News release

HP Unveils Network Management Software to Enable True Command from the Center

HP ProCurve Networking today introduced network management software that provides basic and advanced management features for the most demanding enterprise networks.

HP ProCurve Manager and HP ProCurve Manager Plus are the first software applications available to enable true command from the network center with control to the network edge - a core element of the HP ProCurve Adaptive EDGE Architecture to deliver advanced management functionality to the edge of the network.

HP ProCurve Manager is easy-to-use, Windows®-based network management software that is included in-box with all manageable HP ProCurve devices. HP ProCurve Manager Plus offers all of the functionality of HP ProCurve Manager, then goes a step further by providing additional network control and advanced device-handling capabilities. Both are designed to enable more accountability, more agility and a better return on IT.

"The traditional strategy of handling authentication and enforcing access policies at the network core must evolve as the burden of handling every request becomes unmanageable," said John McHugh, general manager and vice president, HP ProCurve Networking Business. "Today's architectures must utilize the network edge to provide security, mobility and simple, manageable access to multiple services on a single network - all while maintaining complete control from the network center.

"Command from the center will enable enterprises to continually update their networks in a cost-effective and manageable way - without continual redesign and expensive hardware and software upgrades."

HP ProCurve Manager makes it possible to manage today's complex networks of fluctuating traffic levels, variable device groups, ever-changing security policies and unpredictable bottlenecks by providing top-down, real-time information about the network. With intuitive, tree-based navigation, HP ProCurve Manager provides all the basic tools needed to effectively manage a network, including:

• Network status summary: Upon boot up, a network status screen displays high-level information on network devices, end nodes, events and traffic levels.
• Alerts and troubleshooting: An events summary screen displays alerts and categorizes them by severity, making it easier for users to track where bottlenecks and issues exist in the network.
• Automatic device discovery: This feature is customized for fast discovery of all HP ProCurve manageable network devices.
• Topology and mapping: This feature automatically creates a map of discovered network devices. Maps are color-coded to reflect device status and can be viewed at multiple levels (physical view, subnet view or VLAN view).
• Device management: Many device-focused tasks can be performed directly by the software, or users can access Web and command-line interfaces with the click of a button to manage individual devices from inside the tool.

HP ProCurve Manager Plus provides additional advanced management features for more demanding enterprise environments, including:

• Advanced VLAN management: An easy-to-use VLAN management interface allows users to create and assign VLANs across the entire network, without having to access each network device individually.
• Easier configuration management: Changes in configuration are tracked and logged, and archived configurations can be applied to one or many devices.
• In-depth traffic analysis: An integrated, low-overhead traffic monitor interface shows detailed information on traffic throughout the network. Using enhanced traffic analysis protocols, users can monitor overall traffic levels, segments with the highest traffic, or even the top users within a network segment.
• Device software updates: This feature automatically obtains new device software images from HP and updates devices, allowing users to download the latest version or choose the desired version. Updates can be scheduled easily across large groups of devices, all at user-specified times.
• Advanced Scheduling: This feature allows scheduling of key tasks (for example, network discovery, firmware upgrades and configuration backup) to run at regular intervals or specific times, reducing business interruptions by setting tasks to be done during times of minimal network usage.
• Group and policy management: Users can create device groups and set group policies for managing those devices. Predetermined configurations can be automatically applied to new devices that have just been added to the network.

Pricing and Availability

Beginning Nov. 1, HP ProCurve Manager will be included with the purchase of any managed HP ProCurve switch, along with a 30-day trial version of HP ProCurve Manager Plus. HP ProCurve Manager also can be downloaded from the Web at no charge. HP is the only vendor to offer this level of management solution at no additional cost.

HP ProCurve Manager Plus can be ordered now at a recommended U.S. list price of $1,999.⁽¹⁾ As with all HP ProCurve products, HP provides phone support at no additional cost.

As part of its efforts to offer the highest quality products at the best cost, HP ProCurve plans to enhance its software through add-ins that adapt to the edge, to continue to offer backwards compatibility on all software offerings and to maintain the use of open standards to support customer flexibility.

More information about HP ProCurve networking solutions and products is available at http://www.hp.com/go/hpprocurve.

About HP

HP (NYSE:HPQ) is a technology solutions provider to consumers, businesses and institutions globally. The company's offerings span IT infrastructure, personal computing and access devices, global services and imaging and printing for consumers, enterprises and small and medium businesses. For the last four quarters, HP revenue totaled $71.3 billion. More information about HP is available at www.hp.com.

⁽¹⁾ Actual prices may vary.

Windows is a U.S. registered trademark of Microsoft Corp.

This news release contains forward-looking statements that involve risks, uncertainties and assumptions. All statements other than statements of historical fact are statements that could be deemed forward-looking statements. Risks, uncertainties and assumptions include the possibility that the market for the sale of certain products and services may not develop as expected; that development and performance of these products and services may not proceed as planned; and other risks that are described from time to time in HP's Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the period ended July 31, 2003 and HP's other Securities and Exchange Commission reports filed after HP's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended October 31, 2002. If any of these risks or uncertainties materializes or any of these assumptions proves incorrect, HP's results could differ materially from HP's expectations in these statements. HP assumes no obligation and does not intend to update these forward-looking statements.