(Boston, MA) February 11, 1992 -- FTP Software, Inc., the leading developer of PC-based Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) software, today announced and demonstrated at the NetWorld 92 Boston tradeshow, LANWatch version 2.04. LANWatch is FTP Software's software-only, hardware-independent, low-cost contribution to the LAN analyzer marketplace. Priced at only $1,200, LANWatch competes head-to-head functionally with products priced more than five times higher. "Originally developed for internal use, FTP Software priced LANWatch to appeal to the network managers for smaller businesses and individual consultants who don't want to spend a lot of money for an analyzer," stated Bruce Campbell, director of product marketing. "Since LANWatch is a software-only package, it easily installs on existing PCs. This means that it is particularly good for field service engineers and network technicians who can carry just disks with them and install it when needed." LANWatch's affordable price also allows firms to purchase multiple copies, saving network developers valuable time often wasted waiting for one high-priced analyzer to become available. New Features Bring Compatibility to Additional Hardware And Protocols LANWatch is useful in the installation, troubleshooting and monitoring of a network. Running under DOS, LANWatch captures, parses, displays and saves packets to disk in real-time. The features of LANWatch's base package recognize over 400 protocols. LANWatch v.2.04 offers several new features for extending the product's compatibility with additional protocols and hardware, and improves its ability to monitor and troubleshoot networks. The enhancements include: * Support for NDIS Driver and Packet Driver. By using NDIS and Packet Driver, LANWatch is now compatible with any network interface card that will operate in promiscuous mode, which allows LANWatch to operate on most Ethernet, StarLAN, 10-basedT and Token Ring cards; * Complete NetWare 2.15 parsing and filtering, providing compatibility with over 90% of NetWare's installed base; * Improved NFS, RPC and Appletalk II parsing and filtering; * New filters, including: NET, which isolates traffic in a subnet; IP and MAC in English mode (in addition to numbers); and SNMP traps; * Layer highlighting in the HEX display mode. LANWatch Offers Full-Functionality Without Excessive Cost FTP Software introduced LANWatch in 1987 as a low-cost alternative to the higher-priced hardware-dependent analyzers. FTP Software designed LANWatch for use with Ethernet- and Token Ring-based networks, particularly those running TCP/IP. In addition to protocol analysis, LANWatch offers a host of other tools. LANWatch has two modes of operation. In Real-Time Mode, each line on the screen displays information on a single packet. A circular RAM buffer can store over 4,096 packets for high-speed capture of data, and utilities allow forward and backward searches to quickly locate desired packets. LANWatch can capture packets at a rate faster than 5,600 packets per second, depending on the network interface and PC hardware being used. In Examine Mode, users can utilize a variety of tools to search through packets, which LANWatch can automatically store to disk. Examine Mode's long format option shows the full contents of individual packets, useful for spotting errors. Using filters, LANWatch permits users to select a subset of packets for capture, display, storage or retrieval. LANWatch automatically isolates packets of interest, saving the user from sorting through network traffic to find specific packets. The analyzer searches for packets based on a variety of selection criteria, including addresses in several different protocol layers, protocol families, and Boolean "And", "Or", and "Not" operators. LANWatch also allows users to create their own filters, particularly important for professional developers. Utilizing LANWatch's protocol analysis features, software/protocol developers can debug and measure the performance of their new products. FTP Software also provides developers with source code for writing parses for new protocols. LANWatch recognizes TCP, IP, XNS, IPX, DECnet and VINES, and many others, displaying each protocol type in English and assigning it different color codes for easy identification. Users can add recognition for new protocols for parses and filters with the source code included in the base package. Pricing and Availability LANWatch version 2.04, available now directly from FTP Software, is priced at $1,200, with volume discounts available. The product installs easily on any PC or PS/2 equipped with a supported interface card. -------------------------------------------------------- (Wakefield, MA), January 31, 1992 -- FTP Software, Inc., the leading developer of PC-based Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) software, today announced the availability of its Interoperability Guide, a reference book that provides network managers and administrators with a general overview of TCP/IP and outlines methods for running TCP/IP for PCs concurrently with several network operating systems. FTP Software distributed 4,000 copies of the guide to attendees at last year's InterOp Show, and plans to repeat this service at the upcoming 1992 NetWorld-Boston show. Individuals not attending the show, but interested in receiving a free copy of the guide may contact the Company directly. Network administrators and managers have expressed an intensified interest in internetworking and how to make the theory of internetworking a reality. FTP Software, recognized in the PC TCP/IP market for its robust product line and superior technology, wants to give these individuals a resource for broadening their knowledge of internetworking. The Interoperability Guide, written by FTP Software personnel and targeted at both the technically adept network manager and the manager unfamiliar with many of the terms and concepts of TCP/IP networking, highlights the evolution of TCP/IP and provides important general networking background information and tools. Additionally, the book offers insights on how users can run TCP/IP for PCs simultaneously with several network operating systems, and the difference between technologies such as Packet Driver and NDIS. "FTP Software is well known for its excellent support staff and highly-skilled technical personnel," said Bruce Campbell, director of product marketing at FTP Software. "As the leaders in PC TCP/IP technology, we feel a certain responsibility for strengthening users' understanding of how TCP/IP can solve their networking problems. By making this book available, we hope to enlighten users on the power and flexibility of TCP/IP." FTP Software's founders were pioneers in the development of TCP/IP for PCs. John Romkey, one of the founders of FTP Software, developed both the first PC-based TCP/IP product and also the Packet Driver specification -- the first DOS standard for separating the network interface card driver code from a protocol stack -- now supported by over 100 vendors. Packet Driver allows TCP/IP and other transport protocols to share a common network interface card. Individuals interested in picking up the Interoperability Guide at the NetWorld-Boston show may stop by FTP Software's booth, #5000, to receive their free copy. Those not attending the show but still interested in receiving a copy of the guide may contact the Sales department at FTP Software at (617) 246-0900. -------------------------------------------------------- FTP Software, Inc. develops and markets TCP/IP networking products for IBM PCs and compatibles. TCP/IP is the industry standard protocol suite for communicating between disparate computer types. Considered one of the pioneering developers of TCP/IP technology for PCs, FTP Software became an industry leader with its introduction of PC/TCP for DOS in April, 1986. FTP Software also sells LANWatch, a software-based network analyzer for local area networks. Incorporated in January of 1986, FTP Software's headquarters are located at 26 Princess Street, Wakefield, MA 01880. The Company can be reached at (617) 246-0900. +---------------------------------------------------------------+ | From the America On-Line & PC-Link New Product Info Services | +===============================================================+ | This information was processed with OmniPage Professional OCR | | software (from Caere Corp) & a Canon IX-30 scanner from data | | provided by the above mentioned company. For additional info, | | contact the company at the address or phone# indicated above. | | All submissions for this service should be addressed to | | BAKER ENTERPRISES, 20 Ferro Drive, Sewell, NJ 08080 U.S.A. | +---------------------------------------------------------------+