NETSCAPE PROXY SERVER 3.5 DEBUTS WITH NEW TECHNOLOGY FOR ENHANCING PERFORMANCE ON INTRANETS AND EXTRANETS

SUPPORT FOR LDAP V3 AND EXTRANET PROXY ENABLE PROTECTED ACCESS TO CONTENT AND APPLICATIONS FOR CUSTOMERS AND PARTNERS

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. (October 6, 1997) -- Netscape Communications Corporation (NASDAQ: NSCP) today announced a preview release of Netscape Proxy Server 3.5 software for improving Intranet performance and publishing content to Extranets. The new product delivers advanced caching capabilities to help speed Intranet performance and allows administrators to filter and control access to sensitive content using Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP) version 3 directory services. Netscape Proxy Server also has a unique Extranet proxy capability that allows companies to publish protected content and applications to partners and customers over Extranets. It is scheduled to be available this week for download and beta testing from Netscape's Internet site.

Netscape Proxy Server can act as a Web server stand-in and accept encrypted Extranet traffic on behalf of a Web server protected behind the firewall. The new product provides more scalable and reliable caching capabilities by enabling both distributed caching via proxy arrays and dynamic proxy routing. Netscape Proxy Server helps users access Internet data outside the firewall by tunneling SSL-based protocols, and providing SOCKSv5 for generic protocol routing support, as well as centralized management of user, group and password information through LDAP v3.

"Increasingly organizations are linking people and businesses together through high performance Intranets and Extranets," said John Paul, senior vice president and general manager of the Server Products Division at Netscape. "By using Netscape Proxy Server as a Web server stand-in customers can provide employees, partners and customers with fast, reliable and encrypted access to protected information and applications on Intranets and Extranets."

Netscape Proxy Server 3.5 provides the following unique new features that improve performance on Intranets and Extranets by making caching and filtering of Web content and applications seamless and transparent:

• Efficient caching model distributes data where users need it, so requests to remote content servers and network traffic are reduced. Proxy routing makes it possible for distributed organizations to benefit from caching on Intranets by deploying Netscape Proxy Server software at branch offices, and other network bottlenecks. Caching on-demand intelligently caches documents based on user requests, and batch updates also enable caching on-command, so administrators can download documents or sites on a scheduled basis. Netscape Proxy Server supports proxy arrays for distributed caching and the Internet Cache Protocol (ICP) standard for dynamic proxy routing.
• Fine-grained access controls limit access to documents, Web sites or applications based on individual users, groups, IP addresses and host names. Netscape Proxy Server can filter objectionable URLs, viruses, HTML tags and contents types such as ActiveX. Netscape Proxy Server helps users access Internet data outside of the firewall using tunneling protocols such as SOCKS v5 for generic protocol support, including streaming protocols.
• Native LDAPv3 support enables Netscape Proxy Server users to be centrally managed through Netscape's Global Directory Services. LDAP support in Netscape Proxy Server makes it easy for administrators to manage intelligent networks of proxy servers. Clustered management capabilities enable administrators to configure and maintain multiple proxies. Netscape Proxy Server also supports SNMP for monitoring server and application status.
• Automatic Proxy Configuration (APC) feature of Netscape Communicator client software permits modifications to the proxy infrastructure without the need to modify client software on each desktop.

A preview release of Netscape Proxy Server 3.5 is expected to be available this week for downloading and beta testing at no charge from the Netscape Internet site. Netscape plans to deliver the final product in the fourth quarter with an expected price of US$525 for fifty users.

Netscape Communications Corporation is a premier provider of open software for linking people and information over enterprise networks and the Internet. The company offers a full line of clients, servers, development tools and commercial applications to create a complete platform for next-generation, live online applications. Traded on NASDAQ under the symbol "NSCP," Netscape Communications Corporation is based in Mountain View, California.

Additional information on Netscape Communications Corporation is available on the Internet at http://home.netscape.com, by sending email to moreinfo@netscape.com or by calling 415/937-2555 (corporate customers) or 415/937-3777 (individuals).

Netscape, Netscape Navigator, and the Netscape N logo are registered trademarks of Netscape Communications Corporation in the United States and other countries. Other Netscape logos, product names, and service names are also trademarks of Netscape Communications Corporation, which may be registered in other countries.