BiTMICRO NETWORKS Provides Key Component in Radstone Technology System for NASA X-34 Vehicle; E-Disk SFX35 to Work in Conjunction With 1/2ATRS Box in Providing Vehicle Health Monitoring.

Business Editors and High-Tech Writers

FREMONT, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan. 4, 2001

BiTMICRO NETWORKS Inc., a pioneer in intelligent storage, in partnership with Radstone Technology, a world leader in rugged VME bus products, Thursday announced the application of their SFX35 Fast SCSI E-Disk(TM) with Radstone's 1/2ATRS box in the NASA NITEX system going aboard the X-34 Vehicle and providing the vehicle health monitoring for that unit.

NASA's X-34 technology demonstrator is a flying laboratory for technologies and operations applicable to future low-cost, reusable launch vehicles. It is one of a family of technology demonstrators aimed at lowering launch costs from $10,000 to $1,000 per pound. The NITEX system, which is not an operational system required for flight, will be used in ground testing for health monitoring experiments as a flight payload.

The X-34 is capable of flying up to eight times the speed of sound and reaching altitudes of approximately 50 miles. It will be a workhorse for testing high reliability, low-cost technologies and operations needed to develop and operate the next generation of space vehicles.

"Durability and non-volatile qualities provided by BiTMICRO NETWORKS' components make them highly attractive for airborne applications," said Tom Griffin, Vice President of Marketing for BiTMICRO. "E-Disk meets the stringent government specifications for this type of application and is consistently a top-choice storage product for housing mission critical data."

"Extreme environmental requirements coupled with tight budget constraints were always going to make the X-34 a demanding application. The E-Disk was a natural selection, it complemented Radstone's design excellence and was backed up by product support second to none," said Colin Davies, Systems Product Manager at Radstone Technology.

The Radstone ATR chassis provide the highest level of environmental protection combined with exceptional packing density and thermal performance. All Radstone VME bus modules and power supply units are secured in the chassis with expanding screw driven wedgelocks that ensure the mechanical integrity of the whole unit and minimize the risk of damage from shock and vibration.

BiTMICRO NETWORKS' solid state disk storage solutions offer the highest capacity and the fastest flash-based storage devices in the world. E-Disk SFX35 versions deliver 10 MB/sec burst read and burst write transfer rates, over 9 MB/sec sustained read and sustained write transfer rates. They contain no moving parts, which are the primary cause of failures and electro-mechanical delays in conventional hard drives.

BiTMICRO NETWORKS' non-volatile storage products provide instant response by virtually eliminating seek time and latency. The products withstand operating temperatures from -40 to +85 degrees centigrade and 1,000 Gs of operating shock.

About BiTMICRO NETWORKS

BiTMICRO NETWORKS Inc. (http://www.bitmicro.com), a privately held California corporation, is the world's premier supplier of high performance solid-state disk and storage management solutions. BiTMICRO's storage solutions offer unmatched performance, data availability, and manageability across a spectrum of platforms from entry systems to super computers. The company is a member of the Fibre Channel Industry Association (FCIA) and Storage Networking Industry Association (SNIA).

About Radstone Technology

Radstone Technology (http://www.radstone.com) is a recognized leader in the design and development of VME-based computer equipment for a broad range of industrial, ruggedized and military/aerospace applications. Making use of innovative packaging techniques and latest advances in microprocessor technology, Radstone's products offer state-of-the-art performance and reliable operation, even in the harshest environments.

For more product information contact BiTMICRO NETWORKS, http://www.bitmicro.com; 510/74E-DISK / 510/743-3475.

E-Disk(TM), FlashBus(TM), PowerGuard(TM), DataSentinel(TM) and BiTMICRO(TM) are trademarks of BiTMICRO NETWORKS Inc. Others are trademarks of their respective companies or other countries.