Extreme Networks and F5 Networks Raise Integrated

Server Load Balancing to New Performance Level SEATTLE and SANTA CLARA, Calif. (PROTEXT) - Industry LeadersCombine Best-of-Breed Technology to Provide Customers withIntegrated High-Availability and Gigabit Server Load BalancingSwitching Solution Extreme Networks, Inc. (Nasdaq: EXTR), a leading provider ofbroadband switching solutions for service providers and corporateenterprises, and F5 Networks, Inc., (Nasdaq: FFIV), a leadingprovider of Internet Traffic Management (ITM) products, arejoining forces to provide customers with a new higher level ofperformance for integrated server load balancing. The twocompanies have signed a strategic agreement enabling ExtremeNetworks to integrate F5 Network's BIG/ip Controller Layer 4 loadbalancing source code into Extreme Networks' award winningswitching solutions. The agreement also provides Extreme Networks and its partnersaccess to all of F5 Network's products for resale. This willallow Extreme Networks to provide customers with best-of-breedLayer 3, Layer 4 and Layer 7 server load balancing solutions. Until now, most server load balancing solutions have beenlimited to 100mbps server connections. Extreme Networks will beone of the first vendors to offer wire-speed Layer 4 switchingover Gigabit Ethernet, including Gigabit Ethernet over copper,for very high performance server connectivity. Combined withExtreme Networks' switching solutions, this Gigabit server loadbalancing performance can now be delivered to vast numbers ofservers, raising the bar for network performance and size. The Extreme Networks and F5 Networks relationship providescustomers with a superior approach for achieving true seamlessintegration of server load balancing across high performanceswitches and high performance appliances. This enables customersto combine best-of-breed Layer 4 switching solutions and Layer 7appliances to obtain a higher degree of redundancy and compatiblemanagement across the network. "We've already embarked on a successful relationship withExtreme Networks and F5 Networks, so this agreement comes asgreat news for PSINet," said Michael Mael, Vice President ofApplications and Web Services for PSINet. "F5 Networks' loadbalancing technology together with Extreme Networks' broadbandswitching solutions address a need that's vital to our businessand our goal of providing customers with the highest standardsfor quality, performance, and security." "Our relationship with Extreme Networks creates an enormousadvantage for our customers," said Jeff Hussey, chairman,president and Chief Executive Officer of F5 Networks. "Thisrelationship also broadens F5's distribution channels as well asthe 'footprint' for its technology." "Our strategic focus is to provide high performance networksolutions to service providers that are driving the Interneteconomy," said Gordon Stitt, Extreme Networks Chief ExecutiveOfficer and president. "The integration of F5's leading loadbalancing technology combined with our market leading switchingsolutions provides this new breed of carrier with a robust, highperformance infrastructure that enables them to deliver newenhanced services." About Extreme Networks Extreme Networks designs, develops manufactures and sellshigh-performance LAN solutions that adapt swiftly to change andenable future applications for the new enterprise and serviceproviders. The company's family of Summit(TM) stackables andBlackDiamond(TM) modular switching systems combine Ethernet andIP with wire speed Layer 3 switching to increase the flow ofinformation and allow for future network growth. Extreme Networks' corporate headquarters are at 3585 MonroeStreet, Santa Clara, Calif., 95051, 408-579-2800 or 888-257-3000;http://www.extremenetworks.com . About F5 Networks F5 is a leading provider of integrated Internet TrafficManagement solutions designed to improve the availability andperformance of mission- critical Internet-based servers andapplications. These products monitor and manage local andgeographically dispersed servers and devices, intelligentlydirecting traffic to the server best able to handle a user'srequest. F5's solutions help prevent system failure, providetimely responses to user requests and data flow, and cost-effectively manage an organization's Internet infrastructure. The company is headquartered in Seattle, and has offices inSan Francisco, Los Angeles, Dallas, Chicago, Boston, New York,Atlanta, Washington, D.C., London, Munich, Germany, Singapore andAustralia. F5 is located on the web at http://www.f5.com . F5 Networks Internet Traffic Management products support awide range of operating systems and hardware platforms includingthose from: Sun Microsystems, Hewlett Packard, Compaq, Microsoft,Apple, IBM and Intel. F5 products work with leading IP-basedapplications, including legacy host, mainframe, Java, CORBA-based, and client/server applications from vendors such as SAP,BAAN, Novell, Oracle, and PeopleSoft. This press release may contain forward-looking statementsrelating to future events or future financial performance thatinvolve risks and uncertainties. Such statements can beidentified by terminology such as "may," "will," "should,""expects," " plans," "anticipates," "believes," "estimates,""predicts", "potential" or "continue" or the negative of suchterms or comparable terms. These statement are only predictionsand actual results could differ materially from those anticipatedin these statements based upon a number of factors includingthose identified in the Company's filings with the SEC. All trademarks mentioned in this document are the property oftheir respective owners. ots Original Text Service: ExtremeNetworks, Inc. Internet: http://www.newsaktuell.de Contact:Alane Moran of F5 Networks, Inc., 206-505-0850, ora.moran@f5.com; or Valerie Bellofatto of Extreme Networks, Inc.,408-863-2963, or vbellofatto@extremenetworks.com Web site:http://www.extremenetworks.com http://www.f5.com

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