BW2046  JAN 02,2001       5:01 PACIFIC      08:01 EASTERN


( BW)(CA-STARDUST.COM)(PME) New White Paper Explores the Technical, Operational and Business Sides of Content Delivery Networks -- CDNs --


    Business Editors/High-Tech Writers
    CDN 2001

    LOS GATOS, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan. 2, 2001--

IP Networking Professionals Can Tap Detailed QoS/CDN Resource at Stardust.com

    Stardust.com, Inc., the producer of next month's CDN 2001 -- The Content Delivery Networks Conference, has made a new IP networking white paper publicly available, the company announced today. The ins and outs of Content Delivery Networks: What they are, why we need them, and how to build them is available free of charge at Stardust.com's Web site: http://www.stardust.com/cdn/whitepaper.
    Increasingly, the Internet is carrying heightening loads of rich multimedia content, including streaming video and audio and interactive videoconferencing. The dynamic and delay-sensitive characteristics of these types of content require much higher levels of Internet quality of service (QoS) than have typically been available. Because traditional best-effort Internet services are no longer sufficient for the content delivery needs of many Web publishers, the IP industry is focusing much of its attention on the construction of CDNs. These intelligent, application-layer network overlays to the public Internet push content storage and delivery out to the edges of the Internet, close to users, to boost performance.
    This content-centric Internet landscape, according to the HTRC Group, should result in a CDN services market that will jump from $462 million in 2001 to $2.16 billion in 2003.
    The ins and outs of Content Delivery Networks white paper provides Web content developers, ISPs, CDN service providers and CDN product vendors with a detailed discussion of these emerging, intelligent Internet overlay networks from each industry participant's respective point of view.
    "CDNs are just coming into their own, as Web publishers are now discovering the potential of the Internet as a delivery vehicle for streaming, interactive and other bandwidth-intensive content," said Scott Mace, Stardust.com editorial director. "Content developers are now seeking scalable ways to deliver their content to a broader set of users worldwide. CDNs -- and CDN peering among providers -- are being honed to fit the bill."
    Among the topics covered in The ins and outs of Content Delivery Networks:

-- What are CDNs, what are their functional components, and how do they work?
-- Who benefits from CDNs and how? A look at CDNs from the unique perspectives of Web content publishers, CDN service providers, CDN component product makers, ISPs, telecommunications companies, enterprises and consumers
-- Who are some of the CDN industry players?
-- What are the CDN service and product revenue projections for the next few years?
-- What are the various CDN business models?
-- What is the status of CDN standards activity?
-- A glossary of CDN-related terms

    To access the white paper directly, visit: http://www.stardust.com/cdn/whitepaper.



CDN Event Sponsors

Platinum Sponsors:       Gold Sponsors:           Silver Sponsors:
-----------------        -------------            ---------------
Nortel Networks          Intel Corporation        Fantastic
epicRealm                Mirror Image Internet    InterNAP
Cisco Systems            Novell

Media Sponsors:          Alliance Sponsor:        Information Partner:
--------------           ----------------         -------------------
Internet World           IP Multicast Initiative  HTRC Group, LLC
Streaming Media Magazine
Boardwatch

    About CDN 2001

    CDN 2001 -- The Content Delivery Networks Conference will be held Feb. 21-23, 2001 at the Jacob Javits Convention Center in New York in conjunction with ASPCON Spring 2001, CLECexpo 2001, and Internet World Wireless 2001.
    The CDN 2001 conference comprises three tracks: technology, operations management and business. CDN 2001 has evolved from IP Multicast Initiative's mcast conference to cover the full array of technology and business issues related to CDNs. IP Multicast remains an important CDN building block for conserving bandwidth for transmissions intended for hundreds or thousands of recipients.

    For more information

    To access the new CDN white paper, visit http://www.stardust.com/cdn/whitepaper. To find out more information about the CDN 2001 conference, visit http://www.stardust.com/cdn or call 408/402-0566.

    Note to Reporters and Editors: To schedule interviews for further discussion on industry trends and interoperability challenges in the CDN space, please contact Rebecca Sevening at Stardust.com: 408/402-0566, rebeccas@stardust.com.

    About Stardust.com

    Stardust.com makes sense of new Internet stuff for Internet networking professionals. The company oversees multi-vendor alliances, produces specialized technology conferences and provides comprehensive online information resources -- all focused on new Internet technologies. Founded in 1995, Stardust.com is a Penton Media Inc. company (NYSE:PME) headquartered in Los Gatos, with offices in Europe. The Stardust.com Web address is http://www.stardust.com.

    --30--nj/sf*

    CONTACT: Stardust.com, Los Gatos
             Rebecca Sevening, 408/402-0566
             rebeccas@stardust.com