Force10 Networks Hosts an Open Automation 'Festival' for the Dynamic Data Center at Interop 2010

VMware, Sun Microsystems, TBD Networks and Agilysys partner with Force10 to demonstrate how open automation delivers on the promise of flexibility and choice to empower users and lower costs

SAN JOSE, California, April 26, 2010 - Force10 Networks, Inc., the global technology leader that data center,
service provider and enterprise customers rely on when the network is their
business, today announced it will feature four interoperability
demonstrations with ecosystem and solution partners to showcase leading-edge
network automation technologies for the dynamic data center at booth #939 at
this week's Interop 2010 IT Expo in Las Vegas.

As part of its "Open Automation Festival" during the show, Force10 is
demonstrating how its switch/routers are managed, programmed and orchestrated
by partners including VMware, Sun Microsystems, TBD Networks and Agilysys.
These real-world demonstrations illustrate how network automation
technologies drive down costs and empower customers to increase employee
productivity, minimize human error and accelerate the network's
responsiveness to resource needs.

The demonstrations illustrate the convergence of technology milestones
introduced in recent announcements from Force10. The company has taken a
leadership role in the data center market with the launch of the highest-ever
10 GbE port density, its plan to deliver end-to-end, edge-to-core 40 GbE
switch/router solutions and top-of-rack access switch for converged Fibre
Channel and Ethernet fabrics as well as recently unveiling its Open
Automation initiative for dynamic data centers.

"In recent weeks, we have established clear thought leadership in the
market through our server- and application-centric approach to network
automation," says Steve Garrison, vice president of marketing, Force10
Networks. "Our demonstrations this week clearly show that an open
standards-based approach to network automation gives customers the
flexibility to leverage the tools they are comfortable with as they tackle
the pressing needs of their dynamic data centers today and lay the foundation
for cloud-based services for tomorrow."

Force10 understands the complex environments that its customers must
maintain, and the company is working with them to address the increasing
complexities of virtualization sprawl. IT managers are losing simplicity and
manageability due in part to the compounding efforts of virtualization that
can broaden their IT assets and drive utilization with just the touch of a
keyboard. Automation is seen as the logical and required technology to allow
customers to gain control of operational expense. Force10 is presenting VLAN
automation, server/hypervisor-to-switch communications and a dynamic
provisioning solution as the first set of tools and offerings helping to
recapture simplicity and operational control of today's IT infrastructure.

Four Interop Demonstrations Present Realistic Automation Approaches that
Attack Operational Expenses

In contrast to other vendors who present revolutionary concepts to
solving these problems, Force10 believes faster adoption and greater customer
value will occur by demonstrating an evolutionary approach that enhances
existing technologies and data center skill sets, enabling customers to see
immediate operational savings without significant increases in capital
expense and new training. All four demonstrations will illustrate solutions
architected to ensure constant network and application availability as well
as lower operational expenses from less training and easier management.

Demo to Show Automated Switch Configuration Based on Dynamic Changes to
VMware Infrastructure

Force10 and VMware will jointly demonstrate real-time communications
between VMware's vSwitch and Force10's C-Series resilient switch running
VMware SDK software. Force10 and VMware will create VLANs based on dynamic
changes to VMware - vSwitch environment. On demand flow though provisioning,
de-provisioning and characterization of VLANs offers data center customers a
level of simplicity lost in the expanding virtualized it landscape.

VMware, TBD Networks and Force10 to Demonstrate Network Orchestration
Capabilities

VMware provides unique virtualization and distributed resource scheduling
technology for allocating CPU and memory resources. Network orchestration,
meanwhile, is focused on storage and LAN/WAN resource and performance
analysis. A real-world network configuration that includes Force10 switches
along with VMware and TBD Networks software, will graphically show the
configuration of VMware Hypervisors as well as both network and switch
configurations. The demonstration will show, in real time, changes in the
Hypervisor state, network topology and configuration of the physical switch.
The demonstration will also feature TBD Networks software identifying and
proactively eliminating storage and network resource bottlenecks to optimize
resource use and lower operating expenses.

Force10 Teams with Oracle/Sun to Demonstrate VLAN Configuration and
Automation

Force10 will be demonstrating HyperLink functionality with Oracle/Sun
using a Force10 S50 top-of-rack access switch connected to a Sun server
running Open Solaris and Sun Crossbow. Using open standard protocols, Sun and
Force10 will demonstrate an environment that offers VLAN automation without
the need for middleware. VLANS are graphically defined in the Solaris OS
running on the server, open standard protocols are then used to "publish" the
VLAN's requirements to a trusted port of an adjacent Force10 switch
automatically, creating the required VLAN configuration that allows
flow-through provisioning of the network element.

Force10, Solutions Partner Agilysys Debut "Cloud in a Box"

Working with Sun and Force10, Agilysys is demonstrating a
hardware/software/services solution targeted at customers looking to deploy
private clouds. Customers are recognizing the need to deploy private clouds
in an effort to address new application models and the need for the increased
agility in deploying new services and the trend toward everything as a
service. Featuring the Sun Microsystems VeriScale dynamic infrastructure
software with a Force10 C-Series switch, the three companies will demonstrate
true bi-directional, dynamic scaling of infrastructure against user-definable
business and application metrics. The turnkey solution is generally available
from Agilysys as a single rack of equipment with compute, storage and
networking in a bundled solution.

About Force10 Networks

Force10 Networks is the global technology leader that data center,
service provider and enterprise customers rely on when the network is their
business. The company's high performance Ethernet switching and routing
solutions virtualize and automate Ethernet networks to deliver new and
distinct economic advantages by increasing network availability, agility and
efficiency while reducing power and cooling costs. Force10 provides 24×7
service and support capabilities to its global customer base in more than 60
countries worldwide. For more information on Force10 Networks, please visit
www.force10networks.com.

Force10 Networks, Force10, E-Series, Traverse, and TraverseEdge are
registered trademarks and ExaScale, S-Series, TeraScale, and FTOS are
trademarks of Force10 Networks, Inc. All other company names are trademarks
of their respective holders.

    Contact:
    Kevin Kimball
    Force10 Networks Inc.
    +1-408-571-3544
    kkimball@force10networks.com

Kevin Kimball, Force10 Networks Inc., +1-408-571-3544, kkimball at force10networks.com