Quiet period is for the Company and Brokers, not Us:
November 29, 1999, Monday 12:59 PM Eastern Time
HEADLINE: Agilent Technologies and Qwest Advance Network Measurement and Performance-Assurance Solution for Qwest's High-speed Network Using Firehunter/PRO
DATELINE: PALO ALTO, Calif., Nov. 29, 1999
BODY:
Firehunter/PRO Monitors, Measures and Reports Critical Information that Substantiates Qwest's Superior Network Performance on Web Site
Agilent Technologies, Inc., a subsidiary of Hewlett-Packard Company, today announces that Qwest Communications International, Inc., a leader in reliable Internet-based data, voice and image communications, has selected Firehunter/PRO from Agilent to monitor, measure and report on the protocol-level performance of its large-capacity, high-speed networks. Qwest has incorporated Firehunter/PRO into its service assurance solution that measures the overall performance of its OC48 IP backbone, provides information relative to the company's service level agreements (SLAs), and makes the data publicly available on the company's latency-reporting Web site. The results posted on stat.qwest.net reflect actual customers' experiences across Qwest's backbone and substantiate the network's superior performance versus competitive offerings.
"We need to demonstrate the level of performance required of a next-generations provider in large capacity networks," said Vab Goel, vice president, IP Network Engineering and Advanced Technology for Qwest. "We selected Firehunter/PRO because it generates real-time reports, which demonstrate to the customer the truest calculation of backbone performance. Also, Firehunter/PRO assures our network performance for its key Internet-protocol testing and measurement on general applications such as e-mail, news and Web."
A critical feature of Firehunter/PRO is its ability to break down response times into four categories. This feature allows customers to troubleshoot and determine which elements might be contributing to network performance degradation. The four categories are:
-- Domain Naming Service (DNS) Time -- the time it takes to
look up the server address;
-- TCP Connect Time -- the time it takes to connect to the
server;
-- Server Response Time -- how long it takes the Web server to
respond to a request for information; and
-- Data Transfer Time -- how quickly the Web page data appears
on screen.
"This is only the first step as part of a broad, joint development effort between Qwest and Firehunter to provide customers with the most advanced network testing and real-time reporting solution in the industry so that Qwest can meet its goal of 100 percent network availability," said Tom White, vice president and general manager, Agilent Communications Solutions Group.
In the future, Qwest intends to document higher-level network statistics found by Firehunter/PRO on an interactive Web site and provide access to this information to its customers.
About Firehunter
The Firehunter family of service-assurance solutions for e-business provides vital functionality for proactive management of the performance and availability of business-critical services. Firehunter supports service-level monitoring and reporting and SLA management, resulting in assured, verified service levels for tiered-service offerings. These powerful capabilities enable service providers to rapidly troubleshoot, improve customer service and enhance business planning.
About Qwest
Qwest Communications International Inc. (Nasdaq: QWST) is a leader in reliable and secure broadband Internet-based data, voice and image communications for businesses and consumers. Headquartered in Denver, Qwest has more than 8,500 employees working in North America, Europe and Mexico. The Qwest Macro Capacity(R) Fiber Network, designed with the newest optical networking, spans more than 18,500 route miles in the United States, with an additional 315-mile network route to be completed by the end of the year. In addition, Qwest and KPN, the Dutch telecommunications company, have formed a venture to build and operate a high-capacity European fiber optic, Internet protocol-based network that has 2,100 miles and will span 9,100 miles when it is completed in 2001. Qwest also has completed a 1,400-mile network in Mexico.
About Agilent Technologies
Agilent Technologies, Inc. is a diversified technology company, resulting from Hewlett-Packard Company's plan to strategically realign itself into two fully independent companies. With 42,000 employees serving customers in more than 120 countries, Agilent Technologies, as a subsidiary of HP, is a global leader in designing and manufacturing test, measurement and monitoring instruments, systems and solutions, and semiconductor and optical components. The company serves markets that include communications, electronics, life sciences and healthcare. The businesses comprising Agilent had net revenues of nearly $8 billion in fiscal year 1998.
Information about Agilent Technologies can be found on the Web at agilent.com.
CONTACT: Agilent
Debbie Madden, 970/898-3303
debbie_madden@agilent.com
or
John McCreadie, 408/553-7342
john_mccreadie@agilent.com
URL: businesswire |
