ADVISORY/DAFS Collaborative Will Unveil New Protocol and Announce Successor Organization At Upcoming Implementer's Event.

Business Editors/High-Tech Writers

ADVISORY...for Mon. (Sept 17)

--(BUSINESS WIRE)

What:   Implementer's Event for the DAFS Collaborative
        At the event, the Collaborative will:

          --  Unveil Version 1.0 of the DAFS specification

          --  Announce details of the DAFS Collaborative successor
            organization

          --  Demonstrate prototypes of DAFS technology

          The event will feature presentations by noted industry analyst
        Michael Peterson of Strategic Research Group, and by
        executives from DAFS Collaborative member companies, including
        Steve Kleiman, CTO of Network Appliance and one of the
        original inventors of DAFS.

          The Direct Access File System (DAFS) protocol is a
        high-performance file access technology that will greatly
        improve the performance and reliability of Internet and
        enterprise applications, and help the industry create a new,
        more powerful generation of data centers. Multiple waves of
        DAFS-enabled product introductions are expected within the
        next year.

          The DAFS Collaborative is a group of more than eighty
        companies that organized last year for the sole purpose of
        creating this new high-performance file-sharing protocol. For
        more information or to register to attend, visit
        www.dafscollaborative.org.

          Journalists and industry analysts who wish to attend should
        contact Jill Shanks at 650/591-7338 or email
        [e-mail].

When:   Monday Sept. 17, 2001
        12:00 noon: Formal Presentations
        1:30 p.m.:  Demo Open House

Where:  The Fairmont Hotel
        170 South Market Street
        San Jose, California