ATL Products' P3000 Series Automated DLTtape Library Selected as Best New Product Award Finalist at FOSE `99.

WASHINGTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--March 17, 1999--

Government Computer News Editors Evaluate ATL's P3000 as One of

the Year's Best Enterprise Peripheral Products

ATL Products, a leading supplier of intelligent DLTtape(TM) libraries for networked computers, Wednesday announced that its new P3000 Series Automated DLTtape Library has been selected as a "Best New Product Award" finalist at this year's FOSE '99 exhibition.

The selections are made each year by Government Computer News editors who carefully consider product qualities based on innovation, usability, specifications and value, as it relates to the governmental readers that they serve.

In the category of "Enterprise Peripheral," ATL's new P3000 tape library was selected as one of the year's best new products and will be showcased in the company's exhibit, Booth 835, at this week's FOSE '99 show during normal exhibition hours.

FOSE is a premiere systems equipment trade show for federal users.

Innovation

The P3000 is the industry's first DLTtape library to feature a High Availability (HA) design similar to HA servers and RAID systems. Its HA design features single connector hot-swap DLTtape drives, power supplies, and fans, as well as redundant power supplies, fans and AC sources. The hot-swap components allow for non-disruptive maintenance, while the redundant AC components allow online replacement and continual uptime if a single component fails.

The P3000 also incorporates an open architecture platform called Prism Library Architecture(TM) that utilizes a PCI expansion bus and off-the-shelf host, network and channel adapters for both network and bus connections.

The Prism platform effectively isolates the tape drive and library functionality from the host by using the high bandwidth PCI bus as a freeway between the host and target. As a result, P3000 library users can change both speed and media by simply exchanging the off-the-shelf host or interface card in the PCI bus of the library.

Another innovative capability of the P3000 is achieved through WebAdmin(TM) remote administration software. Using a Java-enabled browser, WebAdmin provides system administrators the freedom to access their P3000 from within an Intranet or anywhere on the World Wide Web.

WebAdmin supports remote library administration facilities such as library set-up, monitoring, event logging and event notification, and features predictive failure analysis that allows users to establish event thresholds to monitor the performance of the P3000's robotics or tape drives.

Usability

The multi-terabyte P3000 is designed for easy installation, administration and service and is delivered completely assembled to reduce the need for high level system administration. The local user interface is an icon-based touch-screen GUI, which allows the P3000 to be easily configured, operated and serviced. With simple point and click finger-touch operations, users can identify or query the status of drives, cartridges, bins and the load port.

The P3000 has also been certified to operate with the industry's leading backup and storage management software that includes VERITAS NetBackup, Legato NetWorker, HP OpenView OmniBack II, Tivoli ADSM and Intelliguard BudTool.

Specifications

Targeted at storage intensive applications, the P3000's enterprise-class design supports up to 16 DLTtape drives and 326 cartridges for 288 gigabytes per hour performance and 11.4 terabytes of storage capacity.

Another key feature of the P3000's reliable design is IntelliGrip(TM), ATL's highly precise cartridge handling system whose design is maximized to ensure reliable DLTtape operation within the library environment. The finely tuned gripper system selects the DLTtape cartridge from the top and bottom to reduce cartridge pressure and increase cartridge life.

IntelliGrip utilizes precision timing and a highly controllable amount of force to insert and remove DLTtape cartridges in a manner that reduces drive stress, increases overall library reliability and minimizes surface contact.

Value

The P3000 is available through ATL's network of government resellers with pre-negotiated pricing supported through GSA contract No. GS-35F-4543G. To address Total Cost of Ownership (TCO), the P3000 is the most cost-effective library in its class featuring a redundant HA design, hot-swap components, user-replaceable modules, friendly software tools and upgrades with pluggable PCI cards.

To provide additional value to federal customers currently using ATL libraries, the P3000 represents a future migration path from all ATL desktop to datacenter solutions including the PowerStor L200, PowerStor L500, P1000 Series, 520 Series, 7100 Series and 2640 Series. This capability allows users to protect their initial library investment as their backup needs grow.

P3000 Availability

The P3000 Series Automated DLT Library is now available through ATL's network of value-added resellers. For more information on where to purchase the P3000 or other ATL library products, call 800/677-6268 or send your request via e-mail to ATL Products at [e-mail].

About ATL Products

ATL Products, a Quantum Company, is recognized worldwide as a market innovator in the design, manufacture and service of automated DLTtape library systems having earned a reputation for superb quality and reliability.

Delivering library systems through OEMs and a worldwide network of authorized resellers, ATL ships a large percentage of the world's DLTtape libraries. The DLTtape market is growing rapidly and ATL is at the forefront with thousands of library systems currently installed worldwide.

Serving the world market for storage automation, corporate headquarters for ATL Products is in Irvine, Calif. An additional site in Irvine serves as one of the world's largest manufacturing facilities dedicated to DLTtape automation technology. Sales and service are provided throughout major cities in North America, Europe and Asia. For additional information, call ATL Products at 949/856-7800, or browse the company Web site at www.atlp.com.

The foregoing statements regarding performance and future products are forward-looking statements and actual results could vary. Factors which could affect actual results include unexpected shortages of critical components, short product lives, the timing of new product introductions, competition (including new and directly competitive products from others) and the significant uncertainty of market acceptance of new products by both distribution channels and end-user customers.

Note to Editors: All performance and capacity specifications are native and can be doubled with 2:1 compression.

DLT and DLTtape are trademarks of Quantum Corp. in the United States and other countries. IntelliGrip, Prism Library Architecture and WebAdmin are trademarks of ATL Products in the United States and other countries.