Interop® Las Vegas 2006 Powered With Extreme Networks' Converged and Secure Network Foundation

Interop® Las Vegas 2006, produced by CMP Media, today announced that Extreme Networks, Inc. (NASDAQ: EXTR) will be the premier network hardware provider of the InteropNet event network. The complete list of InteropNet participants was also announced. Interop Las Vegas 2006 will be held April 30 - May 5 at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center. For a complete schedule of all educational sessions, keynote addresses and participating exhibitors, visit www.interop.com.

The InteropNet network, built to support voice, video and data for thousands of demanding attendees and sponsoring exhibitors, will be built on Extreme Networks' leading-edge network infrastructure running on the ExtremeXOS™ network operating system. The InteropNet will leverage best-in-class security and low latency switching from Extreme Networks' award- winning BlackDiamond® and Summit® switches to smoothly handle all voice, video and data applications throughout the event while protecting the infrastructure from outside threats. Extreme Networks has been selected for the seventh consecutive year to provide the backbone of the InteropNet.

The InteropNet is built in collaboration with leading vendors and hand- selected products that are ready to meet the ultimate networking challenge. The InteropNet is implemented as a two-tier network, with a 10 Gigabit core featuring BlackDiamond switches and an end-to-end Gigabit Ethernet edge with support for IP Telephony with Power over Ethernet.

Because the InteropNet is exposed to millions of IP addresses across the Internet yet must be highly available, Extreme Networks is deploying its BlackDiamond Ethernet platform featuring a secure switching fabric, its Sentriant appliance and CLEAR-Flow, a scalable and responsive security rules engine. The InteropNet will also be protected with Extreme's Ethernet Automatic Protection Switching (EAPS), providing sub 50 millisecond failover of services on the ring design. The network will be well prepared for delivering converged voice, video and data applications throughout the event.

"The InteropNet at Interop Las Vegas 2006 provides Extreme Networks with a unique opportunity to reveal the latest convergence and security innovations while demonstrating a rock-solid network in a very real environment," said Suresh Gopalakrishnan, vice president of marketing for Extreme Networks. "Our converged network solution featuring advanced modular software and end-to-end switching infrastructure will be ready to deliver on the demands for reliable and secure communications throughout this premier industry event."

"The InteropNet owes its design and development to an ever-growing community of resourceful and dynamic network professionals who have pushed boundaries to create the leading-edge demonstration that is the InteropNet," said Glenn Evans, InteropNet Lead Network Engineer. "This distinguished list of participants at Interop Las Vegas 2006 will help continue the InteropNet's legacy of innovation and expertise."

Interop Las Vegas attendees will have the opportunity to take free, engineer-led tours of the InteropNet throughout the exhibition and gain a practical, behind-the-scenes view. Tours start at the InteropNet NOC and are scheduled to run at 11:30 am, 1:30 pm and 3:30 pm, Tuesday, May 2 and Wednesday, May 3; and at 11:30 am and 1:00 pm, Thursday, May 4.

The complete list of hand-selected vendors set to build the InteropNet includes:

  -- Extreme Networks -- Official Network Hardware Provider
  -- AGN Networks -- VoIP Trunking
  -- APC -- Power and Out of Band Management
  -- Apposite Technologies -- Bandwidth Testing Management
  -- Aruba Networks -- Wireless
  -- Avaya -- VoIP Solutions
  -- CA -- Integrated Network Management
  -- ConSentry Networks -- Network Access Control
  -- Coyote Point -- Application Acceleration
  -- Fluke Networks -- Troubleshooting
  -- Gigamon Systems -- Physical Layer Troubleshooting
  -- Groundwork Open Source -- Open Source Network Monitoring
  -- IBM -- Storage
  -- InterNap -- Route Optimization
  -- Juniper Networks -- External Routing and Security
  -- MarquisNet -- Internet Service Provider
  -- NetDevices -- Branch Office Appliances
  -- Network General -- Management and Troubleshooting
  -- Network Physics -- Route Analytics
  -- Qwest -- Internet Service Provider
  -- Spirent Communications -- Performance Analysis
  -- Splunk -- Data Center Management
  -- SYSTIMAX Solutions -- Cabling Infrastructure
  -- TANDBERG -- Video

The InteropNet will fuel the InteropLabs, the world's only real-time live interoperability test bed for the latest networking technologies. The InteropLabs will showcase the latest solutions to real engineering challenges in a live, vendor-neutral, standards-based arena and will focus this year on three primary areas: Open Source Software, Network Access Control and VoIP: Security and Integration. The InteropLabs will give attendees the opportunity to test-drive new products and technologies based on performance, not marketing claims.

For 20 years, Interop has held a unique place in the IP infrastructure markets, and is responsible for fostering the innovation that has fueled the revolution and evolution in IP networking. With network convergence now taking center stage as the key enabler of the latest technology innovations, Interop will continue to show how all of the pieces fit together to help IT organizations overcome their business challenges. Additional information on Interop Las Vegas, including registration information, is available online at www.interop.com.

About Interop®

Interop®, now part of the CMP Media family of global brands, has led the revolution and evolution in IP networking for the past twenty years, and is dedicated to promoting and demonstrating the interoperability of the converged network, applications and devices to seamlessly exchange and use information to address the full range of business challenges facing IT organizations today and tomorrow. As the leading destination for technology buyers and sellers, Interop has fostered the growth and evolution of the IT industry for the past two decades, and remains the most anticipated and only comprehensive IT event. Through in-depth educational programs, workshops, real-world demonstrations and live technology implementations in its unique InteropNet and InteropLabs programs, Interop® provides the forum for the most powerful innovations and solutions the industry has to offer. Interop® Las Vegas will take place at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center, April 30 - May 5, 2006, and Interop® New York 2006 will take place at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center, September 18 - 22, 2006. For more information about these events, visit www.interop.com.

About CMP Media (www.cmp.com)

CMP Media is a marketing solutions company serving the technology, healthcare and lifestyles industries. Through its market-leading portfolio of trusted information brands, CMP Media has earned the confidence of more professionals and enthusiasts in these fields than any other media company. As a result, CMP is the premier provider of access, insight and actionable programs designed to connect sellers and buyers in each of these industries in ways that yield superior return on investment. CMP Media is a subsidiary of United Business Media (http://www.unitedbusinessmedia.com/), a global provider of news distribution and specialist information services with a market capitalization of more than $3 billion.

SOURCE: CMP Media

CONTACT: Ben Stricker, PR Manager of CMP Media, +1-415-905-2464, or
bstricker@cmp.com

Web site: http://www.cmp.com/