INDUSTRY

LAS VEGAS, NV -- OFS, designer, manufacturer, and supplier of leading edge fiber optic products, and Foundry Networks(R), Inc. (NASDAQ: FDRY) , a leading provider of high-performance enterprise and service provider switching, routing and Layer 4 - 7 traffic management solutions, have together successfully demonstrated 10 Gigabit Ethernet at distances beyond 802.3ae specification. Foundry's 10 Gigabit Ethernet ER module (10GBASE-ER), which is compliant with the current draft version of the IEEE 802.3ae specification, has transmitted traffic over 85km, using randomly selected OFS TrueWave(R) RS fiber. This demonstration is twice the distance specified in the IEEE 802.3ae standard for 10GBASE-ER links. "This demonstration allows Metro Providers to build their backbone network with confidence when using Foundry's 10 Gigabit Ethernet product and OFS' fiber offering. In addition, customers enjoy cost savings when extending the limits of 10 Gigabit Ethernet beyond the standard specification," said Ken Cheng, Vice President of Marketing of Foundry Networks. Foundry's BigIron 10GBASE-SR modules transmitted 10-Gigabit Ethernet over 830 meters of randomly selected OFS LaserWave(R) 300 fiber through two optical connections, at 2.7 times the 802.3ae specified minimum for 10GBASE-SR links. "LaserWave and TrueWave RS provide margin to reliably support 10-Gigabit Ethernet using standard 802.3ae ports and eliminate the need for expensive link extenders for very long reach applications," said Janice Haber, Vice President of System Engineering and Market Development for OFS. "We have shown that Foundry's BigIron 10-Gigabit Ethernet switches provide a healthy reliability margin to support 10-Gigabit Ethernet," said Cheng. Foundry's 10-Gigabit Ethernet solution plays a key role within existing Enterprise and Service Provider network backbones. With Foundry's 10-Gigabit Ethernet solution, Enterprises can now take advantage of high-speed network throughput for applications, such as Grid computing or high-performance network computing. Coupled with OFS fiber products, Metro Service Providers and Internet Exchange Providers can connect points-of-presence (POP) with 10-Gigabit Ethernet and enjoy the cost savings associated with Ethernet. LaserWave 300 and LaserWave 150 fibers are the world's first 10 Gb/s 850 nm laser optimized multimode and have been shipping in volume since December 1999. LaserWave fibers enable the lowest system cost from 10 Mb/s through 10 Gb/s by easing alignment tolerances in the optics throughout the system. The specifications of LaserWave fiber are referenced in the latest IEEE 802.3ae 10-Gigabit Ethernet standard, as well as by the 10-Gigabit Fibre Channel standard draft, and the 10-Gigabit OIF (Optical Internetworking Forum) specification. TrueWave RS fiber can support 10GBASE-E (1550nm optics) to greater than the 40km reach specified in the IEEE 802.3ae standard for standard single mode fiber by providing very low chromatic dispersion at 1550nm. The testing of the 10 Gigabit Ethernet was held in a controlled environment. For more information visit www.ofsoptics.com/ or www.foundrynetworks.com.