UPDATE: BlueArc's Titan SiliconServer Delivers Record SPECsfs(R) Results for Single Server With a Single File System, Topping 50,000 Operations Per Second

BlueArc Corporation, provider of the world's highest performance enterprise-class network storage solutions, today announced that its Titan SiliconServer has achieved SPECsfs97_R1.v3® benchmark results exceeding those of any network storage solution on the market, utilizing a single system and single file system.

BlueArc's Titan SiliconServer posted record results for a single server configuration on the Standard Performance Evaluation Corp. (SPEC) System File Server (sfs) test for network storage server performance. These results were generated without resorting to unusual configurations -- a tactic common from other vendors -- and delivered:

--  Single server performance of 50,858 SPECsfs97_R1.v3 ops/sec, with an
    overall response time (ORT) of 1.76 ms, more than 41% higher throughput
    than high-end system results from leading Network Attached Storage (NAS)
    competition.

--  Dual server performance of 101,571 SPECsfs97_R1.v3 ops/sec, with an
    overall response time (ORT) of 1.78 ms for a clustered active/active server
    configuration, more than 49% higher throughput than high-end dual clustered
    system results from leading NAS competition.

"BlueArc's leadership in the SPECsfs test results are a strong indication of the superior performance of Titan, and our lead over the competition is expected to increase rapidly, as customers enhance performance through planned blade upgrades," said Gianluca Rattazzi, CEO of BlueArc. "Traditional architectures are hobbled by the insufficient performance of CPUs, designed for computation, not for the task of delivering data quickly."

The SPECsfs97_R1.v3 benchmark measures NFS file server throughput and response times. As the requested workload increases, additional server performance is needed to obtain higher results.

Single Titan SiliconServer results:

A single Titan SiliconServer recorded 50,858 SPECsfs97_R1.v3 ops/sec, with an overall response time (ORT) of 1.76 ms, over a TCP network. This compares with Network Appliance's highest score of 36,063 SPECsfs97_R1.v3 ops/sec, with an overall response time (ORT) of 0.95 ms, over a TCP network with its dual-CPU FAS980 system and EMC's highest score of 36,335 SPECsfs97_R1.v3 ops/sec, with an overall response time (ORT) of 2.33 ms, over a TCP network with their Celerra NS700.

Dual Titan SiliconServer results:

A dual Titan SiliconServer recorded 101,571 SPECsfs97_R1.v3 ops/sec, with an overall response time (ORT) of 1.76 ms, over a TCP network. This compares with Network Appliance's highest score of 68,139 NFSv3 IOPS, with an overall response time (ORT) of 0.98 ms, over a TCP network with its dual system, quad-CPU FAS980 failover cluster, and EMC's highest score of 71,482 SPECsfs97_R1.v3 ops/sec, with an overall response time (ORT) of 2.54 ms, over a TCP network with its dual Celerra NS700 clustered system.

SPEC® and the benchmark name SPECsfs97_R1® are registered trademarks of the Standard Performance Evaluation Corporation. Competitive benchmark results stated above reflect results published on www.spec.org as of Nov. 1, 2004. The comparison presented above is based on Standard Performance Evaluation Corp.'s benchmark that measures NFS file server throughput and response time. For the latest SPECsfs97_R1® benchmark results, visit http://www.spec.org/sfs97r1.

For more details about the SPEC SFS benchmark and a current list of validated results, please visit www.spec.org/sfs97r1/results/sfs97r1.html.

About BlueArc

BlueArc® Corporation changes the economics of network storage by helping customers manage more information with less effort. BlueArc's SiliconServer storage systems enable organizations to maximize performance and reduce operating costs through the movement of software functions into programmable hardware. Since 1998, BlueArc has provided scalable and reliable products, services and solutions to help enterprises achieve unmatched productivity and profitability from their data. The company's headquarters are in San Jose, California with UK operations based in Bracknell, England. More information on BlueArc is available on the Internet at www.bluearc.com.

Media Contacts: Louis Gray BlueArc Corporation 408-576-6684 davidf@text100.com David Friedman Text 100 415-593-8449 lgray@bluearc.com