate the site, identify paths that have the heaviest traffic, and pinpoint those that are "dead-ends;"

-- Change Viewer: Comparing two different snapshots of the site architecture (for example, one taken Monday and another Tuesday), Change Viewer lets Webmasters monitor all changes made on their site. Astra displays all differences graphically using color codes. Comparisons include new, updated or deleted pages and links;

-- Link Analyzer: Astra automatically identifies and displays all link-relate problems. Broken or inaccessible links are displayed in red for easy detection, and push-button filters enable Web managers to view broken links only.

A built-in Link Doctor automatically pulls up all broken links and takes the user directly to those pages. Link Analyzer filters also enable "what-if" analysis; for example, programmers could assess the effect of eliminating all graphic images from the Web site. While viewing a page, users can see all inbound and outbound link information, which can help evaluate the page's impact on the whole site;

-- Dynamic Scan: Unlike common Web-crawlers, Astra maps not only static links, but also dynamically generated pages that represent information contained in a database or obtained in real-time. Astra is the first tool that lets users see and validate pages that are generated on the fly.

By displaying dynamic links and pages on an existing architectural map, Astra provides a "window" to database content and connectivity. For example, by looking at dynamically generated pages of an on-line banking application, managers can certify that customers receive the information requested.

"The job of Webmaster has become one of the most sought-after and most stressful careers on the planet," said Zohar Gilad, director of enterprise product marketing at Mercury Interactive. "Chartered with owning and managing a new, valuable corporate resource -- which changes shape and substance daily -- Webmasters are required to deal with content, design and maintenance while achieving business goals. Astra is the first product to address these issues in a single tool."

Open API for Java, C++, and Visual Basic Developers

Mercury Interactive has designed an open API that allows third-party software developers and customers to easily and quickly develop "plug-ins," such as server log analyzers or search engines, to extend the functionality of Astra, to meet their particular needs. Independent Software Vendors (ISVs) can easily embed and integrate Astra into their software applications for resale.

Customers looking to extend the functionality of Astra can write custom plug-ins for internal use. The API is available for Java, C++ and Visual Basic development.

Pricing and Availability

A free, downloadable beta version of Astra will be available beginning Oct. 15 from Mercury Interactive's Web site at http://www.merc-int.com. The product is expected to ship in December and will be priced at $495. Astra is available for Windows 95 and Windows NT.

About Mercury Interactive Corporation

Mercury Interactive is the world's leading provider of client/server testing tools. Mercury Interactive has its headquarters in Sunnyvale, Calif., and maintains offices across the United States and internationally with a network of distributors throughout the world. The company's common stock is traded over the counter on the NASDAQ National Market under the symbol MERQ. -0-

Note to Editors: In the U.S. and Canada. Pricing is in U.S. dollars.

Mercury Interactive Corporation is located at 470 Potrero Ave., Sunnyvale, CA 94086 and can be reached by phone at 408/523-9900 or fax at 408/ 523-9911. Mercury Interactive's Web site is located at http://www.merc-int.com.

Astra, Astra Web Manager, Action Tracker, Link Doctor, Change Viewer, Dynamic Scan, Fast Scan and Visual Web Display are trademarks of Mercury Interactive Corporation, Sunnyvale 1996. Product and company names are used herein for identification purposes only, and may be trademarks of their respective companies.

CONTACT: Mercury Interactive

Sue Ann Murray, 408/523-4290

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or

Evans Communications

Joanna Kulesa, 408/423-2300

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