Promise Technology Expands Line Of High-Speed SATA RAID Storage Systems

Promise Technology, Inc., the originator and leading supplier of SATA RAID data protection and storage solutions, today announced three new 3Gb per second (3Gb/s) Serial ATA (SATA) RAID storage systems for small and midsize enterprises (SMEs). Available immediately through the company's global distribution network, the Promise VTrak M200p/M300p/M500p U320 SCSI host systems deliver resilient, advanced data protection features that proactively monitor drive status and dramatically reduce RAID rebuild time to help ensure uninterrupted data availability.

With advanced data protection features, such as Predictive Data Migration (PDM), PerfectRAID and multiple assignment of RAID levels to selected Logical Units (LUN), the VTrak M200p/M300p/M500p systems offer a dual channel, high- bandwidth 320MB/s SCSI host interface for server clusters and direct attached storage solution. Part of the VTrak M-Class SATA 3Gb/s RAID line, the systems are certified for the Microsoft Windows Server 2003 Enterprise Edition for up to 8-node clusters.

"Once again, Promise is driving market affordability with a SCSI-to-SATA storage solution that is ideal for large or small enterprises," said Suresh Panikar, vice president of worldwide channel sales and marketing for Promise Technology, Inc. "As the premier supplier of SATA RAID storage worldwide, including iSCSI and value-priced Fibre Channel solutions and now SCSI direct attach products, Promise is delivering a broad portfolio of cost-effective, highly-dependable external storage solutions."

All models announced today offer advanced SATA features, including 3Gb/s speed, Native Command Queuing (NCQ), staggered spin-up, and drive hot swap support. With embedded management software, they provide an easy-to-manage solution designed for small and medium enterprise SANs.

The Promise VTrak M-Class SATA RAID system line consists of hardware- accelerated iSCSI, Fibre Channel and now U320 SCSI host systems. The new SCSI-host systems offer dual host ports and 8-, 12- or 15 hot-swappable drive bays in a rackmount chassis, supporting up to 7.5 terabytes (TB) with 15 drives.

Advanced Data Protection
For enhanced data protection, the VTrak M-class offers superior features, including Predictive Data Migration, LUN masking/mapping/carving, Media Patrol and PerfectRAID. It also provides a host of sophisticated RAID array features, including multiple logical drive support, online capacity expansion and RAID level migration, non-volatile error logging, advanced SCSI command support, and enhanced SMART support.

Key Features of VTrak M200p/M300p/M500p include:

• Dual-port, SATA 3Gb/s RAID controllers
• I/O processor based on Intel XScale technology
• Redundant power supplies and cooling for high availability
• ECC cache memory, with battery backup to protect cached data
• Support for RAID levels 0, 1, 1E, 5, 10 and 50
• RAID 1E: enhanced data mirroring for load-balanced performance
• Predictive Data Migration proactively detects potential drive failures and migrates data to a healthy drive, protecting data access and integrity
• Reduces 1TB rebuilds from average 33 hours to under 7 hours
• LUN masking, mapping and carving enables storage resource sharing among heterogeneous operating systems including Windows, Linux, Netware, Macintosh, and Solaris
• Multiple logical drive and LUN support enables assignment of different RAID levels on one set of disks, as well as for individual LUNs
• Automatic/manual rebuild of local or global hot spare drive
• PerfectRAID technology for robust error handling and recovery
• Online capacity expansion and RAID level migration to add capacity "on the fly" when and as needed
• Vital Product Data (VPD) on all Field Replaceable Units (FRU) for easy field troubleshooting and fast service
• Embedded, Web-based Promise Array Management (WebPAM PROe) software for easy, browser-based storage management

Standards-based Open Architecture
Promise teams up with its Strategic Technology Alliance Partners to test and qualify a broad selection of host bus adapters and SATA hard drives with Promise systems. Open sourcing flexibility allows customers to choose the vendor and capacity drive they want, while enabling "pay as you grow" capacity. In addition, Promise subsystems can be configured more affordably than closed architecture designs that limit user choice.

Price and Availability
The VTrak M-Class models consist of the following:

• VTrak M200p: 8-bay, 2U dual host U320 SCSI to SATA 3Gb/s RAID system
• VTrak M300p: 12-bay, 2U dual host U320 SCSI to SATA 3Gb/s RAID system
• VTrak M500p: 15-bay, 3U dual host U320 SCSI to SATA 3Gb/s RAID system

All models are shipping now and available through the worldwide Promise distribution network. Suggested list prices start at $3,699 for an 8-bay model without drives.

About Promise Technology, Inc.
Promise Technology is the originator and global leader of ATA RAID, using cost-effective ATA technology to design and manufacture fast, reliable data protection and storage alternatives to SCSI RAID systems. With its history of ATA product and technology development, Promise Technology is the recognized world leader in SATA ASICs, host adapters, RAID controllers and RAID subsystems. Promise Technology maintains ongoing product development relationships with leading ATA hard drive manufacturers and server and storage OEMs. Headquartered in Milpitas, CA, the company maintains offices in Europe, Taiwan, and China. For more information, visit Promise Technology's Web site at www.promise.com.