ADIC StorNext Management Suite 2.1 Adds New Quality-of-Service Features For High Performance Data Access.

Business Editors & High-Tech Writers

REDMOND, Wash.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sept. 30, 2002

Advanced Digital Information Corporation (NASDAQ: ADIC)

New Release Increases Performance and Expands Supported Storage

Devices; Improves Data Access and Protection While Decreasing

Management Burden

Advanced Digital Information Corporation (NASDAQ: ADIC), the leader in Intelligent Storage(TM) solutions for the open systems market, today announced new high performance features in the latest version of its StorNext(R) Management Suite (SNMS) data management software for Storage Area Networks (SANs).

The new features will give IT departments guaranteed service levels for selected applications, as well as expanding supported media environments to include additional high performance, enterprise-class tape technologies.

The new SNMS 2.1 includes an expansion of its Quality of Service policies that allow end users to select specific applications for priority bandwidth allocation and to guarantee that they will always use the most direct route to data stored on Fibre Channel disk. These features ensure that critical applications are always provided the bandwidth they need for optimal performance no matter what other applications are contending for disk-based data.

"We believe that SNMS is the first data management software that provides simple policies to guarantee priority bandwidth for specific applications and their primary, disk-based data," said Paul Rutherford, ADIC Vice President of Software Technology. "It is another feature that makes SNMS a clearly differentiated choice for a broad range of systems that need to handle large data volumes in performance-sensitive, collaborative SAN environments."

The SNMS 2.1 release also increases its support for near-line storage to include 9840 and 9940 enterprise tape drives and tape libraries from StorageTek, as well the new high capacity, high performance Sony AIT-3 tape drives. Also included is support for Sony's AIT Write-once, Read-many (WORM) technology, which enables high security storage of digital information on magnetic tape. "Support for high performance, enterprise tape support can broaden the market for SNMS, allowing it to serve the large number of IT departments that have standardized on the technology because of the fast access it offers to data. The new AIT drive technology offers compelling combinations of performance, security, and value to help IT departments manage their assets throughout their life," Mr. Rutherford said.

Designed for data-intensive SAN environments, StorNext(R) Management Suite (SNMS) reduces the time and total cost of managing SAN data. SNMS integrates two powerful components, StorNext File System and StorNext Storage Manager, to provide Total Data Life Management. With SNMS, data-- throughout its lifetime--is always accessible and protected based on levels of service defined by users. The result is a scalable, high performance data management solution that optimizes the use of SAN storage while ensuring the long-term safety and recoverability of data. SNMS supports Solaris, IRIX, Linux, and Windows platforms.

"With the ever-growing number of heterogeneous computing environments, it is crucial that IT organizations assure that client data can be accessed, stored and managed as a shared resource," said Bill Yaman, Vice President of Software, ADIC. "SNMS 2.1 addresses this issue by providing a scalable, high performance data management solution that optimizes the use of SAN storage while ensuring the long term accessibility, safety and recoverability of data. "

For more details about SNMS 2.1, visit www.adic.com/stornext.

About ADIC Software

ADIC Software is the data management software supplier that provides Enterprise-scale access and protection for critical digital assets throughout their lifetime. ADIC Software automatically manages data on different platforms, operating systems, and media types to give users the maximum performance and utilization from their open system storage resource investment while reducing their total cost of ownership. ADIC data management software is used in more than 1000 organizations worldwide to manage some of the industry's largest and most challenging data storage environments.

About ADIC

Advanced Digital Information Corporation (NASDAQ: ADIC) is a leading provider of Intelligent Storage(TM) solutions to the open systems marketplace. ADIC(R) is the world's largest supplier of automated tape systems using the drive technologies most often employed for backing up open system, client-server networks(a). The Company's data management software and storage networking appliances provide IT managers' innovative tools for storing, managing and protecting their most valuable digital assets. ADIC storage products are available through a worldwide sales force and a global network of resellers and OEMs, including Dell, Fujitsu-Siemens, Hewlett-Packard and IBM. For more information, visit www.adic.com.

(a) Market share from IDC 2001 worldwide revenue and unit market share data for all automated systems using DLT, SDLT, LTO, 8mm or AIT drives and Gartner/Dataquest, 2002 Market Shares and Forecasts for Tape Automation Systems, F. Yale, August 2002. ADIC and StorNext are registered trademarks and Intelligent Storage is a trademark of Advanced Digital Information Corporation. All other trade or service marks mentioned in this release should be considered the property of their respective owners.