SANTA CLARA, Calif. -- In a move to meet service providers' rapidly growing need to offer richer, more reliable and flexible Ethernet-based services, Riverstone Networks (PINK SHEETS:RSTN - News), a leading provider of carrier Ethernet solutions, today introduced the Riverstone 15008 Ethernet Edge Router, the first member of the Riverstone 15000 series. The new 10-gigabit Ethernet router complements Riverstone's flagship RS product line and Riverstone Management Center (RMC) with a high-end solution that allows service providers to converge their various business, residential edge and metro core services onto a single, reliable and scalable Ethernet infrastructure.

The Riverstone 15008 packages the standard elements of a multiservice edge router - an IP/MPLS control plane, multiple interface types, and the ability to converge traffic over MPLS -- in a platform optimized for today's fast-growing, high-margin Ethernet services. Yankee Group estimates that global carrier revenues from Ethernet services will nearly triple over the next three years from US$2.4 billion in 2004 to more than US$7 billion by 2007. Raising the stakes in Ethernet technology, the Riverstone 15008 is the first Ethernet edge router to employ a distributed and modular operating system architecture. By running software protocols as modular processes, the Riverstone 15008 is able to deliver unmatched routing software reliability, allowing the router to detect and restart errant protocols without affecting the rest of the system. This dramatically reduces router software outages and reboots. Currently, nearly half of all network failures are caused by software related issues according to consulting firm Network Strategy Partners. The Riverstone 15008 hardware not only has redundant control modules and switch fabrics, but also supports resilient network designs with technologies like MPLS Fast Reroute and Service loop detection and prevention to deliver true carrier-grade reliability.

"In a carrier network, reliability and performance are everything," said Dan Golding, Senior Analyst, Burton Group. "Lots of companies have products that can perform, but reliability has been elusive. The Riverstone 15000 series has really taken the next step toward carrier-level reliability and up-time for edge routing applications."

Riverstone Networks Inc.