ADIC Brings Linux into SAN Data Sharing Applications; CentraVision Supports Data Sharing for Collaborative Workflow

Business Wire, March 1, 2000

Business Editors, High-Tech Writers

REDMOND, Wash.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--March 1, 2000

Advanced Digital Information Corporation (Nasdaq:ADIC) announced today that it is bringing Linux servers into Storage Area Network (SAN) data sharing applications by supporting the fast-growing operating system with ADIC's CentraVision File-sharing System (CVFS).

The new support will mean that Linux systems for a wide range of applications will be able to use SANs to share consolidated storage, increase workflow efficiency, and eliminate both bandwidth bottlenecks and the need for redundant data. Linux is rapidly gaining favor for a range of applications including web hosting, collaborative data analysis, and enterprise computing. With the new Linux support, CFVS will be the first SAN file-sharing system to allow data sharing down to the individual file level both for single-platform networks and heterogeneous systems that combine UNIX, Windows NT, and Linux servers.

CentraVision is a distributed file-sharing system that allows multiple workstations or servers to share data from a common disk over a high-bandwidth SAN. With conventional file systems, files are shared by duplicating them and moving them from server to server over the network. The process is time-consuming, difficult to manage, and constrained by network bandwidth limitations. With CentraVision, all files remain stored on a central disk, but are available to all users at local disk speed. Since multiple users can access the same files, it makes possible high-efficiency collaborative workflow and dynamic file allocation.

"Because it eliminates the need to move and duplicate data, the ability to share files over a SAN represents a critical advance for a wide range of data-intensive applications," explains Bill Britts, ADIC executive vice president of sales and marketing. "CentraVision has shown that it can provide huge productivity gains for applications where group processing or analysis is required -- visual applications like digital video editing or large-scale geospatial data analysis. The technology also offers a promising approach for situations where many files need to be made available dynamically among a variable number of hosts -- distributing files among a pool of web servers is a perfect example. Especially as the Internet environment begins to incorporate video and other large-file applications, file-sharing SANs offer an extremely attractive alternative to conventional network data access systems."

"Linux is growing as a real, mission-critical platform for mainstream legacy enterprise applications faster than any of us thought it would," noted Steve Duplessie, senior analyst at the Enterprise Storage Group, "because it works and it provides a level of openness and independence beyond what single-platform system OEMs offer. I would not be surprised to see Linux start dominating the web-based applications world within two years. Support from independent solutions providers like ADIC can only help propel Linux forward."

"The CentraVision file-sharing system, with its ability to supply true file sharing for cross-platform systems and resiliency, is a match for the kinds of high-performance information processing applications that we are helping our clients install," comments Martin Williams, CEO of Patuxent Technology Partners, a leading system integrator of SAN solutions. "We also believe that industry as a whole is well served by the development and introduction of innovative SAN technology with cross-platform support like that found in CentraVision. Because of the multiple platform support required to implement a true heterogeneous SAN, it's not surprising that the technology would be supplied by an independent storage specialist like ADIC, rather than by one of the single-platform system suppliers."

"Data sharing down to the file level in heterogeneous SAN environments is becoming a critical requirement for processing the large files found across the entire range of visual applications," according to Bill Hartman, vice president of Marketing and Business Development at Ciprico, a leading supplier of SAN solutions for the visual market. "Ciprico's proven and established SAN solutions, which include fully integrated CentraVision file sharing, help users boost their productivity by implementing large-scale collaborative workflow systems. They allow UNIX and Windows NT workstations to share data housed on centralized disk arrays as quickly and as easily as they can access local files."

ADIC's CentraVision is available now for UNIX and Windows NT servers. Support for Linux systems will be available beginning in May. Suggested list pricing for CentraVision begins at $5000 per seat.

About ADIC

With more than 55,000 automated tape libraries installed and a suite of innovative software solutions and Storage Area Networking (SAN) products, ADIC is a leading global provider in the growing market to manage and protect information for computer networks. Marketed under ADIC and ADIC/GRAU brands and the brands of OEM partners, including Dell, Fujitsu Siemens, IBM, Exabyte and Unisys, the Company's automated tape libraries are available with DLTtape, AIT, D2, half-inch, and 4mm tape technologies, and are supported by leading backup and storage management software products for Windows NT, UNIX, and mainframe operating systems. The Company's own storage management tools include AMASS(R), FileServ and CentraVision, software products which provide users with shared access to network data. A pioneer in Storage Area Networks, ADIC's Open SAN solutions combine open-system SAN hardware and software with installation services and single-call support. Further ADIC information is available at http://www.adic.com.