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Press Releases ntl implements Nominum’s software to enhance DNS performance and network security Sep 21 2004 London, UK, September 21, 2004 - Nominum, a pioneering provider of IP address management, DNS and DHCP infrastructure software, today announced that ntl, the UK’s leading broadband company, has implemented Nominum’s Foundation – Caching Name Server to accelerate DNS performance and security. ntl is the UK’s largest cable company and offers a wide range of communication services to residential and business customers throughout the UK and Ireland. With over 1 million broadband users and more than 2 billion minutes of narrowband being used per month, ntl’s existing DNS operations relied on open source BIND servers, which were stretched to capacity. ntl recognised the need for a carrier grade DNS solution that could scale to meet future demands, as well as optimise its current IT operations. “Our customers demand the highest quality of service; Nominum’s Caching Name Server has assisted us in providing a more robust platform for running our services. With Nominum’s solution, DNS look-ups are five times faster than BIND servers, allowing us to significantly increase our network performance, and in turn, reduced the need for additional expenditure on hardware, that would have been required if we stayed with open source software,” said Keith Oborn, DNS Manager for ntl. “In the past, we have suffered significant delays to our operations which were traced to the DNS. Illicit DNS traffic, caused by distributed-denial-of-service attacks, viruses, such as the Blaster Worm, and other malicious DNS packets, had placed enormous pressure on our network and caused disruptions to IT operations. We needed a DNS solution that would protect us from both external and internal network disruptions.” Nominum’s Caching Name Server screens all DNS for malicious or malformed packets, as well as providing a buffer overflow, capable of handling an enormous number of queries, the signature of distributed-denial-of-service attacks. Neither Bind servers, nor firewalls can provide organisations with this level of protection. “Nominum is pleased to welcome ntl to its growing number of service providers in the European telecom industry, who are adopting commercial DNS to increase network performance, security and resilience,” said Richard Kirk, VP EMEA of Nominum. “Service providers, for whom the Internet is mission critical, are looking to consolidate their DNS operations, and for many, this means moving away from open source to a more robust and reliable commercial solution.” Note to the editor: -Nominum was founded in 1999 to develop BIND 9 and a new version of open source DHCP, under contract to the Internet Systems Consortium (ISC), and to provide commercial-grade support for these open source implementations. -Nominum’s chief scientist, Paul Mockapetris, invented the Domain Name System in 1983. He designed the architecture that is still in use today, wrote the specifications, and coded the first implementation. -Nominum has an unmatched technical heritage. The people who pioneered DNS and DHCP have joined together to take IP address infrastructure software to a new level. About Nominum Nominum is a pioneering provider of IP address infrastructure software for service providers and enterprises. Nominum’s suite of solutions includes highly scalable, reliable and secure DNS and DHCP servers and an advanced IP address management system. These solutions allow service providers to rapidly deploy new services, and enterprises to create resilient and reliable networks that are responsive to changing business conditions. Note: Nominum, Nominum Foundation, and the Nominum logo are registered trademarks of Nominum Inc. All other trademarks are the property of their respective holders. About NTL -ntl Incorporated (NASDAQ: NTLI) offers a wide range of communications and entertainment services to residential and business customers throughout the UK and Ireland. -ntl is the UK’s largest cable company and leading broadband supplier with over one million broadband customers and 3 million residential customers. -ntl’s fibre-optic broadband network can service 7.8 million homes in the UK including London, Manchester, Nottingham, Oxford, Cambridge, Cardiff, Glasgow and Belfast.