SANTA CLARA, Calif., Oct 13, 2009 /PRNewswire-FirstCall via COMTEX News Network/ -- Extreme Networks, Inc. (Nasdaq: EXTR), today announced the BlackDiamond(R) 20804 Ethernet Transport switch, the latest addition to the BlackDiamond 20800 Series of high-performance, carrier Ethernet switches. Specifically engineered to handle the skyrocketing demands of residential video, business Ethernet and mobile backhaul services, the BlackDiamond 20804 Ethernet Transport switch addresses the challenges faced by small and large carriers worldwide as they deploy next-generation networks to meet today's service demands with a network that will last well into the future.

The new BlackDiamond 20804 Ethernet Transport switch increases network longevity by enabling carriers to gracefully expand video and other services on their network, provides the proactive service management tools carriers need to delight their subscribers, and helps lower the carriers cost of ownership with a next-generation solution that is easy to operate.

For Tier 2 and Tier 3 carriers migrating from SONET/SDH and 1 Gigabit Ethernet rings to 10 Gigabit Ethernet rings, the BlackDiamond 20804 provides industry-leading 120 Gbps per slot line-rate switching capacity in a 4-slot chassis, supporting up to 32 line-rate 10 GE ports per chassis today, with ample bandwidth for future 100 GE IO Modules, and is designed for future switch fabric upgrades to enable 480 Gbps of switching capacity per slot.

Video service delivery is accelerated with innovative multicast quality of service hardware resources that help to ensure video multicast traffic gets to the subscriber no matter how busy the network. Business Ethernet service delivery is also accelerated with MEF certified E-LINE and E-LAN support and pre-standard E-NNI support. Support for Provider Backbone Bridges enables carriers to scale their aggregation networks using reliable, industry-standard Ethernet protocols. The BlackDiamond 20804's outstanding bandwidth capacity, software functionality and hardware assisted service acceleration combine to increase carrier network longevity by enabling carriers to gracefully expand video and other services on their network without forklift upgrades as service requirements continue to grow.

"Video is the 'killer' app--in every sense of the word--both for driving increasing traffic demands and as a source of service provider revenue growth," said Michael Howard, co-founder and principal analyst, Infonetics Research. "Our recent residential services report shows that by 2011, the service provider revenue for video services will surpass voice services, but will be marked by high programming costs and tight margins. Specifically designed for the move from SONET/SDH to next-generation Ethernet transport, Extreme's BlackDiamond 20804--with its multicast quality of service, 10GE ports, and service management tools--is especially suited to small and medium size operators providing video services."

The BlackDiamond 20800 Series of Ethernet Transport switches includes the new BlackDiamond 20804 and the eight-slot BlackDiamond 20808. To simplify network operations, reduce technician training time, and reduce cost of network spares, the BlackDiamond 20800 Series use the same power supplies, IO modules and management modules. This operational simplicity allows carriers to lower total cost of ownership by starting small and re-using initial investments as the network grows.

The BlackDiamond 20800 Series includes support for Ethernet Access Protection Switching (EAPS RFC 3619), an industry-leading Ethernet ring resiliency protocol. EAPS is important to carriers that have grown accustomed to 50ms failover protection on fiber access and aggregation ring topologies. In addition to EAPS, support for advanced Ethernet OAMP protocols like Continuity Fault Management and ITU Y.1731 combine with an easy to use GUI-based service management system to provide carriers the service management tools they need to delight their subscribers.

"Carriers around the world are deploying next-generation networks to enable an array of services that fulfill subscribers' increasing expectations for an outstanding service experience," said Suresh Gopalakrishnan, vice president and GM, for the Scalable Products Group for Extreme Networks. "Our new BlackDiamond 20804 Ethernet Transport switch joins the BlackDiamond 20808 to offer a broad range of Ethernet Transport solutions that will provide carriers with lasting value as they deploy next-generation networks."

The BlackDiamond 20804 Ethernet transport switch will be available in the first quarter of 2010. For more information on Extreme Networks Ethernet transport solutions, visit www.extremenetworks.com.

About Extreme Networks, Inc.

Extreme Networks provides Ethernet Transport solutions for carriers and enterprises. The company's network solutions feature high performance and high availability switching that deliver insight and control enabling customers to solve their real-world business communications challenges. Operating in more than 50 countries, Extreme Networks provides Carrier Ethernet Transport, wired and wireless secure LANs, and data center solutions that are complemented by global, 24x7 service and support.

For more information, visit http://www.extremenetworks.com.

Except for the historical information contained herein, the matters set forth in this press release, including without limitation statements as to features, performance, and benefits of the BlackDiamond 20800 series of switches are forward-looking statements within the meaning of the "safe harbor" provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements speak only as of the date. Because such statements deal with future events, they are subject to risks and uncertainties, including network design and actual results of use of the product in different environments. We undertake no obligation to update the forward-looking information in this release. Other important factors which could cause actual results to differ materially are contained in the Company's 10-Qs and 10-Ks which are on file with the Securities and Exchange Commission. http://www.sec.gov

A(C) 2009 Extreme Networks, Inc. All rights reserved. Extreme Networks and BlackDiamond are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Extreme Networks, Inc. in the United States and other countries. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

SOURCE Extreme Networks, Inc.

http://www.extremenetworks.com

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