World’s No. 1 supplier adds 11 new converters, including three Gigabit.

Bothell, WA, May 30, 2000 - Allied Telesyn International (www.alliedtelesyn.com), a worldwide leader in simplifying networking for businesses of all sizes and the world’s leading supplier of media conversion technology, announced today 11 new media conversion products - including both simple converters and converters that incorporate switches - designed to facilitate long distance network segments. The new media converters make it possible for network administrators to capitalize on the distance advantages of single-mode fiber optic cabling for long runs by providing solutions that convert copper or multi-mode fiber optic network segments to single-mode fiber optic. In facilitating the connection of multi-mode segments to single-mode, these new conversion tools help network managers optimize cable length distances in today’s growing networks.

“Multi-campus networks are common today, and more and more network managers are looking for efficient and inexpensive ways to link them,” said Vince Ricco, Allied Telesyn’s Senior Vice President of Sales. “By providing products that can span distances of up to 100km using single-mode fiber, inexpensive, reliable, and efficient inter-campus and intra-campus connections are possible.”

“As the market leader for media conversion products, we’re committed to providing a comprehensive product line that is responsive to customer needs,” Ricco continued. “Fiber continues to make sense - for the data security, bandwidth, and distance advantages it provides, and this family of media converters lets network managers get the most from the network - optimizing distance while maximizing the budget.”

Consistent with Allied Telesyn’s commitment to making fiber technology more available and accessible, each of these new converters is designed to provide a clean and efficient way to facilitate long-distance network segments via single-mode fiber optics. In addition to being easy to install, these converters include management tools that make them easy to own. They feature a fiber link test switch that allows on-the-spot checks of fiber connection between two media converters in back-to-back applications, and all are equipped with Allied Telesyn’s MissingLink, a management tool that provides communication between the converter and the hosts to allow quick status reporting. If a link fails, the converter informs both hosts so that they can perform corrective actions.

Using one of these converters makes maintaining a contiguous network easy. Simply attach the converter to a copper or multi-mode fiber optic network cable at one end, and the fiber optic cable that exits the other end of the converter is single-mode fiber, which can travel 15, 20, 40, 75 or even 100km. At the end of the run, it connects through another single-mode fiber port to convert back to copper or multi-mode fiber at its destination.