Storage Dimensions Introduces SuperFlex 5000 for Windows NT and NetWare;
Delivers Dual Controller RAID Storage at an Affordable Price for PC LAN
Environments

DUAL REDUNDANT CONTROLLERS, PREVIOUSLY FOUND ONLY IN HIGH-END STORAGE
SYSTEMS, ARE NOW AVAILABLE AT 40% BELOW THE HIGH-END SYSTEM PRICE

MILPITAS, CA, APRIL 22, 1996 -- Storage Dimensions, the leading independent
vendor of high-availability client/server storage systems, today
introduced SuperFlex 5000, the first affordable, dual controller RAID
storage system for mission-critical Windows NT and NetWare servers.
SuperFlex 5000 is priced 40% less than the leading dual controller system,
Clariion Series 1000, which was designed for traditional high-end UNIX
environments. By introducing SuperFlex 5000 for NT and NetWare, Storage
Dimensions has lowered the bar in price versus the traditional high-end
storage providers, while raising the bar in resiliency versus current
solutions from Intel-based server vendors.

"With PC servers consolidating under NetWare 4.1, and applications
migrating from mainframe and UNIX environments to NT, there is an
increasing need for high-availability storage for the Intel server
market,"; said Ted Chen, vice president of marketing for Storage
Dimensions. "A problem exists, however, because storage vendors who focus
on the centralized mainframe and high-end UNIX markets have pricing
structures that are out of line with LAN environments. By contrast, server
vendors who specialize in LAN environments have not delivered high-end
resiliency at any price. Storage Dimensions has recognized these problems
and, with SuperFlex 5000, has introduced the first affordable,
high-availability storage solution for NT and NetWare."

Intel-based server technology is rapidly becoming an attractive alternative
for midrange application servers, database servers, and Inter/Intranet Web
servers. These servers have the following key characteristics: (1) they
are mission-critical, (2) their capacity requirements are constantly
growing, and (3) they are bringing more storage management responsibility
out of the data center and into distributed locations. SuperFlex 5000
addresses the demands of these mission-critical servers by delivering (1)
the high-availability, (2) maximum scalability, and (3) comprehensive
storage management tools that they demand.

SUPERFLEX 5000 DELIVERS HIGH-AVAILABILITY RAID STORAGE

SuperFlex 5000 minimizes the risk of a single point of failure in the
storage system by featuring dual redundant controllers. With automatic
failover, if the primary controller fails, the system automatically
switches to the standby controller avoiding any system downtime. The
failed controller is then hot-swappable and can be replaced without
impacting the storage system's operation.

In addition to providing dual redundant controllers, SuperFlex 5000
incorporates dual redundant power supplies, triple redundant cooling fan
modules, and dual lockable A/C inputs. All redundant components and disk
drives are hot-swappable under load.

In the event of a power failure, battery-backed cache preserves cache
contents for up to 48 hours. This reduces the chance of data corruption
and increases the system's resiliency. The write-back cache is also
mirrored in the standby controller so that the data in cache is preserved
in the event of a controller failure.

SUPERFLEX 5000 DELIVERS SCALABLE RAID STORAGE

SuperFlex 5000 features RAIDFlex-D, a new version of the Company's
SCSI-to-SCSI RAIDFlex array controller with redundancy. RAIDFlex-D is a
powerful i960 RISC-based processor providing from 4 MB to 32 MB of cache.
SuperFlex 5000 with RAIDFlex-D supports RAID levels 0, 1, 0+1, and 5,
making it suitable for a wide range of applications. Mixed RAID levels can
run concurrently within a single enclosure.

SuperFlex 5000 incorporates seven bays, each capable of housing a 3.5" 2.1
GB or 4.3 GB 7200 rpm disk drive module. As many as five SuperFlex 5000
enclosures can be configured per available SCSI channel providing over 150
GB of total capacity (129 GB of RAID 5 capacity) per channel. In a typical
Intel-based server, total capacity can scale to over 600 GB.

RAIDFLEX-D MANAGEMENT SOFTWARE SIMPLIFIES RAID ADMINISTRATION

SuperFlex 5000 includes RAIDFlex-D Management Software enabling the system
administrator to easily configure and monitor disk arrays from the host
CPU console. The system administrator can configure RAIDFlex-D
controllers, select RAID levels and disk groupings, initialize arrays,
define cache policies, select stripe depth, perform disk rebuilds either
manually or automatically using a hot spare drive, and schedule parity
checks. The Management Software provides the ability to monitor arrays and
other devices on the network, and it provides centralized fault
administration.

SINGLE CONTROLLER MODEL ENABLES LOWER ENTRY PRICE WITH UPGRADABILITY

SuperFlex 5000 will also be offered in a single controller model providing
a lower entry price for a resilient system with battery-backed cache. A
second controller can be added at any time in the future if needed. The
economically priced upgrade kit demonstrates Storage Dimensions'
commitment to providing modular systems that allow for a minimum entry
price while enabling future upgradability.

AVAILABILITY, PRICING, AND SUPPORT

SuperFlex 5000 with support for Windows NT will ship in May. NetWare
supported systems will ship in June. SuperFlex 5000 for Sun was announced
in an earlier press release and begins shipping in April.

An entry-level SuperFlex 5000 configured with three 4.3 GB Fast/Wide 7200
rpm drives and dual redundant RAIDFlex-D controllers will have an
estimated corporate volume price of $16,500. A high capacity SuperFlex
5000 with seven 4.3 GB Fast/Wide 7200 rpm drives and dual redundant
controllers will have an estimated corporate volume price of $26, 000.
SuperFlex 5000 comes standard with a differential Fast/Wide SCSI interface
allowing the storage system to be placed up to 60 feet away from the host
CPU.

SuperFlex 5000 is supported by Storage Dimensions' SpeedExchange advanced
exchange warranty. Under the generous terms of SpeedExchange, customers
can receive replacement components within 24 hours of the request. The
warranty coverage is for five years on disk drives and three years on all
other components. SuperFlex 5000 comes with free on-site IBM service for
one year. 7 x 24 priority service is also available.

Founded in 1985, Storage Dimensions is a leading independent vendor of
high-availability disk and tape storage systems for client/server and open
systems environments. In addition to award-winning, leading-edge products,
the Company provides a number of innovative and sophisticated support
programs to help customers minimize the total cost-of-ownership over the
life-cycle of their storage investment. The Company is ISO 9002 certified
and primarily serves Fortune 1000 corporations and large institutions that
have business- and mission-critical applications requiring high capacity,
performance, reliability, and availability. Storage Dimensions products
are available through a worldwide network of authorized resellers and
distributors. The Company is located at 1656 McCarthy Boulevard, Milpitas,
CA 95035 and can be reached at 408-954-0710.
 
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