---------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Florida SunFlash CISCO AND SYNOPTICS SIGN AGREEMENT TO DEFINE NEXT-GENERATION NETWORK COMPUTING SYSTEM SunFLASH Vol 34 #4 October 1991 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- The following third-party announcement was made today by SynOptics. -johnj ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Builds Upon SunNet Manager Technology; Makes Possible Super Networks REDWOOD CITY, Calif.,--Oct. 2, 1991-- Cisco Systems, Inc. and SynOptics Communications, Inc. announced today the formation of a joint development relationship that will result in the delivery of a fundamentally new computer network system that integrates router and intelligent hub technology. The new system, called the RubSystem(TM), will enable organizations to build computer networks significantly larger and more complex than than those used today. "Two years ago, local area networks (LANs) used to connect 1,000 to 1,500 corporate users," said Andy Ludwick, president and chief executive officer of SynOptics. "But increasingly, LANs will become super networks of 40,000 to 50,000 users. We believe the RubSystem is a market imperative for multivendor networks of this magnitude and complexity to be safely managed." Under the joint development relationship, the business alliance will combine router and network management technology from Cisco with advanced hub and network management technology from SynOptics into a next-generation network infrastructure system with high-performance routing capabilities. Network management applications jointly developed by Cisco and SynOptics will run on the RubSystem's network management software platform, SunNet(TM) Manager from SunConnect(TM), a Sun Microsystems business. The result will be a new system designed to meet customer requirements for increased connectivity, greater control, increased network availability and lower cost of ownership. "Our customers played a key role in bringing this alliance together to simplify and control the growing complexity of their networks," explained John Morgridge, president and chief executive officer of Cisco Systems. "We share with SynOptics a vision of what will be possible with an integrated solution, and the RubSystem represents a powerful and evolutionary product." Network Management Based Upon SunNet Manager Platform Management applications developed by Cisco and SynOptics will be built upon UNIX-based SunNet Manger from SunConnect, a long-term development partner of SynOptics. SunNet Manager is a leading network management software platform for open network management. Through a set of tools and services supplied by SunNet Manager, vendors can tailor their applications to create a powerful, comprehensive management system. "As networks grow more complex, the need for an open, sophisticated, multivendor management soultions becomes critical," said Eric Schmidt, president, Sun Technology Enterprises, SunConnect. "The RubSystem enables customers to network and manage their open systems environments more easily." SynOptics' current network management system, announced last month, is based upon SunNet Manager and is called LattisNet(TM) Manager. For Cisco, SunNet Manager represents the first implementation of the company's program to integrate NetCentral, Cisco's comprehensive set of network management tools, with other popular network management software platforms. Market Share Leaders Combine According to the letter of intent signed last week, SynOptics, the market share leader in intelligent hubs, and Cisco, the market share leader in routers, plan to develop multiple hub, router and management products that encompass Ethernet, Token Ring and FDDI (Fiber Distributed Data Interface) wide area network technologies in parallel development efforts over the next 18 to 24 months. A product managment team, headed by a joint steering committee, will simultaneously deliver a number of innovations. First, the alliance will deliver jointly developed network management applications that will allow the current hub and router products from both companies to be managed in a more tightly integrated fashion. Second, the alliance will produce a next-generation integrated, routing hub. Third, the combination of jointly developed applications, SunNet Manager and the integrated, routing hub makes possible the RubSystem. The RubSystem itself will provide fully integrated and enhanced connectivity, routing and management technology, all controlled under a powerful common network platform offering the network designer more flexibility and performance. Cisco and SynOptics have a history of collaboration that has delivered integrated hub-based router products such as a local Ethernet router, shipping since December 1990, and a remote Ethernet router, shipping since June 1991. The companies share a large common installed base of customers today, from department-sized workgroups of 50 to 200 users to enterprise-wide networks of more than 10,000 users. According to Dick Wilk, group manager, Distributed Network Services Support at Boeing, a customer shared by Cisco, SynOptics and Sun, "One of the reasons we are so enthusiastic about this new alliance is it means we'll have a way of automatically handling problems like configuration changes and capacity problems for our network of over 50,000 workstation users. Unless we have a common, integrated approach to managing and controlling the network, we can't safely run our business." The joint development relationship is based upon a letter of intent signed last week by SynOptics and Cisco. Terms for the planned joint development relationship were not disclosed, and implementation of the letter of intent is contingent upon the execution of definitive contracts. These contracts are expected to be completed later this year. SynOptics is a leading supplier of networking solutions that distribute management and processing power throughout the network at the intelligent hub, allowing more efficient and reliable delivery of data across a local area network. Its products include connectivity, internetworking and network management options for Ethernet, Token Ring and FDDI. The company is headquartered in Santa Clara, Calif., and has 38 offices workwide. SynOptics is publicly traded over the counter under the NASDAQ symbol SNPX. Cisco Systems, Inc., headquartered in Menlo Park, Calif., is the leading supplier of high-performance, multimedia and multiprotocol internetworking products, including routers, bridges, terminal servers and network management software. Cisco technology can be used to build enterprise-wide networks linking an unlimited number of geographically dispersed LANs. Cisco is publicly traded over the counter under the NASDAQ symbol CSCO. SunConnect, a business unit of Sun Microsystems, Inc., develops and markets products that enable customers to transparently integrate UNIX systems into mixed-vendor environments and efficiently manage enterprise-wide networks. The company has its headquaters in Mountain View, Calif. ---------------------------------------------------------------- RubSystem is a trademark of SynOptics Communications, Inc. and Cisco Systems, Inc. LattisNet and SynOptics Communications are registered trademarks of SynOptics Communications, Inc. SunNet and SunConnect are trademarks of Sun Microsystems, Inc. Other brand and product names are registerd trademarks of their respective holders. PR contacts: Cisco Systems, Inc. Jeff Paine (415) 326-1941 SunConnect Erica Vener (415) 336-3566 SynOptics Communications, Inc. Carol Broadbent (408) 988-2400 ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ For information send mail to info-sunflash@sunvice.East.Sun.COM. Subscription requests should be sent to sunflash-request@sunvice.East.Sun.COM. Archives are on solar.nova.edu and paris.cs.miami.edu. All prices, availability, and other statements relating to Sun or third party products are valid in the U.S. only. Please contact your local Sales Representative for details of pricing and product availability in your region. Descriptions of, or references to products or publications within SunFlash does not imply an endorsement of that product or publication by Sun Microsystems. John McLaughlin, SunFlash editor, flash@sunvice.East.Sun.COM. (305) 776-7770.