Foundry Enhances Layer 4-7 Switch OS

SAN JOSE, Calif. -- Foundry Networks®, Inc. (Nasdaq: FDRY - News), a performance and total solutions leader for end-to-end switching and routing, today released a new version of the TrafficWorks(TM) IronWare(TM) operating system that powers its ServerIron® Layer 4 - 7 load balancing switches. With the new TrafficWorks Ironware operating system upgrade, ServerIron systems provide significant enhancements to server and network security, application traffic intelligence, and manageability of servers and load balancing switches.

Major new features of the TrafficWorks IronWare Version 9.0 O/S include:

Foundry's ServerIron family of Layer 4 - 7 switches provide sophisticated Internet traffic and content switching features including server load balancing, URL and cookie based switching, global server load balancing, firewall load balancing and transparent cache switching. Some of the world's most demanding customers such as AOL TimeWarner, CheckFree Corporation, NTT DoCoMo, and Wachovia Bank rely on Foundry ServerIron systems for server farm scalability and network security.

"Our network applications demand the highest levels of scalability, manageability and security," said Bryan A. Larrieu, vice president of Voice, Data Communications and System Security IT Operations for CheckFree Corporation. "The ServerIron line is a great solution because it offers the ideal combination of performance and innovative features, and it comes with Foundry's strong customer support."

"Foundry Networks has traditionally been a performance-focused player in the Layer 4 - 7 switching market. With its new TrafficWorks IronWare release, Foundry is adding more intelligence to its offerings without compromising its core values," said IDC research analyst Maximilian Flisi. "Customers are asking for more intelligence in these switches -- over and above performance. With this release, Foundry is addressing both of these important customer needs."

A recent survey by the Yankee Group showed that approximately 35% of network downtime is caused by human errors in configuration. With the new ServerIron configuration synchronization features and integration with the sophisticated INM package, network operators can minimize the chance of human errors in configuration.

"As Layer 4 - 7 switches become increasingly popular to solve a variety of server farm scalability and security issues, operational aspects of the Layer 4 - 7 switches is a concern for network operators," said Zeus Kerravala, senior research analyst at Yankee Group. "The new TrafficWorks operating system offers the most complete and powerful set of tools in the industry to ease the operation and management of Layer 4 - 7 switches."

"With Release 9.0 of our TrafficWorks Ironware operating system, Foundry once again sets the bar for network infrastructure security, performance and manageability," said Chandra Kopparapu, vice president and general manager of the Service Provider and Multi-Layer Switching Business Unit at Foundry Networks. "By continuously innovating and advancing Layer 4-7 switching technology, Foundry ensures that its customers stay at the leading edge of the security and performance curve to ensure mission-critical application efficiency and security."

Powered by the TrafficWorks Ironware operating system, ServerIron Layer 4 - 7 switches lead the industry in performance, price/performance, switching intelligence and port density. Foundry was the first and continues to be the leading vendor to provide end-to-end networking infrastructure solutions that encompass high performance Web switches, Internet Routers, and wire-speed Layer 2/3 switches.

In a separate release:

Foundry Networks®, Inc. (Nasdaq: FDRY - News), a performance and total solutions leader for end-to-end switching and routing, today announced that it has achieved OPSEC(TM) (Open Platform for Security) certification for its ServerIron® family of Layer 4-7 switches, from Check Point Software Technologies Ltd. (Nasdaq: CHKP - News), the worldwide leader in securing the Internet. After rigorous testing by Check Point, Foundry's switches were proven to work seamlessly and reliably with Check Point's market-leading VPN-1®/FireWall-1® Next Generation(TM) solution. Certified products include the Foundry ServerIron 100, 400, 800 and ServerIronXL switches.

"Our ServerIron switches received OPSEC certification for Check Point's previous product version more than two years ago. We are pleased to expand OPSEC Check Point certification today to the Check Point Next Generation suite of security solutions," said Chandra Kopparapu, vice president and general manager of Foundry's Service Provider and Multi-Layer Switching Business Unit. "Check Point OPSEC certification means that ServerIron switches are now an even stronger and more reliable choice for IT managers designing mission- critical, secure networks."

The ServerIron family of modular and chassis-based Layer 4-7 switches provide sophisticated Internet traffic and content management features, including firewall load balancing, URL and cookie-based switching, global server load balancing, and transparent cache switching. ServerIron switches lead the industry in price/performance, switching intelligence and port density, and include an already extensive package of security and management features.

"Security, performance and availability are critical in building a secure Internet infrastructure," said Upesh Patel, director of business development for Check Point Software Technologies. "With OPSEC Certification, customers can deploy Foundry's ServerIron systems to provide a seamless, best-of-breed failover and load balancing solution for Check Point NG. The combination of Check Point's solutions with Foundry's ServerIron switches will provide customers with a best-of-breed solution that meets stringent requirements and supports transparent VPN-1 failover with no loss of connectivity for active connections."

Among the companies that rely on Foundry's ServerIron Layer 4-7 switches are the Greater London Authority, Munich University of Technology, North American Mortgage Company, America Online, weather.com and Raindance Communications. Foundry is a leader in the market for Layer 4-7 switching, with a more than 20% share in the most recent calendar quarter according to independent research firm the Dell'Oro Group.

In a separate release:

Foundry Networks®, Inc. (Nasdaq: FDRY - News), a performance and total solutions leader for end-to-end switching and routing, today introduced a new ISP load balancing product based on the new TrafficWorks(TM) Ironware(TM) operating system that powers its ServerIron® family of Layer 4 - 7 switches. The new ServerIron Link Balancer product helps the growing number of enterprises with multiple ISP connections reduce the cost of Internet service and efficiently utilize all the available ISP links. With Internet connectivity at the heart of business operations, many enterprise customers use multiple ISP links for redundancy, bandwidth scalability, and pricing flexibility. The Link Balancer product distributes network traffic load across multiple ISP links using an array of powerful methods and eliminates the need for complex routing implementations. It provides value-added features like optimization on key metrics, in-band traffic flow monitoring, and dynamic measurement of performance parameters. The Link Balancer product combines powerful link balancing features with the industry-leading performance of ServerIron systems to load balance up to six T-3 or two OC-3 links.

Current approaches available to enterprise customers require use of the BGP (Border Gateway Protocol) routing protocol. Enterprises are left with the choice of paying for idle bandwidth or hiring resources to manage the complexities of the BGP. Additionally, the BGP protocol does not provide optimization on key metrics like service response time, bandwidth availability, and bandwidth cost that impact the enterprise's business.

"Using multiple ISPs allows enterprises to take advantage of higher bandwidth with high availability," said Chandra Kopparapu, vice president and general manager of the Service Provider and Multi-Layer Switching Business Unit at Foundry Networks. "The new Link Balancer product offers the industry's most comprehensive solution to the challenges in distributing load across multiple ISP connections, allowing enterprises to improve Internet response time and availability, and reduce the cost of Internet service."

With the release of its Link Balancer product, Foundry is extending the Layer 4 - 7 switching intelligence of the ServerIron family to new enterprise applications with immediate economic benefits. The superior performance of ServerIron switches and the rich Layer 4 - 7 features of the TrafficWorks O/S complement the Link Balancer product to deliver end-to-end mission-critical applications to Foundry customers.

"Enterprise customers are increasingly deploying Layer 4 - 7 switching products that offer a diverse set of intelligent applications to meet their mission-critical business needs throughout the enterprise," said Rachna Ahlawat, a senior analyst at Gartner. "Purpose built Layer 4 - 7 switching products that deliver high performance will continue to gain more market traction."

Foundry Networks Inc.