KONTRON FIRST TO UNVEIL ADVANCED SWITCHING INTERCONNECT (ASI) VIA NEW AdvancedTCA HUB BOARD FEATURING DUAL AdvancedMC SUPPORT

Kontron AT8901 Hub Board to offer unmatched design flexibility of modular based

CHICAGO, IL - June 7, 2005 - Kontron, a market leader in embedded computer technology, today launched at Supercomm the Kontron AT8901, the only AdvancedTCA Base and Fabric Hub Board on the market today built to support two AdvancedMC modules and offer Gigabit Ethernet (GbE) and Advanced Switching Interconnect (ASI) switch fabric options. Built with the Merlin ASI Switch module from Stargen, a leading provider of serial interconnect semiconductors, the Kontron AT8901 provides ASI connectivity to the fabric interface, and represents a major milestone for Telecom Equipment Manufacturers (TEMs) and Independent Software Developers (ISVs) who are seeking to be first to develop new telecom applications on a true ASI platform.

This product launch also signifies Kontron´s strong commitment to supporting interconnect industry standards such as ASI (PCI Express), and will likewise play an integral part in Kontron´s ´AMC Everywhere´ strategy to offer maximum design flexibility to clients who seek to build the latest wireless/wireline and IMS network infrastructure elements using Kontron open modular communications solutions.

´Telecom Equipment Manufacturers [TEMs] continually insist upon greater cost savings, improved scalability and ways to eliminate interconnect bottlenecks´ said Thomas Thoet, Product Manager Telecom, at Kontron. ´Providing an option to design new applications with Advanced Switching Interconnect technology from Stargen, combined with the dual AdvancedMC extension, will give TEMs the right architecture in mind to go-to-market faster with highly scalable, cost-optimized telecom applications.´

With the Stargen Merlin module, the Kontron AT8901 supports ASI connectivity with 5-slot AdvancedTCA chassis, and can be used for 14- and 16-slot AdvancedTCA shelves with a cost optimized GbE version, ideal for pure server applications. Designed with flexible uplink options on front panel and RTM, the Kontron AT8901 is unique by offering two AdvancedMC slots intended to be used for an assortment of AdvancedMC modules, including - processing (acting as the system controller which saves one AdvancedTCA slot); HDD as mass storage device; SETS (Synchronous Equipment Timing Source) providing network synchronization for telecom applications; and a dual 10GbE fabric inter-link to enable multi-shelf AdvancedTCA systems.

´Storage, server, and communications OEMs are driving rapidly towards standard hardware platforms such as AdvancedTCA, and leveraging ASI as the next generation interconnect in their systems which require guaranteed delivery, high availability, and unparalleled scalability,´ commented Wade Appelman, Vice President of Marketing and Business Development, at StarGen. ´Kontron is taking a leadership role in this movement and we are very pleased to be a partner with them in this important effort.´

Kontron AT8901 rich feature set and options
The AT8901 is available in two versions, either with a base interface only (GbE) or with a base and fabric Interface together (1 x GbE, 2 x GbE), and can support up to 4 x 10 Gigabit Ethernet uplinks connected via AdvancedMC slots. Also supports full redundancy, comprehensive Layer 2 & 3 protocols, and is hot swappable. It is also enabled to be incorporated for any network topology (star, dual-star, mesh).

Management and protocols
Kontron provides essential support for remote management and various networking protocols. The Kontron AT8901 can be managed via SNMP, TELNET, and CLI, either in-band or out of band via 10/100Base-T Ethernet or RS232. The hub board supports IPMI version 1.5, Ethernet/Bridging protocols including link aggregation (802.3ad), VLANs (802.1Q), Spanning Tree (802.1D, 802.1w), QoS (802.1p), Flow control (802.3x), GVRP, GMRP  as well as IP routing protocols (OSPFv2, RIPv2, VRRP, IGMP snooping, IPv4 forwarding, DiffServ, ARP, ICMP).

Faster-Go-To-Market strategy
Kontron shortens the application design process by ensuring

that each open modular building block is fully interoperable and designed to be both the right technology and the right architecture in mind to suit any development needs. Pre-integrated and application ready right out-of-the-box, Kontron open modular solutions are customizable and also feature best-in-class carrier-grade software such as MontaVistaâ Linuxâ Carrier Grade Edition (CGE), and hot-standby Solid CarrierGradeâ data manager from Solid Information Technology. This complements Kontrons existing offering of Intelligent Platform Management Interface (IPMI v1.5) firmware, Hardware Platform Interface (HPI) support, and operating system and applications software.

Price: OEM pricing upon request
Availability: Q3, 2005

About Kontron: A leading global embedded computer technology company, Kontron supplies a diversified customer base of OEMs, system integrators and application providers in the communications, automation, transportation, medical, military, aerospace, and test and measurement markets. The company helps its customers to considerably reduce their time-to-market and to gain a competitive advantage with products including high-performance open computer platforms and systems, single board computers, man-machine interfaces and mobile computers. Kontron employs more than 1,500 people worldwide and has manufacturing facilities in Europe, North America and Asia Pacific. The company is listed on the German TecDAX 30 stock exchange under the symbol "KBC". Kontron is a member of the Intel Communications Alliance. For additional information on Kontron, please visit: www.kontron.com .

At Supercomm 2005:
Kontron is exhibiting at Booth #38046

For Further Information, Editors Contact:

Media Relations and Technical Information

Peter Matz
Product Marketing Manager
Kontron North America
Phone: 450-437-5682, x2415
Peter.Matz@ca.kontron.com


Claudia Bestler, Marketing Manager
Kontron EMEA
Phone: +49 (0)8341 803 427
claudia.bestler@kontron.com