FREMONT, CALIFORNIA (April 19, 1999) - ZNYX Corporation today announced the availability of a remarkable new network adapter that allows workstations on Token Ring and Ethernet-based networks to directly access shared servers at high speeds. Developed in conjunction with Cisco Systems (Nasdaq: CSCO - news), ZNYX’s new NetBlaster™ ZX361-ISL 100 Mbps network adapter works with Cisco Catalyst® switches to allow users with different network topologies and protocols to share data and services.

"The new ZNYX NetBlaster ZX361-ISL network adapter provides an important solution for Cisco's Token Ring switching customers," explained Frank Whitten, Cisco's Product Line Manager of Token Ring switching. "Using this adapter, Token Ring users can now have high-speed connections to servers with the simplicity and performance of Fast Ethernet but without the expense and complexity of ATM. By supporting both Token Ring and Ethernet simultaneously, customer server access is greatly simplified, especially in accounts running mixed networks. It positions customer networks for the future, whether they continue with Token Ring, support mixed LAN types because of mergers or acquisitions, or migrate to Ethernet at a pace that meets their business requirements."

The Inter-Switch Link (ISL) and Token Ring ISL (TRISL) technologies were developed by Cisco to expand virtual LAN (VLAN) capabilities across enterprise networks. Until today, these Cisco technologies were used exclusively for inter-switch communications. With the release of ZNYX’s NetBlaster ZX361-ISL adapter, servers on heterogeneous enterprise networks using Cisco’s ISL and TRISL protocols can now support both Token Ring and Ethernet clients with multiple Virtual LANs (VLANs).

"By extending Cisco VLAN and trunking technologies down to servers, users can directly access network resources at very high speeds," reported Jim Hsia, ZNYX’s Vice President of Marketing. "Enterprises with Cisco switches and routers can synergistically integrate their servers into the same network fabric. Data handling is streamlined as traffic moves effortlessly along these network links. Each Ethernet and Token Ring data packet is encapsulated within these ISL/TRISL protocols. To minimize the server CPU loads, ZNYX has developed a proprietary programmable protocol engine to maintain a loss-less, error free communications infrastructure."

The NetBlaster ZX361-ISL is targeted at companies with an installed base of Cisco Catalyst 5000, 5500, or 3900 series switches. ISL and TRISL technologies are available on a number of Cisco switch modules, including:

• WS-X5509 Catalyst 5500/5000 Series Supervisor Engine II TX and MII
• WS-U5531-FETX Dual Port 100BaseTX Up-link module for Supervisor III
• WS-5213A Catalyst 5000 Fast Ethernet Switching Module (10/100BaseTX,12 interfaces)
• WS-X5225R Catalyst 5000 24-port 10/100BaseTX Backbone Fast EtherChannel Switching Module (802.1Q/ISL, RJ-45)
• WS-X5203 Catalyst 5000 Fast EtherChannel switching Module (10/100BaseTX,12 interfaces)
• Catalyst 3900 Token Ring Switch with the WS-C3900-2ISL expansion module

The ZNYX adapter is a perfect complement for Cisco customers maintaining a mixture of Ethernet, Fast Ethernet and Token Ring topologies.

"Information Technology managers who are planning to upgrade their Token Ring networks should carefully evaluate a Cisco ISL/TRISL solution against emerging High Speed Token Ring (HSTR) products," declared Jay Cowan, ZNYX’s Product Marketing Manager. "For high profile, mission-critical network servers, ZNYX’s NetBlaster ZX361-ISL adapter is the only high availability solution which does not require a ‘forklift upgrade’—the process of changing out major portions of a company’s network infrastructure. No matter how you compare it, ZNYX’s TRISL adapter is demonstrably superior to HSTR."

ZNYX’s innovative Redundant Array of Independent Netports (RAIN) technology is incorporated into the NetBlaster ZX361-ISL. By installing up to four adapters into a single server, the network bandwidth scales from 100 Mbps (200 Mbps full duplex) to a maximum of 400 Mbps (800 Mbps full duplex) using Cisco’s Fast EtherChannel trunking technology. ZNYX’s active redundancy design provides a single, high availability connection for automatic load balancing and fast failover. In the event of a failure, traffic will be redirected to all other available links—in as little as 500 milliseconds.

Compared to nascent High Speed Token Ring (HSTR) technologies, the complete ISL/TRISL solution from ZNYX and Cisco offers several compelling advantages, including:

• Multiple virtual LANs (VLANs) to simplify and improve network administration
• Simultaneous Ethernet and Token Ring traffic
• Link aggregation for scalable network bandwidth (to 800 Mbps)
• Support for long length, fiber optic cables
• Up to 37% lower price than a complete HSTR configuration

The ZNYX NetBlaster ZX361-ISL adapter comes with both a RJ-45 connector for Cat 5 cabling and an MII connector for a fiber optic transceiver. Four separate LED’s on the adapter show activity for Ethernet/Token Ring traffic, activity and link integrity. The NetBlaster ZX361-ISL adapter for network servers running Microsoft Windows NT is available immediately. In mid-1999, software support for Novell NetWare servers will be added.

The NetBlaster ZX361-ISL has a suggested list price of $799 and is sold and supported by ZNYX's worldwide resellers and distributors, as well as through ZNYX’s e-commerce website at www.znyx.com. This adapter carries a limited lifetime warranty.

As a Cisco Enterprise Associate, ZNYX has been working closely with Cisco Systems to provide a network adapter that complements Cisco’s IOSŪ network products. The ZNYX NetBlaster ZX361-ISL adapter incorporates several Cisco technologies, including Inter-Switch Link (ISL), Token Ring ISL (TRISL) and Fast EtherChannel (FEC).

ZNYX Corporation, a privately held company headquartered in Fremont, California specializes in bringing continuous availability and improved performance to network systems, while preserving the existing network infrastructure. ZNYX’s focus is to deliver innovative, cost-effective solutions for high availability computing systems to make network interfaces faster and more reliable. Using its Redundant Array of Independent Netports (RAIN) technology, ZNYX designs and manufactures a family of PCI and CompactPCI LAN adapters. Information about ZNYX products is available at www.znyx.com.