Spirent Communications Delivers Breakthrough Design for Router Testing Tool; mAX IP Tests Router Stability, Scalability and Performance.

Business Editors/High-Tech Writers

ROCKVILLE, Md.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--April 15, 2002

Spirent Communications(TM), a wholly owned business group of Spirent plc (NYSE:SPM), today announces mAX IP, Spirent's new AX/4000 routing generator/analyzer (G/A), which builds on the company's award-winning mAX G/A technology for its Adtech AX/4000 Broadband Test System. mAX IP features advanced router performance testing capabilities, creating a powerful solution for network equipment manufacturers, Internet service providers and telecom carriers to use in evaluating the stability, scalability and performance of router technology and services for core and metro/edge networks.

At the heart of mAX IP, the new AX/4000 G/A, is a high-performance central processing unit (CPU) and scalable architecture. This breakthrough product incorporates the latest in high-performance CPU design, with clock speeds well beyond 1GHz. Additionally, the new architecture allows users to upgrade the CPU without replacing the whole test module when faster systems are available or needed. This flexibility allows users to better leverage their investment in Spirent equipment. The end result is a system with up to 100x the routing emulation performance of existing designs, combined with the industry's most complete IP quality of service (QoS) measurement capability. Scalable CPU performance combined with comprehensive data plane test capability, within a single port, reduces the complexity, cost and time required to complete thorough router testing when compared to less capable designs. In addition, mAX IP offers comprehensive router testing and enables functional, performance and conformance testing over a wide variety of high-speed interfaces.

The mAX IP also offers enhanced IPv6 support, which will help facilitate the ongoing deployment of IPv6 solutions to resolve IP address space depletion and support emerging applications. Spirent's IPv6 support includes integrated IPv4 and IPv6 testing, enhanced IPv6 generation and analysis with increased filtering and high-performance IPv6 routing emulation.

"Interoperability tests and adherence to IETF specifications are very important requirements placed on any new network device, but increasingly so is the device's ability to stand up to rigorous scalability and stability tests," said Bahaa Moukadam, vice president of product marketing, Spirent Communications, Performance Analysis - Broadband. "New testing tools, such as the mAX IP, are becoming critical in determining the ability of a router to perform well, without fail, in rapidly expanding next-generation networks. Spirent has taken the very complex task of testing advanced router technology and made it easy for customers to cost-effectively analyze their equipment, ensure high-quality performance and accelerate time-to-market and time-to-profit."

Among the key capabilities of mAX IP are functional, conformance and performance testing of the latest routing protocols, including:

-- BGP-4 (EBGP and IBGP)

-- OSPF-TE

-- ISIS-TE

-- RSVP-TE

-- LDP/CR-LDP

Furthermore, the mAX IP supports functional and performance testing of BGP/MPLS virtual private networks (VPNs), as defined in the RFC-2547 specification. The mAX IP also works with existing AX/4000 IP interface cards and will offer backwards compatibility for Tcl library support, allowing users to leverage their existing Spirent test automation scripts.

About Spirent Communications

Spirent Communications (www.spirentcom.com) unites the best in performance analysis technology with network operations expertise. The company's award-winning solutions enable customers to accelerate the development, deployment and assurance of next-generation network equipment and services worldwide.

Spirent Communications designs and manufactures Adtech, DLS, Edgcumbe, GSS, Hekimian, SmartBits, TAS and Zarak products. More than 2,500 of the world's leading network and terminal equipment manufacturers, network service providers, corporate enterprises and test laboratories rely on our first-to-market products to verify and measure the performance and services of networks and communications devices.

Spirent plc is listed on the London Stock Exchange (ticker: SPT). The company is also listed on the New York Stock Exchange through a Level 2 American Depository Receipt program, through which one ADR represents four Spirent shares (ticker: SPM; CUSIP number: 84856M209). Further information about Spirent plc can be found at www.spirent.com.

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