ADIC Announces Support for Super DLTtape Drives; New Technology To More Than Double Capacity of Industry's Broadest Range of Automated DLTtape Storage Platforms.

Business Editors/High-Tech Writers

REDMOND, Wash.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sept. 26, 2000

Advanced Digital Information Corporation (Nasdaq:ADIC) announced today that it will more than double the storage capacity and throughput of its DLT storage libraries by integrating Quantum Corporation's (NYSE:DSS) Super DLTtape technology into the current ADIC(R) DLTtape product family.

ADIC delivers the broadest range of automated DLTtape storage products in the industry, from seven-tape FastStor(TM) autoloaders to the largest capacity DLTtape libraries in the world, holding more than 45,000 cartridges and over 5000 terabytes of native storage capacity. The new generation of DLT tape technology provides up to 220GB per cartridge and 32 MB/second throughput(1) (2-1/2 times more capacity and 5 times higher data transfer than the current generation of DLT drives). It will also offer backward compatibility with existing DLT drives and media, allowing users to operate the new technology in the same systems with their current DLTtape data protection systems.

"The next generation of DLT technology is delivering on the promise of its roadmap," said Bill Britts, ADIC executive vice-president of Sales and Marketing. "Its numbers are impressive, showing the performance and capacity the enterprise needs to keep up with the explosion of data and the backward compatibility to allow it to be integrated easily into the huge installed base of DLT systems. The collaboration between ADIC and Quantum for the technology rollout could be a model for the industry -- it is ensuring that a full line of automated library solutions will be available for the new technology at the same time as the drive comes to market."

"Early and broad automated library support from industry leaders, like ADIC, helps to ensure DLTtape technology's leadership in the mid-range data protection marketplace," said William Boles, vice president, marketing for Quantum DLTtape. "Super DLTtape technology is based upon the proven DLTtape technology platform, which provides IT professionals with an advanced product that will continue to meet their growing demands for increased data protection through the next wave of digitization. Quantum is fully committed to delivering higher performance and higher reliability products, both in the first generation of Super DLT and in the generations that follow."

The first generation of Quantum's Super DLTtape drive will offer a full range of performance options. For high-end, enterprise-wide UNIX and large NT systems the Super DLTtape system will offer storage capacity of 220GB or greater and data transfer rates exceeding 32 MB/second. For the mid-range server market, Super DLT models will provide 220GB of storage on a single cartridge, a native transfer rate of up to 22 MB/seccond, and will provide backward compatibility with earlier generations of DLT drives. For the upper end of the entry-level server market, Super DLTtape drives will deliver capacities of 160GB per cartridge and 16MB/second sustained transfer rates. Additional information about Super DLTtape can be found at www.dlttape.com/super_dlttape.

ADIC will leverage this new drive technology throughout the industry's most extensive line of DLTtape automated libraries. They include the seven-cartridge the FastStor(R) and 22-tape FastStor 22 autoloaders, offering up to a month of unattended backup for remote office and workgroup servers. The company's award-winning Scalar(R) 100 library offers industry-leading storage density to meet the needs of small to mid-range data centers, providing up to 6 Super DLTtape drives and 30 to 60 cartridges positions in only 14 standard rack units (24.5 inches). ADIC's Scalar 1000 provides barrier-free scalability, capacity of up to 788 cartridges, and positions for up to 48 drives. ADIC's AML series mixed media automated libraries will offer room for up to 46,656 Super DLTtape cartridges (over 5,000 terabyte capacity!) and will allow the technology to be used with other tape and optical formats.

About ADIC

With an installed base of more than 65,000 automated libraries, innovative storage management software, Fibre Channel Storage Area Network (SAN) solutions, and Network Attach Storage (NAS) appliances, ADIC is a leading device-independent storage solutions provider to the open systems marketplace. The Company offers a broad range of products designed to enhance organizations' ability to store, protect, manage and use their rapidly growing network data. ADIC's automated storage products are available through a worldwide sales force and a global network of resellers and OEMs, including Dell, Fujitsu Siemens and IBM. Further information is available at http://www.adic.com.

(1) All capacity and data transfer rates assume average 2:1 compression unless otherwise stated. ADIC, FastStor and Scalar are registered trademarks of Advanced Digital Information Corporation. DLTtape is a trademark of Quantum Corporation. All other trade or service marks mentioned in this release should be considered the property of their respective owners.