DPS Telecom's New NetGuardian RTU Firmware with SNMPv2c

Fresno, CA, May 17, 2005 - DPS Telecom today announced a major new firmware update to its best-selling NetGuardian 832A remote telemetry unit. The NetGuardian 4.0 firmware update, which will be distributed as a free download from the DPS Telecom website, adds support for SNMP v2c and the SNMP INFORM message type; customizable alarm severity levels; global support for reporting to dual SNMP managers; plus many under-the-hood improvements.

Among the major new improvements in NetGuardian 4.0:

SNMP v2c Support

NetGuardian 4.0 supports SNMP version 2c INFORM notifications, which provide more reliable message delivery than SNMP v1 TRAP messages. For compatibility with most SNMP managers, NetGuardian alarms can be configured for three different SNMP formats: SNMP v1 TRAP, SNMP v2c TRAP and SNMP v2c INFORM.

Alarm Point Groups: Severity Levels, Virtual Alarms and More

Each NetGuardian alarm point can be assigned to one of eight user-defined alarm point groups. This adds an amazing degree of flexibility to how users can view and use their alarm data. Alarm Point Groups can be used to create:

• Alarm severity levels
• Custom virtual alarms
• Custom derived controls
• User groups to receive pager and email notifications for specific alarms

Global Support for Dual SNMP Managers

NetGuardian 4.0 supports sending all SNMP alarm messages to two different SNMP managers. Combined with the NetGuardian's long-standing support for multiple notification devices, this gives users extremely flexible alarm reporting. For example, a user can easily configure the NetGuardian to send an alarm to two SNMP managers, the pager of on-call technician, and a supervisor's email inbox.

The NetGuardian 4.0 firmware update will be available as a free download on the DPS Telecom website at www.dpstelecom.com/mydps (user registration required). The firmware update can be installed on any NetGuardian 832A G2 RTU manufactured January 2002 or later, using standard DPS firmware installation software.

The NetGuardian 4.0 firmware will also be pre-installed on all new NetGuardian 832A RTUs.

DPS Telecom has a long-standing policy of providing clients with free firmware updates for the life of their DPS Telecom network alarm monitoring products. These firmware updates add new features, functionality and reliability, without requiring clients to replace their DPS hardware.

The NEBS-certified NetGuardian 832A is a multifunction SNMP/DCPx remote telemetry unit, featuring 32 discrete alarm inputs, 32 ping alarms, 8 analog alarm inputs, 8 control relays and 8 terminal server serial reach-through ports. The NetGuardian also features Web browser interface, automatic pager/email alarm notification, and optional support for keypad entry building access and video surveillance.

A complete description and full specifications of the NetGuardian 832A is available at www.dpstelecom.com/products/ne/netguardian/.

About DPS Telecom

DPS Telecom is an industry-leading manufacturer of network alarm monitoring solutions. DPS clients include RBOCs, ILECs, CLECs, gas and electric utilities, heavy and light rail transit, government agencies and manufacturers. More information is available at www.dpstelecom.com

Editorial Contact
Andrew Erickson
(559) 454-1600
editor@dpstele.com