S.M.A.R.T. WORKING GROUP RELEASES APPLICATION GUIDE FOR RELIABILITY
MANAGEMENT TECHNOLOGY

SILICON VALLEY, CALIF. -- JANUARY 3, 1996 -- The S.M.A.R.T. Working Group,
comprised of leading manufacturers of data storage products, today
announced the availability of the S.M.A.R.T. Application Guide. The
S.M.A.R.T. Application Guide may assist application software, BIOS, and
driver developers to increase customer satisfaction and improve
compatibility among S.M.A.R.T. system components. Self-Monitoring Analysis
and Reporting Technology (S.M.A.R.T.) has been developed to manage the
reporting of reliability information for data storage devices.

The informal S.M.A.R.T. Working Group was announced on November 13, 1995 to
address the industry-wide implementation of S.M.A.R.T. technology. Its
original members include: Conner Peripherals, Fujitsu Limited,
Hewlett-Packard Company, IBM Corporation, Maxtor Corporation, Quantum
Corporation, Seagate Technology, and Western Digital Corporation. They
were joined by participants from related industries including Compaq
Computer Corporation, Micro House International, NexStor, Phoenix
Technologies Limited, Promise Technology, and Symantec Corporation.
Membership in the S.M.A.R.T. Working Group is open to all interested
companies.

S.M.A.R.T. capable PC systems are designed to enhance data availability and
integrity by warning users of some impending device failures. With
sufficient warning, users may have the opportunity to backup vital data
and replace suspect devices prior to data loss or unscheduled system
downtime. S.M.A.R.T. technology is a key new element in evolving the PC
architecture. A specification for S.M.A.R.T. hard drives is supported by
certain leading suppliers of ATA products, and has already been placed
before the ANSI ATA Standards Committee.

The S.M.A.R.T. Application Guide is available from the following S.M.A.R.T.
standards information sources: the S.M.A.R.T. reflector, the S.M.A.R.T.
Alliance, and the Small Form Factor Committee. To subscribe to the
S.M.A.R.T. reflector (smart@dt.wdc.com) send an e-mail to
majordomo@dt.wdc.com. The S.M.A.R.T. Application Guide may also be
obtained from the S.M.A.R.T. Alliance at smart@qntm.com. The Small Form
Factor Committee can also support requests for the S.M.A.R.T. Application
Guide (phone 408-741-1600 for SFF FAX on demand documents).
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FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT:

Pattie Adams
Conner Peripherals
(408) 456-3129

Mike Chenery
Fujitsu
(408) 894-3627

Doug Cole
Hewlett-Packard
(208) 396-2515

Bob Neudecker
IBM
(408) 256-5675

Doyle Albee
Maxtor
(303) 678-2405

Bernie Eisman
Quantum
(408) 894-6195

Woody Monroy
Seagate Technology
(408) 439-2838

Brenda Bennett
Western Digital
(206) 712-0735
 
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