SANTA CLARA, Calif., Jan. 29 /PRNewswire/ -- DesignCon 2007 -- Solarflare(R) Communications, a leading provider of high-performance Ethernet silicon, announced today that Ixia, a leading, global provider of IP performance test systems is using the Solarflare 10Xpress(R) PHY products for a 10 Gigabit Ethernet (GbE) test module. By using Solarflare's standards- compliant PHY in Ixia test equipment, switch vendors will be able to more easily validate the performance of their 10 GbE systems.

The IEEE 802.3an Standard for 10GBASE-T requires that all PHYs for 10 Gigabit on twisted pair copper reach 100 meters. Furthermore, the TIA-568B and the TIA-942 cabling standards also require support for 100 meter channels of copper cabling. Solarflare is the only company sampling a standards-compliant 10GBASE-T PHY with greater than 100 meter reach.

"We have been using Ixia test gear to generate traffic for all of our 6 around 1 alien cross talk testing with all the major cabling vendors. We congratulate Ixia for understanding the importance of using our standards- compliant chip set in their new module. By providing this new test equipment, Ixia is helping switch vendors to deliver 10 Gigabit Ethernet to the market more quickly," said Bruce Tolley, vice president of marketing at Solarflare.

"Ixia first shipped a standards-complaint 10GbE optical test module in 2002," said Nelson Murga, principal technologist at Ixia. "As a 10 GbE market leader, we are very pleased to be working with Solarflare in providing full standards compliant 10GBASE-T test equipment to our customers."

The Solarflare Communications 10Xpress 10GBASE-T PHY supports distances of greater than 100 meters on UTP Category 6A cabling, 100 meters on ScTP Category 6, 55 meters on UTP Category 6, and 45 meters on UTP Category 5E cabling. The PHY is currently sampling. Pricing is available upon request.

About Solarflare Communications

Solarflare Communications Inc. is a leading silicon vendor delivering Ethernet products that enable the rapid adoption of 10 Gigabit for data center and enterprise networks. Solarflare was the first company to demonstrate and sample to customers a 100 meter, standards-based 10GBASE-T PHY The company's high-performance Ethernet solutions will lower the cost of 10 Gigabit Ethernet networking for data center and enterprise customers. The privately-held company is headquartered in Irvine, California with a development center in Cambridge, UK.

For more information, visit http://www.solarflare.com/ . About Ixia

Ixia is a leading provider of performance test systems for IP-based infrastructure and services. Its highly scalable solutions generate, capture, characterize, and emulate network and application traffic, establishing definitive performance and conformance metrics of network devices or systems under test. Service Providers, Network and Telephony System Vendors, Semiconductor Manufacturers, Governments, and Enterprises use Ixia's test systems to validate the functionality and reliability of complex IP networks, devices, and applications. Ixia's Triple Play test systems address the growing need to test voice, video, and data services and network capability under real-world conditions.

CONTACT: Sacha Arts of Slider & Associates for Solarflare
Communications, +1-408-356-3099, sacha@sliderassociates.com

Web site: http://www.solarflare.com/