Vernier Networks Enhances Its Enterprise-Class 
Features for Securing Mission-Critical Wireless LANs

Standards-Based Software and Turbo-Charged Hardware Give 
Enterprises Secure, Flexible Control of the Wireless Edge

    MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif., Dec. 3, 2002 - Vernier Networks today announced Version 3.0 of its award-winning Vernier Networks System(TM) software, which provides network managers with enhanced support for securing, scaling, and managing enterprise wireless LANs (WLANs). The company also introduced a new hardware platform, the 6500 series, that provides improved performance, integrated Gigabit Ethernet capability, and hardware acceleration of 3DES encryption for boosting performance of encrypted traffic. This new software and hardware improves the robustness of WLAN security and management, giving enterprise IT managers the features and performance they need to make WLANs as strategic to long-term corporate business objectives as their wired LANs are today.

    "For enterprises to make WLANs a strategic component of their networks, they need scalable, robust, secure solutions that offer investment protection," said Dominic Wilde, senior product marketing manager for Vernier Networks. "Vernier offers enterprises a comprehensive range of security and management options for WLANs, giving IT managers the standards-based choices they need to easily integrate WLANs into their existing networks. With this release, Vernier also makes WLAN policy much easier for IT managers to define and administer, especially for key applications, such as VLANs and multicast. In addition, we now offer hardware-accelerated WLAN security, to ensure the authenticity, privacy, and integrity of business-critical data for even the most demanding WLAN environments."

    "The Vernier Networks System is very feature rich, said Michael Shisko, director of information technologies for Experio Solutions (Dallas, TX). "It gives us the features we need today in an easy-to-use package. A lot of the things that we may want to implement in the future, Vernier Networks already supports. We couldn't think of a feature or control that Vernier Networks doesn't already account for."

    Award-Winning WLAN Architecture for Enterprises
   The award-winning Vernier Networks System combines scalable, centralized security, configuration, and management with distributed Layer 3 access intelligence to provide a range of control options for WLANs, starting with security gateway solutions for small deployments to full-featured security and mobility solutions for large strategic deployments. Version 3.0 of the Vernier Networks System software includes these key new features to enhance enterprise WLANs:

--	802.1q VLAN tagging based on user, group, and location
--	IGMP v3 multicast support
--	Enhanced access management features for increased control and flexibility
--	Enhanced client support

    802.1q VLAN Support -- The Vernier Networks System is the only WLAN solution today that supports 802.1q VLAN tagging based on user ID, group membership, or location. With this feature, IT managers can not only assign wireless traffic to a separate VLAN, but also provide greater management flexibility and more secure control of WLAN traffic. The software can tag WLAN traffic, or recognize existing tags, and redirect traffic to specific ports based upon assigned access rights.

    Consistent with the overall Layer 3 mobility support in the Vernier system, location-aware VLAN tagging "roams" seamlessly with the user, allowing the IT manager to extend a well-known management practice to solve the emerging needs of a mobile user base.

    IGMP v3 Multicast Support -- Version 3.0 of the Vernier Networks System provides true support for IGMP, the Internet Group Management Protocol, which enables a single data stream to propagate content to multiple users or groups simultaneously. Enterprises are now using multicasting for such applications as sending stock ticker or media updates, streaming video training feeds, and broadcasting service and product announcements. With Version 3.0, Vernier Access Managers can join a multicast group, bridge multicast traffic to appropriate ports, or deny multicast traffic based upon centralized policy. Vernier also adds a new dimension to multicast applications by providing subnet roaming, allowing users in a multicast group to have their data streams follow them as they change locations, without re-authentication to the WLAN.

    Programmable Access Control -- The Vernier Networks System allows IT administrators to define security policies based on any combination of user identity, time of day, location, or group. In addition to interfacing with existing authentication services and directories, such as RADIUS, LDAP, 802.1x, NT Domain, and Active Directory, Release 3.0 of the Vernier Networks System adds an XML-RPC interface that enables IT managers to programmatically control the Vernier rights management system. Administrators can dynamically modify the access rights to their network to automatically reflect changing business rules. In addition, IT managers can dynamically override or change user access rights for a specific time period, through an easy-to-use graphical interface.

    These features are particularly useful to map WLAN access to actual business policies such as allowing guest access only during working hours, preventing network access in classrooms during tests, or changing access policies in meeting rooms and auditoriums based on time of day or status of the users at the location.

    Enhanced Client Support -- Version 3.0 adds increased support for multiple client configurations. For example, automatic proxy server support ensures that users can access the network regardless of browser settings. The system also dynamically compensates for various client-specific network assumptions, such as DNS, IP address, and WINS settings, thus eliminating many common administrative problems.

    "Our network environment poses some interesting management and security challenges for WLANs, and the Vernier Networks System is well designed to address those challenges without adding undue complexity to our network," said Worth Johnson, director of operations and technical support at Simon Frasier University (Burnaby, British Columbia). "We can use our existing student databases to administer WLAN security and access privileges, which makes the Vernier solution easy to integrate into our network. In addition, Vernier gives us dynamic control of user privileges, so that we can make changes to the network whenever we need to, and even shut off WLAN access for certain time periods for certain users, in situations where that makes sense, such as during tests. This type of flexibility becomes even more important as we extend WLAN access to more users and more departments across the campus."

    High-Performance 6500 Platform
    Vernier designed its new high-performance hardware platform to future-proof customers' investment and meet the evolving demands of 802.11x industry standards. The Vernier 6500 Series, which includes an Access Manager, Control Server, and Integrated System, also supports an optional hardware encryption card that improves system-level performance and offloads CPU cycles from the main processor to provide turbo-charged 3DES throughput. In addition, the 6500 platform provides an on-board gigabit copper interface and optional support for additional Gigabit Ethernet interfaces (copper, SX, or LX) for connectivity to high-speed backbones.

    Pricing and Availability
    Components of the Vernier Networks System 6500 Series are available today; base prices are as follows (U.S. list):

          $7995            Integrated System with integrated       10/100/1000 uplink

          $3695            Access Manager with integrated         10/100/1000 uplink

          $6495            Control Server with integrated            10/100/1000 uplink

    Version 3.0 of the Vernier Networks Systems software, which runs on all Vernier platforms, is available as a no-charge upgrade to existing Vernier customers and ships standard with all new Vernier systems.

    About Vernier Networks
    Founded in March 2001, Vernier Networks develops innovative systems and software to protect, manage, and enhance wireless networks. Vernier's user-aware, intelligent networking technology allows network managers to centralize wireless LAN usage policies, secure wireless network access at the edge, and deploy scalable wireless mobility across the enterprise. The Vernier Networks System won the Best of Show award at NetWorld+Interop Atlanta in October 2001, and the COMNET New Product Achievement Award for Wireless/Mobile in January 2002. A privately held company, Vernier Networks is the first spinout company of Packet Design, a technology development company founded by entrepreneurs Judy Estrin and Bill Carrico. For more information, visit the Vernier Networks web site at: www.verniernetworks.com.

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