Very quiet around here. Totally different than last quarter.
Maybe the stock will act differently this time.
Why isn't it going up...get rid of the shorts. :-)
No, I'm not talking about our President.
John
( BW)(3COM-2)(COMS) 3Com Shatters Performance Barriers With New 10/100
Fast Ethernet Network Interface Card; Nearly 20% Increase In Overall Network
and System Performance with Parallel Tasking II Technology
Business Editors & Computer Writers
SANTA CLARA, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan. 27, 1998--3Com Corporation
(NASDAQ:COMS), the global leader in Ethernet and Fast Ethernet network interface cards (NICs),
announced today several important industry firsts are being delivered on its latest NIC including an
unprecedented 17 percent efficiency increase in throughout and CPU utilization over the competition. The
Fast EtherLink(R) XL 10/100 NIC's exceptional performance is attributed to Parallel Tasking II(R)
performance which exploits recent advancements in PCI chipset design to significantly reduce CPU
utilization resulting in better desktop application performance. Additionally, the Fast EtherLink XL NIC is
the first true Managed PC NIC available today.
"Our installed base of over 10 million 10/100 connections clearly illustrates market demand for
3Com's high performance solutions," said Doug Spreng, executive vice president, 3Com Interface
Products Group. "The new Fast EtherLink XL NIC continues to deliver the industry's best performance
combined with enhanced value-added capabilities that address manageability and reduced cost of
ownership."
3Com Revolutionizes Performance
Setting entirely new performance standards for NICs, Parallel Tasking II performance eliminates PCI
bus bottlenecks by bursting a full packet across the PCI bus in one bus master cycle. Previously, PCI
chipsets took 24 cycles to transmit one packet resulting in an inefficient system and higher CPU
utilization. In optimizing data transfers, Parallel Tasking II performance also improves network response
for any application including data-intensive applications such as multimedia, imaging, shared
whiteboarding, intranets and virtual private networks (VPNs). These fast data transfer rates are achieved
with minimal burden on the CPU meaning users can continue working on their PCs, with little degradation
in system performance.
Reduced Cost of Ownership Through Manageability
The Fast EtherLink XL NIC, an integral part of 3Com's Managed PC solution, (for more detail on
Managed PC, refer to announcement dated 11/6/97), is designed to reduce the traditional total cost of
PC ownership associated with the upkeep of personal computers.
With 3Com's Remote Wake-up feature, PCs can be powered-on remotely from a central
management station. This flexibility makes it possible to perform routine maintenance and software
upgrades at any time, even after hours. Network administrators are now able to execute time intensive
chores from one location, eliminating the need to go from desktop to desktop for installations or
upgrades. End user productivity is also increased due to diminished system downtime during office hours.
"3Com's introduction of the Fast EtherLink XL NIC coincides with the unprecedented market
demand for 10/100 LAN connectivity and a corresponding need for innovative ways to control and
manage large networks," said John Armstrong, principal analyst, Dataquest.
The Fast EtherLink XL NIC is the first true Managed PC NIC and is compliant with the latest PC
specifications including Advanced Configuration and the Power Interface (ACPI) and PC97/98. In
addition to Remote Wake-Up, the 3Com Managed PC solutions comprise several distinct components
integrated for optimal desktop management and control including:
-- Desktop Management Interface (DMI) 2.0 Support helps system administrators automatically and
remotely create detailed inventories of desktop systems;
-- Managed PC Boot Agent (MBA) allows client to boot from a large variety of network boot servers
to enable centralized system configuration and disaster recovery;
-- Software Update Agent enables users to continually update and enhance NIC functionality quickly
and easily with driver and DynamicAccess(TM) software downloads. The Software Update Agent,
provided by Tivoli, is expected to be available in Q1CY98 as a free software download from 3Com's
website.
Key Industry Standards Implemented
The Fast EtherLink XL NIC is the first NIC available to implement the latest industry standards for
traffic control. The three new standards include:
-- IEEE 802.1p provides standards-based end-to-end traffic prioritization;
-- IEEE 802.1Q enables standards-based VLAN identification for client PCs;
-- IEEE 802.3x automatically negotiates full duplex connections and flow control to minimize dropped
packets in congested LANs.
Bringing Intelligence To The Desktop
The NIC plays a key role in optimizing overall network performance, management and control. By
allowing IS managers to add intelligence to new and existing 3Com NICs, they are able to easily take full
advantage of new standards giving them a network that runs faster and provides businesses the ability to
customize and monitor their networks in ways never before possible.
DynamicAccess software (for more detail on DynamicAccess software, refer to announcement dated
11/24/97) delivers a broad array of solutions to network managers including:
-- Traffic Prioritization provides network managers the ability to specify the priority level applications
should receive from the network;
-- dRMON SmartAgent(R) software, or distributed remote monitoring, collects and reports network
performance;
-- Fast IP, based on Next Hop Resolution Protocol (NHRP), accelerates Intranet performance via
short-cuts. Fast IP lets data avoid router bottlenecks, leveraging the speed of switching, while maintaining
the control of routing.
The Total 3Com Solution
The Fast EtherLink XL NIC is an integral part of 3Com's new 10/100/1000 solutions for the
workgroup and core of enterprise networks, enabling end-to-end management and control. With the
Fast EtherLink XL NIC and 3Com's recently announced CoreBuilder(TM) 3500 and 9000 Layer 3
enterprise switches, and SuperStack(R) II Switch 1100, 3300, 3900, and 9300 workgroup switches,
3Com is the first company to implement end-to-end support for application prioritization (IEEE 802.1p),
traffic control (IEEE 802.1Q), Flow Control (IEEE 802.3x), and cut-through switching (Fast IP).
Integrated through 3Com's standards-based TranscendWare(TM) software, 3Com's workgroup and
core solutions operate as a coherent and highly manageable system for easy configuration,
troubleshooting and network control.
Pricing and Availability
The Fast EtherLink XL PCI TX 10/100 NIC (3C905B-TX) card is expected to begin shipping in
January 1998 and will be available for a U.S. list price of $94.00, per NIC in packs of 100.
About 3Com
3Com Corporation enables individuals and organizations worldwide to communicate and share
information and resources at anytime from anywhere. As one of the world's preeminent suppliers of data,
voice and video communications technology, 3Com has delivered networking solutions to more than 100
million customers worldwide. With global reach and local touch, the company provides enterprises,
network service providers and carriers, small businesses and consumers with comprehensive, innovative
information access products and system solutions for building intelligent, reliable and high performance
local and wide area networks. 3Com has worldwide revenues of approximately $6.0 billion and employs
about 13,200 employees in 45 countries. For further information, visit 3Com's World Wide Web site at
3com.com, or the press site at 3com.com.
Note to Editors: 3Com, EtherLink, Parallel Tasking, Parallel Tasking II, SuperStack and SmartAgent
are registered trademarks of 3Com Corporation. CoreBuilder, DynamicAccess and TranscendWare are
trademarks of 3Com Corporation. All other trademarks belong to their respective companies. |
