ASANTE SHIPS FIRST STACKABLE FAST ETHERNET HUB

AsanteFAST 100 Hub Joins 10/100 Adapter In 'Next Generation' Solutions;
Delivers Faster Performance And Easy, Affordable Network Migration

SAN JOSE, CALIF., July 17, 1995 - Asante Technologies Inc. (NASDAQ: ASNT),
a leading provider of Ethernet networking products for PC and Macintosh
computers, today announced the release of the AsanteFAST 100 Hub, a new
12-port stackable Fast Ethernet hub. The AsanteFAST 100 Hub offers an easy
and cost-effective way to upgrade computer networks to 100Mbps Fast
Ethernet as network congestion "hot spots" arise - providing both
immediate performance improvements and flexible expansion capability to
add bandwidth capacity as needed. The AsanteFAST 100 hub is priced at US
$1,995 MSRP.

Delivering a range of features and functionality that provide companies
with an easy migration path to 100BASE-TX networking and speeds 10 times
faster than standard 10BASE-T Ethernet, the AsanteFAST 100 Hub offers
support for multiple computer platforms, NWay(tm) Auto-Negotiation, easy
installation, and stackability to 118 ports - the largest Fast Ethernet
collision domain on the market. Asante's new hub is designed to address
the performance and throughput requirements of bandwidth-intensive
applications, such as desktop publishing, pre-press, digital video
processing, graphic modeling, medical imaging, and others.

Following the release last month of its Fast Ethernet counterpart - the
AsanteFAST 10/100 Adapter, a PCI card for PC and Power Macintosh computers
- the AsanteFAST 100 Hub is the latest in Asante's award-winning product
line, including Ethernet adapter cards, intelligent and non-intelligent
Ethernet hubs, and network management software for PC and Macintosh
computers. "Asante products are created with affordability, plug-and-play
ease-of-use, and reliable solutions in mind," said Paul Smith, vice
president of marketing at Asante. "AsanteFAST is ideal for companies where
network bottlenecks are bringing productivity to a standstill. Many are
looking for efficient ways to upgrade high-bandwidth workgroups without
having to convert the entire network infrastructure."

The AsanteFAST 100 Hub and 10/100 Adapter are designed to give companies a
network migration path that matches their own growth path. The hub, for
example, offers immediate performance gains to a workgroup of 12 users as
well as an effective way to expand Fast Ethernet throughout the enterprise
on an as-needed basis - to a total of 60 users supported on each "stack"
and a maximum of two stacks on a single collision domain running
100BASE-TX. The adapter, on the other hand, provides dual-speed capability
for maximum migration flexibility. With support for both 10Mbps and
100Mbps, the card offers customers the option to buy now for 10BASE-T
networking, taking advantage of the high-performance design and PCI bus
throughput now, and power up later when they're ready for Fast Ethernet.

AsanteFAST also makes the process of migration from 10Mbps to 100Mbps
networking virtually risk-free and trouble-free. Both the hub and adapter
card have implemented National Semiconductor's NWay(tm) Auto-Negotiation
technology. Using NWay, the AsanteFAST adapter will automatically
negotiate the network connection to 10BASE-T, 100BASE-TX, 100BASE-TX full
duplex, or 10BASE-T full duplex without user intervention. If an
incompatible connection is attempted, such as 100BASE-T4, the adapter will
detect it and auto-partition the port to eliminate interference with other
ports. The AsanteFAST 100 Hub also is equipped with this crash-proofing
feature - checking for compatibility between the adapter connections and
the hub. This preserves the integrity of the network and minimizes
downtime.

Both the AsanteFAST adapter and hub are fully compliant with industry
specifications for Fast Ethernet, including the IEEE 802.3u standard
approved last month by IEEE. As a steering committee member of the Fast
Ethernet Alliance, Asante has worked extensively with more than 75
networking companies to encourage standardization of Fast Ethernet
solutions for user interoperability. The Fast Ethernet standard is based
on the same CSMA/CD media access method of standard Ethernet, allowing
data to move between 10BASE-T and 100BASE-T nodes without protocol
translation.

PRODUCT HIGHLIGHTS

AsanteFAST 100 Hub Stackability

No special cables are required to expand network capacity. Five hubs may be
stacked together using an expansion card that transmits the signals
between units. The Asante hub provides 12 RJ-45 connector ports located on
the front panel as well as an additional RJ-45 uplink port used to connect
two cascading stacks (up to five meters away) for a total potential
capacity of 118 ports. The Asante hub is a Class II repeater, allowing two
repeater sets between any two nodes within a single collision domain.

Multi-Platform

The AsanteFAST 100 Hub is actually platform independent, allowing easy
connection to 100BASE-TX-equipped PCs, Macs and workstations.

Pricing

At $166 per port, the AsanteFAST 100 Hub is nearly $50 less per port than
other Fast Ethernet hubs expected to ship this year. AsanteFAST 10/100
Adapter

Cross-Platform Support

The Asante card provides all-in-one compatibility to 10BASE-T and
100BASE-TX Ethernet networks for both PC and Macintosh PCI-based
computers. The card ships with a single disk containing drivers for both
platforms. This is an ease-of-use issue benefiting both the customer and
the retailer, who only deals with one product on the shelf and one SKU.

PCI bus, which the AsanteFAST adapter card supports, is an
industry-standard technology and the next-generation bus architecture
after ISA and EISA buses found in many PCs and the NuBus and PDS
architectures found in Macintosh models prior to the Power Macintosh 9500.
Asante's PCI card uses a 32 bit bus mastering design that allows maximum
throughput without loading down the host CPU. The high-bandwidth adapter
is ideal for installation in a network server requiring high-speed
throughput and low CPU utilization for maximum performance.

Plug-and-play installation and usability

The AsanteFAST adapter saves time and money. Simply plug the card into the
computer's PCI slot and it is automatically configured to the system on
power-up, without using jumpers or switches. For added ease-of-use, the
adapter has four LED lights for trouble-shooting. LEDs indicate connection
to 10BASE-T operation, 100BASE-TX operation, link integrity and data
traffic. All popular LAN operating systems are supported, including
NetWare 3.x, NetWare 4.x, Windows NT 3.1, Windows NT 3.5, Windows for
Workgroups, MS LAN Manager, TCP/IP, Open Transport Driver (Power Mac).
Support for Windows 95 will be added to the adapter card later this year.

AsanteFAST products are expected to be widely available by early August
through a network of VARs, system integrators, computer retail stores, and
manufacturers' representatives worldwide. Asante's direct sales force in
San Jose also sells the AsanteFAST hub and adapter to higher education
customers.

The AsanteFAST hub and adapter, like all Asante products, are covered under
a unique lifetime warranty plan, guaranteeing free technical support and
replacement of defective products.

ABOUT ASANTE

Founded in 1988, Asante Technologies Inc. manufactures and markets a full
line of high-performance products for Ethernet networks, including PC and
Macintosh adapter cards, intelligent and non-intelligent hubs, and network
management software. Asante products are available worldwide through a
network of North American and international distributors.
 
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