SEAGATE RSS DEBUTS HORNET TRAVAN 40 TAPE DRIVE PRODUCTS FOR ENTRY-LEVEL SERVER ENVIR.

Seagate Removable Storage Solutions (RSS), a manufacturer of computer tape drive and tape head products, recently announced the introduction of the new Seagate internal Hornet 40 and TapeStor Travan 40 tape drives and solutions to support the needs of PC, workstation, and entry-level server users. Product availability is slated for late March 2002. With proven Travan technology reliability, the Travan 40 tape drives offer up to 20 Gbytes native storage capacity (40 Gbytes compressed) while maintaining backward compatibility with the previous generation.

"Seagate continues to deliver best-in-class tape backup and restore solutions to customers that rely on Travan technology to protect the valuable information they depend on every day," said Bob Hawkins, director, Product Line Management for Seagate Removable Storage Solutions. "Seagate's internal Travan 40 tape drives, with up to 40 Gbytes of compressed data protection, are positioned to support the needs of workstation and entry-level server users where reliability and price per gigabyte matter most. An external Hornet 40 with USB 2.0 connectivity will follow in the coming months."

Hawkins noted that "Users require a backup solution that allows them to make a snapshot of their full system. Today, those systems contain critical shortcuts, custom settings and preferences; an operating system registry full of links to peripheral devices; and installed software and program files and business-critical data such as billing and accounting records, customer proposals, presentations and databases. Like all Seagate Travan solutions, Seagate's Hornet Travan 40 tape drives provide a competitive edge by allowing users to protect their entire system and vital information reliably on a single data cartridge."

The new internal Hornet 40 ATAPI and TapeStor Travan 40 bundled solution drive specifications include 20-Gbyte native capacity/cartridge with 2 Mbytes/sec native transfer rate and backward-read compatibility with Travan 20-Gbyte technology. These drives are the most reliable in their class with a Mean Time Between Failure (MTBF) rating of a proven 370,000 hours at a 20-percent duty cycle. The 40-Gbyte Travan products incorporate Seagate's FastSense technology feature that optimizes backup time by allowing the tape drive to throttle its speed up or down to match the computer system's resources. This ensures the tape will continue to stream at a steady rate for quick, reliable backups. Seagate Travan 40 Gbyte tape drives are compatible with Windows 95/98/NTWS/2000 Professional/Millennium/XP, Windows NT/2000 Server, Novell NetWare, SCO UNIX and Linux.

Additional new design features include a steel chassis for more durability; a soft-load mechanism to reduce normal wear and tear; a VR2 data channel device that enables higher densities; a park feature to ensure track alignment if the write-operation is paused or interrupted; and a thermal monitor that activates a firmware throttle-down feature when drive temperatures reach pre-determined levels.

The Seagate TapeStor Travan 40 GB is a bundled solution containing the Hornet 40 ATAPI drive, one data cartridge, backup software, an install poster and all required installation hardware. This solution is available in two versions, server and desktop, both including industry-standard Yosemite software highlighted by a simple user interface common to all platforms; intelligent restore to select files and target locations or restore the entire system; readiness for software upgrades without reinstall; and a free disaster recovery module for Windows and NetWare (upon customer product registration). The bundled solution also includes a Travan 40 data cartridge, certified by Seagate for optimal performance and reliability, and supported by a limited-lifetime warranty.

Travan technology, based on linear recording, represents an efficient cartridge and drive design that reduces tape stress, ensures data integrity and increases drive and cartridge reliability. Travan technology has established a solid heritage of affordability, reliability, scalability and performance. With more than 10 million drives shipped worldwide since its launch in 1995, Travan technology is the defacto standard offering small-to-medium businesses a reliable, cost-effective tape backup and storage solution.

Currently commanding the largest share of the worldwide Travan tape drive market with the award-winning Hornet tape drive line, Seagate is the leading producer of internal and external Travan tape drive solutions sold to resellers and VARs, for integration into entry-level server and workstation products.