Network Associates Inc. (NYSE: NET) has agreed to sell its Sniffer product line to Silver Lake Partners and Texas Pacific Group for $275 million in cash. The private equity firms will form a new entity named Network General Corp., which will continue to develop and sell Sniffer branded products. In unrelated news, Network Associates plans to change its name to McAfee Inc. www.networkassociates.com

RF Micro Devices Inc. (Nasdaq: RFMD) has agreed to acquire Silicon Wave Inc., a San Diego-based provider of integrated circuits for wireless personal area networks (WPANs). RF Micro Devices will pay around $10.8 million in cash for all outstanding Silicon Wave shares not already owned, plus additional cash in 2005 and 2006 if certain performance milestones are met. The deal is expected to close within the next 30 days. Silicon Wave has raised over $125 million in total VC funding since its 1997 inception, including a $56.7 million infusion in 2000 at a post-money valuation of approximately $453 million. Investors on that deal included Velocity Capital Management, Signal Lake Management, 3Com Ventures, Ampersand Ventures, Benarova Capital, Intersil Corp., J&W Seligman & Co., JPMorgan Partners, Nexus Group and Mitsubishi Corp. www.siliconwave.com

Bain Capital is hoping to raise $3 billion for its eighth leveraged buyout fund, according to yesterday抯 Boston Globe. The article says that the Boston-based firm sent fund-raising letters to existing limited partners this past Wednesday. www.baincap.com

VC Deals

InSilica Inc., a Bangalore, India-based provider of system-n-a-chip solutions, has raised $10 million in Series B funding from NewPath Ventures and Flextronics. www.insilica.com

Lighthouse Communications Inc., a Des Moines, Iowa-based provider of data communications services, has raised $5 million in new private equity funding. Return backers included the Iowa Farm Bureau Federation, Equity Dynamics and Principal Financial Group (NYSE: PFG). www.lh.net

The Gospel Music Channel has received an undisclosed amount of startup capital from Alpine Equity Partners and Constellation Ventures (an affiliate fund of Bear Stearns Asset Management). The nascent network is based in Atlanta, and expects to launch in the fourth quarter.

Buyout News

Crescent Capital Investments has agreed to acquire Loehmann抯 Holdings Inc. (Nasdaq: LHMS), a Bronx, N.Y.-based specialty apparel retailer, for $23 cash per share of outstanding common stock. The total transaction is valued at $177 million, including $100 million in debt financing from Silver Point Finance and existing Loehmann抯 lender CIT Group/Business Credit Inc. www.loehmanns.com

Lime Rock Partners has sold portfolio company New Patriot Drilling Corp. to Grey Wolf Inc. (AMEX: GW), for approximately $35 million in cash ($15.8 million) and Grey Wolf stock. New Patriot is a Casper, Wyoming-based drilling contractor, and represents the first exit for Lime Rock抯 second fund, which closed in October 2002 with $320 million. www.gwdrilling.com

Willis Stein & Partners has completed its previously announced acquisition of Jays Foods LLC, a Chicago-based snack food company. No deal terms were disclosed. www.jaysfoods.com

Adelphia Communications Corp., which filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2002, is considering a sale of the company, with potential suitors including both private equity firms and rival cable companies.

M&A News

NVIDIA Corp. (Nasdaq: NVDA) has acquired the assets of iReady Corp., a Santa Clara, Calif.-based provider of TCP/IP and iSCSI offload solutions. No deal terms were disclosed. Iready has raised approximately $70 million in total VC funding since its 1996 inception, from investors like Canaan Partners, Crescendo Venture Management, Crown Advisors International, Globespan Capital Partners, Goldman Sachs Capital Partners, National Semiconductor, RWI Group, Telos Venture Partners and Black Diamond Ventures. www.iready.com

Telitas US Inc., a newly formed subsidiary of Telitas AS, has acquired wireless application provider Proteus Inc., which has received VC funding from Lycos Ventures.

Total Safety Inc., a portfolio company of H.I.G. Capital, has acquired WellSafe Inc., a division of W-H Energy Services Inc. (NYSE: WHQ). Edgeview Partners advised W-H Energy on the deal.

IPO News

Nanosys Inc., a Palo Alto, Calif.-based developer of nanotechnology-enabled products, has filed to raise $115 million via an IPO of common stock on the Nasdaq under proposed ticker symbol NNSY. The company has raised around $54.15 million in total VC funding since its 2001 inception, with significant shareholders including ARCH Venture Partners, CW Group, Polaris Venture Partners and Venrock Associates. www.nanosysinc.com

Xerium Technologies Inc., a Westborough, Mass.-based supplier of two categories of consumable products used in the production of paper, has filed to raise $700 million via an IPO of income deposit securities (IDS). No exchange or ticker symbol information has yet been disclosed. The company is an indirect, whole owned subsidiary of Xerium SA, which is majority-owned by Apax Partners. CIBC World Markets Corp. ?which is lead managing the IPO ?also holds a 5.6% interest in Xerium SA.

The Active Network Inc., a La Jolla, Calif.-based provider of application and marketing services for the active lifestyle industry, has filed to raise $46 million via an IPO of common stock on the Nasdaq under proposed ticker symbol ACTN. Significant shareholders include Canaan Partners, ABS Ventures, TicketMaster Online-CitySearch Inc., Austin Ventures, Charles River Ventures, North Bridge Venture Partners and Enterprise Partners. www.theactivenetwork.com

SiFR Technology Inc., a San Jose, Calif.-based provider of semiconductor and software products, has begun trading on the Nasdaq under ticker symbol SIRF. Yesterday, the company priced 11 million shares of common stock at $12 per share (high end of its $10-$12 offering range), for a total IPO take of around $132 million. The company had raised around $80 million in VC funding since its 1995 inception, with significant shareholders including Conexant Systems Inc. and Tallwood Venture Capital. www.sirf.com

Human Resources

Ken Olisa, chairman and founder of UK-based technology merchant bank Interregnum PLC, has been named non-executive director of Reuters Group PLC.

Firm News

Robert Baird & Co. has agreed to purchase Northwestern Mutual抯 57% stake in Baird for an undisclosed amount. As part of the agreement, Northwestern Mutual will retain the option to acquire up to a 7% equity interest in Baird sometime in the future. www.rwbaird.com

The Yangtze Special Situations Fund LP, a special-situations fund focused on China, has held a $100 million first close. It is being marketed with a $500 million target capitalization by co-sponsors Colony Capital Asia Pacific Pte Ltd. and a unit of Shanghai Industrial Investment Corp. It plans to invest in China and, to a lesser extent, Hong Kong and Macau, targeting non-performing loans, distressed assets and distressed companies and financial institutions.