IRVINE, CA and HSINCHU, TAIWAN – SMC Networks (www.smc.com), leading provider of networking solutions for the Enterprise, the SMB and all the way home, and Accton Technology Corporation of Taiwan (TAIEX: 2345, www.accton.com), the company that makes partnership work, today announced that SMC will be introducing the first in a series of intelligent L2/4 switches based upon Accton's new LEO Enterprise Workgroup Switching technology: the SMC6724AL2 TigerSwitch™ 10/100 L2 24 Port Switch. Available beginning on January 7, 2004 at an MSRP of $399.99, the SMC6724AL2—the first Accton LEO-based switch to be marketed worldwide—breaks performance and pricing barriers to bring intelligent, upgradeable Fast Ethernet switching at a per-port price that's under $17.00.

Designed with the intent of lowering the cost of 10/100 switching solutions with Gigabit uplinks, SMC's new TigerSwitch is likely to make Fast Ethernet switching practical for more applications. Packed with advanced features that include Access Control List (ACL), RADIUS and SSH support, as well as IP ToS and CoS, the new TigerSwitches have what today's diverse multimedia networks need. Future software upgrades will enhance the feature set even further with DiffServ, 802.1s multiple spanning tree, and SNMPv3, taking today's robust switch into the future. SMC plans to introduce Leo-based stackable versions in March, 2004.

"We're a good team because Accton and SMC share the same basic goals in product development," said David Myers, Accton's Director of OEM Marketing. "To deliver high quality, feature-rich products that are easy to use, at an economical price point. Then, back them up with quality support. We're pleased that SMC is first to deploy this LEO-based technology worldwide, and look forward to more LEO-based SMC switch introductions over the next several months."

The new SMC TigerSwitch 10/100 L2 24 Port Managed Switch excels in Enterprise workgroup applications. With 24 auto-MDIX 10/100Mbps ports and two optional uplink ports for optional Gigabit or 100Mbps fiber, it incorporates flexible management tools and optional slide-in modules for Gigabit expansion. Providing high-performance backbone connectivity with an aggregated bandwidth of 8.8Gbps, the SMC6724AL2's advanced features incorporate the best of Layer 2and 4 switching. Easy to install and manage via SMC's EliteView™ management utility, the SMC6724AL2 is remote-upgradeable; making it perfect for today's demanding workgroup applications.

"The new SMC6724AL2 represents a big step forward in feature-richness, and at the price point we've been able to hit, it's an incredible value proposition," said Tony Stramandinoli, SMC's Chief Technical Officer.

The new TigerSwitch 10/100 L2 Managed Switch SMC6724AL2 and its associated expansion modules and uplinks will be available in early January.

About SMC Networks

A leading provider of networking solutions for the Enterprise , the SMB and all the way home, SMC puts its more than 30 years' experience to work for every product and solution the company produces. Leveraging strong industry relationships in combination with experienced and talented in-house design and engineering, SMC continues to bring to market a host of affordable, high-performance products. Headquartered in Irvine , California , U.S.A, SMC Networks supports its worldwide market through regional offices located throughout the United States and 20 other countries. For more information about SMC Networks or its products, visit www.smc.com.