Hitachi Data Systems Freedom 7700E Storage Solutions Receive RAID Advisory Board Classification as Disaster Tolerant Disk System Plus -- DTDS+.

SANTA CLARA, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nov. 12, 1998--

Solutions Meet Organization's Criteria for Highest Level of

Disaster Protection

Hitachi Data Systems (HDS) today announced that storage solutions based on multiple Hitachi Freedom 7700E subsystems with remote copy have been awarded the Disaster Tolerant Disk System Plus (DTDS+) classification by the RAID Advisory Board (RAB).

DTDS+ is the highest level classification awarded by the RAB, an organization that promotes the understanding and utilization of RAID (Redundant Array of Independent Disks) and related storage technologies.

"Many customers have discovered that the Freedom 7700E offers the most flexibility for attaining optimal levels of data protection and highest system performance," said James E. Harris, HDS Vice President, Marketing and Alliances. "Now that we can display the RAB's 'Gold Logo' on the 7700E, we expect that customers will be even more confident that it delivers the availability they need."

Introduced in April of this year, the Freedom 7700E is the most powerful multi-platform storage subsystem available for 7x24 data centers. It is designed with numerous features offering business-continuance capabilities to users requiring non-stop data availability, even in the face of natural or man-made disasters or computer failures.

In tests leading to the RAB classification, systems were configured for disaster tolerance by using Hitachi Remote Copy and Hitachi Extended Remote Copy features to maintain duplicate copies of data in two separate 7700E subsystems.

These features enable users to satisfy a diversity of disaster recovery needs by dynamically maintaining a copy of data either locally or across long distances, using industry-standard channel extenders. The software also allows users to migrate applications from one data center to another without experiencing lengthy outages.

"The RAB's classification program is designed to assist those involved in the procurement of storage systems. We do that by identifying the degree to which a disk system exhibits attributes intended to protect against loss of data and to assure its continuous availability," said Joe Molina, RAB chairman.

"Our examination has determined that a configuration comprised of multiple HDS 7700E subsystems with remote copy has the ability to withstand the total destruction of one of its zones. It can do this without losing its ability to provide access to all of its data by all of the hosts to which it is connected, when the surviving zone is at least 10 kilometers (6.25 miles) from the failed zone."

The RAB's examination of the 7700E covered 20 criteria for protection against loss of data or loss of access to data caused by various internal or external failures. The term "zones," as used by the RAB, refers to separate physical locations containing parts of a storage system where data and redundancy information may be stored.

About Hitachi Data Systems

Hitachi Data Systems markets high-performance enterprise servers, storage systems, and professional services worldwide. HDS meets its customers' computing needs with the broadest line of the highest performance S/390(R)-compatible servers in the world, including the HDS Skyline Series(TM) and the HDS Pilot Series(TM), as well as the Hitachi Freedom Storage(TM) subsystems which provide multi-platform support across S/390, UNIX(R), and Windows NT(R) environments.

Owned by Hitachi, Ltd. (NYSE:HIT) and Electronic Data Systems, (NYSE:EDS), HDS is headquartered in Santa Clara, California. The company employs 2,300 people and operates in 30 countries worldwide. For online information about HDS' products and services, access www.hds.com on the World Wide Web.

For information on the RAB Classification Program, and to view the RAB's listing of the HDS 7700E subsystem, access the RAB Web site at http://www.raid-advisory.com/hds.html.

Note to Editors: Hitachi Data Systems is registered with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office as a trademark and service mark of Hitachi, Ltd. HDS Skyline Series, HDS Pilot Series, and Hitachi Freedom Storage are trademarks of Hitachi Data Systems Corporation. S/390 is a registered trademark of International Business Machines Corporation. UNIX is a registered trademark in the United States and other countries, licensed exclusively through X/Open Company, Limited. Windows NT is a registered trademark of Microsoft Corporation. All other brand or product names are or may be trademarks of, and are used to identify, products or services of their respective owners.