DIGITAL EQUIPMENT CORPORATION

                             FACT SHEET




PRODUCT NAME:  VLAN and RMON Firmware Upgrades for Ethernet to 
               FDDI Switches 


OVERVIEW:  

To complement the clearVISN VLAN Manager and RMON Manager
applications, Digital is offering two firmware upgrades for its 
Ethernet to FDDI switches:

 o DECswitch 900 Version 1.6 -- providing VLAN support and the four
   basic RMON groups, and 

 o Ethernet Switch Enterprise RMON Upgrade V1.6 -- optional support 
   for all nine RMON groups

DECswitch 900 version 1.6 firmware introduces class 1 VLANs
and Remote Monitoring (RMON) capabilities across the entire family of
DEChub 900 high-speed switching products.  The complete product
package combines hardware-based firmware and client-based software to
provide an easy to configure, setup and manage local area network
solutions. 

The Class 1 VLAN capability enables managers to support up to 6 VLANs
per switch and up to 250 VLANs per network.  An easy-to-use, graphical 
user interface simplifies VLAN setup, administration and management.

The basic RMON capability stores statistics within the module and
captures network traffic information.  Basic RMON monitors at the MAC
or datalink level.   Basic RMON supports the following four RMON
groups: 

  o Statistics - Various statistics measured by the probe for the
    monitored Ethernet, including utilization, packet rates, 
    broadcast and multicast rates, and error information        
                 
  o History - Capturing of periodic statistical samples for later
    retrieval and analysis by the manager

  o Alarms - Specification of thresholds for various monitored
    variables, in order to generate events

  o Events - Controls the generation and notification of events
    from the probe.  It stores statistics within the module and 
    captures network traffic information.

The Full RMON Upgrade provides significant enhancements that enable it
to be used for analysis of various network layer protocols, including
IP, IPX, AppleTalk, DECnet, SNA, and OSI, as well as applications such
as NFS, FTP, SMTP, Telnet, Xwindow, etc. Each of the above protocols
can be installed as a "domain", and all 9 groups can be monitored
specific to that domain. In this sense, Digital's implementation of
the RMON functionality is a superset of the basic 4-group RMON function. 

The Full RMON Upgrade supports all nine RMON groups:

  o Statistics, History, Alarms, and Events groups (described above)    
  o Host Table - Indexes statistics by node address
  o Top N Hosts - Stores host statistics user-defined intervals
  o Traffic Matrix - Monitors traffic patterns between pairs of nodes
  o Filters - Enables network manager to establish a set of 
    preconditions for packet capture or events
  o Packet Capture - Stores packets that meet the filter criteria
    for later retrieval by client applications such as clearVISN
    RMON Manager.  


KEY FEATURES:                  BENEFITS:

Simple firmware upgrade        Protects investment for both current
                               and future customers of the DECswitch
                               900 and PEswitch 900 product families 

VLANs allow for logical        Work teams can be formed with common
grouping of resources          server and application access regardless 
based on common functional     of physical network location
requirements

VLANs enable network           Reduces the cost associated with
managers to make changes       moves, adds and changes
logically with point-and-
click software instead of
physical reconfiguration

VLANs segment groups or        Increases network security
individual users, limiting
their ability to access
specific network-based
services

VLANs allow                    Improves client/server performance by 
microsegmentation              enabling more effective allocation 
of network bandwidth           of current network bandwidth to users
                               and computing resources


RMON support provides smart    Provides basis for effective traffic
agents that monitor critical   analysis and problem isolation in
network parameters within the  switched internetworks
device and report network
events 

Full RMON Upgrade              Allows multiple clients to perform
                               network diagnostic functions from
                               multiple locations such as primary
                               and secondary management centers


PRICING AND AVAILABILITY:

DECswitch 900 Version 1.6 is available as a free upgrade.  
Ethernet Switch Enterprise RMON Upgrade V1.6 is priced at $1,495.
Both will ship in June.

For existing customers of the DECswitch 900 family, the VLAN and RMON 
firmware can simply be downline loaded using the clearVISN Flash
loader, which comes with clearVISN management software. 

                                ####


Note to Editors:  Digital and the Digital logo are trademarks of Digital 
                  Equipment Corporation.  All other trademarks are 
                  properties of their respective owners.

CORP/96/197i