Silicon Access Networks Releases iFlow Programming Environment and Router Software to Speed Rapid Time to Market.

Business Editors/High-Tech Writers

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

Cycle-Accurate System Model of iFlow Platform

Available for Design Customers

Silicon Access Networks, Inc., a leading pre-IPO network processor company, today announced the availability and shipment of its iFlow(TM) Programming Environment (iPE) and iFlow(TM) Reference Software (iRS). By employing Silicon Access Networks' iPE and iRS products, developers and system architects can develop product-level data and control path software for 10Gigabit products.

"We are excited about our customers' positive feedback to the iFlow iPE and iRS solutions, and they are already benefiting from the tremendous value the technology brings for meeting time-to-market requirements," said Perry Constantine, president and CEO of Silicon Access Networks. "With the combination of the industry's best software tool designers, networking protocol experts and processor architects, we are delivering a world-class network processor programming environment."

"Silicon Access Networks is quickly making itself known and respected within the communications marketplace by 'raising the bar' to a higher level for the development of 10Gigabit products. Having an accurate chip-by-chip representation can give communications equipment designers up to a six-month head start in their product development cycle," said Frank Dzubeck, president of Communications Network Architects, Inc.

Shipments to an undisclosed list of networking customers began on January 19, 2001, for next-generation products currently in development. These customers are writing, testing and debugging proprietary packet-processing code for routers and switches built with the iFlow platform. Customers are also using the iFlow iPE and iRS solutions to analyze chipset performance under various network stresses and traffic patterns, thereby allowing designers and architects to identify performance scenarios prior to hardware availability.

"Customers now have access to a cycle-accurate and detailed system model of their 10Gigabit data path chipset prior to shipment. This allows customers to define product functionality early in the development cycle, thus reducing time-to-market and preventing costly inaccurate architectural decisions," said David Carr, chief network architect of Silicon Access Networks.

About iFlow Programming Environment and iFlow Reference Software

The iFlow Programming Environment is a cycle-accurate, "C"-based modeling environment for software emulation of iFlow products (Packet Processor (iPP), Address Processor (iAP), Classifier (iCL) and Accountant (iAC)) on the data path. It provides features such as:

-- data path configuration using configuration files or control plane APIs

-- traffic generation and inspection

-- performance monitoring

-- ability to observe internal chipset resources and utilization, and

-- graphical user and command line interfaces.

The iFlow Reference Software is a fully compliant line-card forwarding stack for an RFC1812 Router/Switch with support for features such as IPv6, MPLS, IP and MPLS Tunneling, and multi-field classification for access control lists and billing applications. The iRS data path supports full wire speed for minimum size packets on both 10Gigabit Packet over Sonet (POS) and Ethernet interfaces.

About iFlow(R)

Silicon Access Networks' iFlow solutions provide deep-packet processing at the low power, high performance and port density required by advanced Internet Protocol (IP) devices in MAN and WAN edges and WAN backbones. Silicon Access Networks' iFlow family of processors and coprocessors are ideal for providing all aspects of advanced Quality of Service (QoS) provisioning, deep-packet classification with carrier-class reliability for next-generation IP products in service-provider networks.

About Silicon Access Networks

Silicon Access Networks, Inc. is a pre-IPO company focused on developing a complete data path platform solution for OC192c/10G Ethernet for the next generation Internet infrastructure and beyond. Silicon Access Networks industry-leading network microprocessors, with advanced smart memory, use embedded memory for building high-end switch and router line cards with advanced flow management and QoS capabilities and carrier-class reliability. Silicon Access Networks chipset technology enables solutions that scale up to OC768 or 40Gb/s while meeting power, processing and bandwidth requirements. Founded in 1997, Silicon Access Networks is a full-service fabless semiconductor manufacturing company with headquarters in San Jose, California, a development center of expertise in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, and a development and marketing center of expertise in Raleigh, North Carolina. The company is a member of CSIX, CPIX, the 10 Gigabit Ethernet Alliance, the Optical Internetworking Forum (OIF) and the ATM Forum. For more information, visit www.siliconaccess.com.