SOFTWARE ENHANCES CLUSTERING, SECURITY AND CONFIGURATION.

MRV Communications Inc. (NASDAQ:MRVC), Chatsworth, Calif., a leading provider of products and services for out-of-band networking, WDM and optical transport, metro Ethernet, fiber optic components, 10GE and other service aware networking products, today announced the release of improved clustering, security and management features for its LX Series of out-of-band console servers.

The new functionality is available in an upgrade to the operating software that runs on the LX 4000T Series, MRV's flagship console server family. For large data center applications, MRV has improved the cluster management capabilities of the LX 4000T, allowing an unlimited number and combination of the console servers to be combined into a single management entity, greatly simplifying network planning and troubleshooting. Management enhancements for MRV power solutions include user configurable utilization thresholds and automated power control.

With the upgrade, the LX Series offers enhanced support of the TACACS+ protocol, which eases integration into Cisco environments and provides more granular control over command execution. This new support provides tighter integration with the ACS database, enhancing the use of the LX Series to meet Sarbanes-Oxley, HIPAA and other government data security and integrity directives. New support for SFTP (Secure FTP) protects operating system updates along with log and configuration file information via a secure SSH encrypted connection to ensure that critical network software and operational information are not compromised.

"Security concerns -- both from inside and outside of an enterprise -- continue to pose a challenge to IT departments across all industries. These customer concerns are driving MRV to offer an even more secure out-of-band network solution -- including the strict FIPS 140-2 certification -- that provides a reliable audit trail of who is accessing servers and networking equipment," said Noam Lotan, MRV president and CEO.

The version 5.0 software features a number of improvements in navigation and configuration when using the embedded GUI, simplifying the process of adding new subscribers to the network, searching for specific devices, making configuration updates and console server maintenance -- all of which can be controlled through a single interface. Version 5.0 of the LX Series software includes a test port feature that validates cable configurations and port settings, eliminating guesswork and therefore reducing the time and cost to install networking equipment.

A new EZConfig "wizard"-style configuration tool walks network administrators through basic configuration steps and also allows them to quickly enable a particular feature of the LX.

LX Version 5.0 Software is available immediately. Customers interested in LX Series Console Servers and their capabilities can find more information on the MRV website at http://www.mrv.com.

About MRV Communications, Inc.

MRV Communications, Inc. ("MRV") is a leading provider of network equipment and services, and optical components. MRV's networking business provides equipment used by commercial customers, governments and telecommunications service providers, and includes switches, routers, physical layer products and out-of-band management products as well as specialized networking products for aerospace, defense and other applications including voice and cellular communication. MRV's optical components business provides optical communications components for metropolitan, access and Fiber-to-the-Premises applications, through its wholly owned subsidiary LuminentOIC, Inc. MRV markets and sells its products worldwide through a variety of channels, including a dedicated direct sales force, manufacturers' representatives, value-added-resellers, distributors and systems integrators. MRV also has operations in Europe that provide network system design, integration and distribution services that include products manufactured by third-party vendors, as well as internally developed and manufactured products. Publicly traded since 1992, MRV is listed on the NASDAQ National Market under the symbol MRVC.

For more information, call 818/773-0900 or visit http://www.mrv.com/ and http://www.luminentoic.com.