Accton Ushers In Next Generation MPX2 MultiPacket Accelerator Adapters

Parallel Tasking, Windows 95 Compatibility, and Enhanced Network Drivers
Make Accton's MPX2 Network Adapters that Grow with Your Network

March 27, 1995 -- LAS VEGAS, Nevada - Improving on the MultiPacket
Accelerator (MPX) Ethernet adapter design the company introduced almost
two years ago, Accton Technology Corporation will unveil the next
generation of MPX adapters at this week's NetWorld + Interop exhibition.
The new MPX2 adapters have been optimized to outperform conventional
NE2000 adapters by 30 percent or more thanks to a new parallel-tasking
architecture and enhanced software drivers. And these new MPX2 adapters
have been tested for plug-and-play compatibility with Microsoft's Windows
95, making them the ideal network hardware platform to support the next
generation of Windows workstations.

"We are dedicated in keeping our customers current with the latest
networking technology," said Swan Chen, General Manager of Accton
Technology USA. "With the release of our next generation MPX cards, we
have optimized our adapters and support software to deliver even faster
throughput than before. With this improved performance and the proven
benefits of our 1Step configuration software and AccView/Station network
management software, we believe the new MPX2 cards give our customers even
greater value for their integration dollars than ever before."

There are four different Ethernet adapters in the new Accton MPX2 family.
The EtherCombo-16 (EN1660) 10BASE-T/10BASE2 adapters give users the option
of two cabling media and are completely self-configuring. The EtherPair-16
(EN1661) is a 10BASE-T adapter with RJ-45 connectors. The EtherCoax-16
(EN1662) is Accton's new AUI adapter for 10BASE5 cabling. And finally the
EtherDuo-16 (EN1666) is Accton's new self-sensing combination adapter for
10BASET or 10BASE2 cabling.

All of the adapters in the MPX2 family are completely NE2000 compatible and
have been tested for compatibility with the new Microsoft Plug and Play
V1.0a standard. Theses adapters also feature a full-duplex,
parallel-tasking architecture to double the channel bandwidth. In fact,
when tested at the recent Microsoft PlugFest to test Plug and Play
compatibility, the new MPX2 adapters deliver an average throughput of 813
Kbps, and have been clocked with sustained maximum throughput rates of
more than 1 Mbps.

Among the new features released with MPX2 is an upgraded version of
Accton's 1 Step software that now supports AutoLink login for NetWare
environments. Installation is completely automated using licensed NetWare
protocols and drivers. Using Accton's 1Step configuration software,
network managers can install new workstations with a single keystroke. The
software automatically configures the workstation and installs the
appropriate software drivers.

All these adapters are 8/16-bit (auto-selectable) with an 8/16K RAM buffer.
1Step also automatically selects the best available IRQs and I/O addresses
and stores them in an EEPROM chip on-board the adapters. 1Step supports a
wide range of IRQ addresses, and provides I/O and boot ROM address
information to minimize configuration conflicts. 1 Step also automatically
loads the appropriate driver software to disk. The MPX2 drivers have been
expanded as well, so now there are additional drivers for various UNIX
platforms, as well as improved drivers for other platforms as well. The
MPX2 adapters come with driver support for Novell 2.x, 3.x and 4.0;
Novell's LAN Workplace TCP/IP stack, Novell's LAN Analyzer for NetWare;
Microsoft LAN Manager; Microsoft Windows for Workgroups; Windows NT; IBM
LAN Support; IBM LAN Server; IBM TCP/IP for DOS and OS/2; IBM OS/2 EE; DEC
PATHWORKS, Wollongong Pathway Access; FTP PC/TCP; NCSA TCP/IP; Sun's
PC-NFS; Banyan VINES; SCO UNIX; and Interactive UNIX. All the MPX2
adapters have been certified by Novell, Microsoft, and Digital Equipment
Corporation.

Once installed, the MPX2 adapters also come with Accton's exclusive
AccView/Station management software. AccView/Station is a Windows-based
application that provides network administrators with a means to quickly
poll an individual network node for network statistics. Using
AccView/Station, the network administrator can select the appropriate
packet driver using the point-and-click Windows interface. A PC
Configuration window provides basic information about the workstation,
including the type of microprocessor, the version of DOS being used, the
presence of co-processors, serial and parallel port configurations,
available RAM and EMS, and drivers loaded on the workstation. A network
driver configuration also shows how the driver has been configured.
AccView/Station also provides real-time network statistics, showing the
number of bytes and packets transmitted and received. It also keeps a
count of transmission errors to help diagnose potential problems. Data can
be stored from any of AccView/Station's configuration screens to generate
a log of workstation activity or a troubleshooting report. Reports can be
printed directly from AccView/Station or using Windows' Clipboard, from
any Windows-based application.

Accton's MPX2 Ethernet adapters will be available during the second quarter
of 1995. Pricing for these adapters w as not set at the time of this
release.

Accton Technology Corporation manufactures workgroup connectivity hardware
and software, including a complete product line for Ethernet applications.
Accton has been ranked as one of the top six manufacturers of Ethernet
adapters by International Data Corporation, and the first Ethernet adapter
vendor to receive ISO-9001 certification. Accton Technology Corporation is
headquartered at 1962 Zanker Road, San Jose, CA 95112; telephone (408)
452-8900; FAX: (408) 452-8988.

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