MIMIC IOS Simulator 5.30 to Facilitate Cisco Certification; Network Simulations Provide ``Virtual Lab'' to Users — From Enterprises to Developers to Training Providers

Business Wire, Feb 25, 2002

Business/Technology Editors

NASHUA, N.H.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb. 25, 2002

Gambit Communications announced today that MIMIC(TM) IOS(R) Simulator 5.30 will be available in the first week of March. MIMIC provides users with their own "virtual lab" populated with thousands of Cisco and other manageable devices, such as routers, switches, hubs, cable modems and workstations. Training providers will benefit from this by being able to provide their students with real-world network environments. All students interested in Cisco certification can have a portable lab with Cisco devices to learn and practice different IOS commands.

MIMIC also benefits enterprises and service providers with its powerful recording and simulation capabilities to create real-world simulations. They can ensure the smooth rollout of new implementations and thorough training of their IT staff.

"An IOS simulator will be beneficial to both training providers and network engineers," said Mike Vinton, chairman of the Denver Cisco Users Group. "A simulation tool, such as MIMIC IOS Simulator, can significantly strengthen Cisco certification and router training programs. In addition, students will find it effective as a self-study tool for learning about Cisco device management."

"With the MIMIC IOS Simulator and recorder, Gambit has delivered a powerful network simulation suite," explained John McConnell, president of McConnell Associates. "Now enterprises as well as management application developers can simulate a complete Cisco network environment. The ability to record actual interactions with Cisco equipment easily extends the IOS Simulator to new equipment and situations without the intensive labor usually associated with simulation. In addition, MIMIC Simulator will prove to be one of the most effective tools for IT professionals preparing for Cisco certification."

MIMIC IOS Simulator works with CiscoWorks 2000 and Cisco element managers that require IOS support, such as the Cisco DSL Manager and the Cisco GSR Manager. In addition, it ships with a ready-to-go library of devices, including many Cisco devices.

MIMIC Simulator 5.30 also includes the following new features in addition to the IOS Simulator:

-- CLI/Telnet along with Cisco IOS command support to simulate Cisco devices;

-- Automated IOS command discovery tool to allow users to discover all the IOS
commands that are available on a specific device;

-- IOS command recording tool to allow users to choose the specific IOS
commands that will be included in the simulation;

-- Trap Wizard to simplify event generation;

-- Microsoft Windows(R) XP support; and,

-- Performance enhancements for large scalability testing.

MIMIC's extensibility and scalability, up to 10,000 devices on a single platform, provide the opportunity to create network environments that would be impractical to create in a physical lab environment. These capabilities create an extensive internetworking environment without the costs of purchasing additional equipment and maintaining a lab.

About MIMIC

MIMIC provides an inexpensive way for enterprises, device vendors, management software developers and outsourcers to demo, test, develop, train and certify management applications without purchasing equipment and maintaining labs for those functions. MIMIC has the ability to simulate up to 10,000 devices from one workstation. MIMIC simulations can be distributed over multiple platforms for enterprise simulation testing of even larger environments. MIMIC includes user-friendly wizards for importing new MIBs, recording large networks, creating device simulations and network topologies, and provides full support for SNMP(v1, v2, v2c, v3), RMON(1, 2), DHCP, TFTP, ToD, DOCSIS and MGCP, as well as Telnet and IOS.

About Gambit Communications, Inc.

Founded in 1995, Gambit Communications is a leader in network simulation tools that enhance the productivity of management software developers and enterprise users while lowering their costs. MIMIC Simulator is a modular family of simulators used by leading networking vendors for use in applications from development and testing to operator training and disaster simulations. Gambit Communications' portfolio of over 150 customers includes: Computer Associates, Hewlett-Packard, MCI, Cisco, Nortel, Alcatel, Marconi, Lucent, RiverSoft, BMC, InfoVista, and Ericsson. For more information on Gambit and MIMIC, please visit www.gambitcomm.com.

(c) 2002 Gambit Communications, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

MIMIC and Gambit Communications are trademarks of Gambit Communications, Inc.

All other trademarks or service marks are the property of their respective owners.