JNI FCX2-6562 Dual-Port PCI HBA Qualified by EMC as E-Lab Tested for Enterprise Storage Networks; JNI 2 Gb Ready PCI HBA Qualified for Solaris Platforms

Business Wire, July 25, 2002

Business Editors/High-Tech Writers

SAN DIEGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--July 25, 2002

JNI(R) Corporation (Nasdaq:JNIC) today announced that EMC Corporation (NYSE:EMC) has qualified JNI's FCX2-6562, a 2 Gb dual-port Fibre Channel host bus adapter (HBA) for PCI slots, as E-Lab Tested(TM).

The designation enables the new JNI HBA to be deployed with EMC Symmetrix Enterprise Storage systems in PCI-based Sun Microsystems servers, including most configurations of the new UltraSPARC III-based Sun Fire servers.

EMC conducts the industry's most comprehensive testing, assuring customers the highest level of interoperability assurance. EMC's E-Lab Tested qualification process is a series of exhaustive performance and reliability tests to ensure the interoperability of all components that make up a multi-vendor information storage network.

"With Sun almost exclusively selling PCI-based UltraSPARC III-based servers, JNI's 2 Gb PCI qualification by EMC represents a vital transition for JNI from its traditional Solaris base," said Steve Duplessie, founder and senior analyst for the Enterprise Storage Group. "Given JNI's broad deployment in Solaris-EMC environments, the qualification will be an important watershed in JNI's overall market position."

"EMC's qualification of a 2 Gb HBA for UltraSPARC III-based servers is an important milestone for JNI," said John Stiska, interim CEO of JNI Corporation. "JNI now offers a variety of E-Lab Tested single- and dual-port PCI and SBus host bus adapters at a variety of performance and price points," Stiska said. "It is part of our ongoing commitment to provide the best storage network solutions for EMC and Solaris environments."

JNI's FCX2-6562 is just the latest in a long line of HBAs qualified by EMC to run on Sun servers. JNI also has 2 Gb SBus, as well as 1 and 2 Gb PCI bus HBAs qualified by EMC. JNI continues to leverage its years of Solaris leadership in providing best-of-class Fibre Channel adapter products for EMC information storage environments.

JNI's low-profile FCX2-6562 2 Gb HBAs support all Fibre Channel topologies and include the latest enterprise-level features, such as persistent binding, compliance with SNIA HBA API 1.0, and 1 or 2 Gb auto rate negotiation. This last, "on demand" feature enables a smooth migration path to 2 Gb-enabled storage networks by operating in 1 Gb, 2 Gb or mixed 1-2 Gb Fibre Channel environments.

The dual-port FCX2-6562 offers the additional benefit of having each channel operate independently, so that each port shows up as a separately configurable Fibre Channel HBA in the storage network. This enables each port to be configured independently -- for example, one port can be set for ongoing operations while the other processes remote mirroring.

The FCX2-6562 is based on JNI's 2 Gb Emerald(TM) IV-x Fibre Channel controller. The Emerald IV-x combines two Emerald IV Fibre Channel controllers, a RISC processor, onboard memory and native PCI/PCI-X controller in a single ASIC. It uses the same family of drivers used on all of JNI's Emerald IV HBAs, including the 2 Gb SBus FCE2-1473, which is also E Lab Tested for Solaris environments.

Pricing and Availability

The 2 Gb Ready FibreStar FCX2-6562 is available today for EMC installations. Pricing is competitive with existing dual-port 2 Gb Fibre Channel PCI host bus adapters, with costs varying depending on configuration and quantity. In addition, special promotional programs may apply to existing 1 Gb installations. For information about purchasing the FCX2-6562 HBAs or any other JNI product, please contact a JNI distributor, reseller or a JNI sales representative, at 858/523-7000, by e-mail at sales@jni.com, or at www.jni.com.

About JNI Corporation

JNI Corporation is one of the leading manufacturers of connectivity product for the enterprise data center and the leading provider of Fibre Channel-based host bus adapters (HBAs) for Solaris servers. JNI offers a broad line of HBAs, ASICs and software for storage area networks, as well as HCA Modules for InfiniBand. JNI's PCI, PCI-X, SBus and CompactPCI products operate on a variety of operating systems, including Solaris, Windows 2000, Windows NT, HP-UX, AIX, Novell, Linux and Mac OS systems. JNI customers, distributors and strategic partners include Acal FCS, Avid, Bell Microproducts, Brocade, Chaparral, Compaq StorageWorks, Consan, Crossroads, EMC, Eurologic, Hewlett-Packard, Hitachi Data Systems, IBM, Info X, LSI Logic, McDATA, Mellanox Technologies, Nishan Systems, StorageTek, Sun Microsystems, TidalWire and Veritas. Company headquarters is in San Diego, with offices throughout the United States, Europe and Asia.

JNI -- enterprising solutions(TM)

Forward-Looking Statements

With the exception of historical information, the statements set forth above include forward-looking statements that involve risk and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements. These risks and uncertainties include: our dependence on a small number of OEM and distribution channel customers; potential delays in product development; our dependence on sole source and limited source suppliers for key components; our dependence on growth in the market for servers utilizing the Solaris operating system; increasing competition in the Fibre Channel market; our focus on Fibre Channel products; rapid technological change in our industry; changes in the storage area networks market; our reliance on manufacturers in other countries; potential litigation involving intellectual property and other issues; and other risk factors discussed in the company's reports on Forms 10-K, 10-Q and other reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission.