Qualstar Ships SDLT 600 Tape Drives in TLS and RLS-Series Tape Libraries; Company Ships Powerful Tape Drive in Freestanding and Rack Mounted Libraries

Business Wire, Nov 11, 2004

SIMI VALLEY, Calif. -- Qualstar(R) Corporation (NASDAQ:QBAK), a manufacturer of automated tape storage solutions, today announced that its widely regarded TLS and RLS-Series tape libraries are now available with Quantum Corporation's new SDLT 600 tape drive. Additionally, the SDLT 600 is available to upgrade existing TLS and RLS-Series libraries currently equipped with DLT or the earlier SDLT drives. Shipments have begun.

Qualstar's TLS-6000 Series automated tape libraries offer superior performance and value for SuperDLT tape users in desktop and enterprise configurations. With capacities ranging from 1.6 terabytes to more than 144 terabytes, the TLS-6000 Series economically and reliably automates SDLT-based applications, whether backing up a single server or as an integral part of an enterprise-wide storage management solution. The RLS-6227 library offers users more than 16 gigabytes of storage in a compact 5U rack mount form factor and popular high-availability options, including redundant power supplies and true hot-swappable tape drives.

The SDLT 600 tape drive is the third generation of Quantum's SuperDLT technology, delivering 300 gigabytes of native capacity per tape and 129 gigabytes per hour native data transfer rate, making the SDLT 600 ideal for enterprise-class backup, archival and near-online storage applications. Both capacity and data rate double using typical data compression techniques. The new drive is also read-compatible with previous generations of SDLT tapes, maintaining access to archives created on SDLT 220 and SDLT 320 drives.

All Qualstar libraries are available with Q-Link(TM); the company's advanced browser based remote manager that enables library administration, configuration and diagnosis worldwide via an intranet or the Internet.

"Integrating the SDLT-600 drive gives SDLT users a clear growth path, to rapidly safeguard more information and access it more quickly," said Bob Covey, Qualstar's vice president, marketing. "The powerful performance and scalability of the TLS and RLS-Series libraries gives our customers more options to reliably secure their business-critical data."

Qualstar's SDLT 600-equipped libraries are sold and supported exclusively through its worldwide network of authorized resellers.

About Qualstar Corporation

Qualstar is a manufacturer of automated tape libraries used for backup, archival storage, data protection and disaster recovery. Its products are known throughout the world for their rugged, Simply Reliable design yielding years of trouble-free operation. Qualstar tape libraries are sold, installed and supported worldwide by selected Value Added Resellers, Systems Integrators, Distributors and Original Equipment Manufacturers. Qualstar also designs, manufactures and sells ultra small, high efficiency open-frame switching power supplies under the "N2Power" brand name to OEMs. Qualstar Corporation is publicly traded on the NASDAQ National Market under the symbol QBAK. More information is available at www.qualstar.com or by phone at 805-583-7744.

Forward-Looking Statements

Statements in this press release concerning the future business, operating results and financial condition of the Company are "forward-looking" statements as defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such statements are based upon management's current expectations and are subject to a number of uncertainties that could cause actual performance and results to differ materially from the results discussed in the forward-looking statements. Factors that could affect the Company's actual results include the Company's ability to increase sales of its tape libraries which incorporate LTO, SAIT and SDLT tape drives, whether the Company's initiatives to maintain and increase sales of its tape libraries based on AIT tape technology will be successful, whether development of the Company's new enterprise-class tape libraries will be completed on time and achieve customer acceptance, rescheduling or cancellation of customer orders, unexpected shortages of critical components, unexpected product design or quality problems, and adverse changes in market demand for tape libraries or Qualstar's products. The Company undertakes no obligation to publicly update any forward-looking statements whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. Further information on these and other potential factors that could affect the Company's financial results or condition are included in Qualstar's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. In particular, reference is made to the "Risk Factors" section of the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2004, and to the "Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations" sections of its Form 10-K and its most recent Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q.