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StorCase & ICP VORTEX PUSH MINIMAL COST CLUSTER SOLUTION

StorCase Technology -- a Kingston Technology company, is partnering with RAID specialist ICP vortex (an Intel Company) to market its InfoStation II rack mount or tower-version disk enclosure for RAID or JBOD applications as a cluster-ready solution. This combination is geared towards customers who wish to avoid the relative high cost of a SAN implementation to achieve a high availability, consolidated disk storage solution.

"Typical high priced SAN solutions, implemented within the small to medium-sized company space, connect up to four host-servers to the SAN," said Deborah Hartson, Director of Marketing, StorCase Technology. "StorCase offers the InfoStation II as a simple, reliable and cost-effective configuration for four host cluster-pairs to have their own physical disk space within a single 19" sub-system. This lower-cost, high availability storage framework can also be upgraded to attach to a SAN environment later on (if required) with a 'field plug-in' 2GB Fibre to SCSI controller. We are very pleased to partner with ICP vortex in messaging this potential," added Hartson.

InfoStation makes it possible to build a one, two, three or four heterogeneous disk sets or to accommodate up to four cluster-pairs on a single InfoStation unit giving a consolidated/shared data storage solution of up to 2 Terabytes (TB), scalable up to nearly 9TB. With currently available hard disk capacities, each server can start from 18 Gigabytes (GB) up to 0.5TB and scale up to its own useable 2TB with great ease.

The InfoStation I/O Card design ensures the solution very cost effective because less cabling is necessary which in turn minimises points of failure. Also, the installation and configuration has been simplified so that no extras such as external SCSI Bus splitters or added cabling are necessary. This means that in the event of a server failing, its appointed back-up server seamlessly connects to its disk set whilst the failed server can be 'hot-swapped' with a working server for reconnection. This in turn means minimal down time at a very low capital cost.

"Thoroughly carried out tests convinced us of the ruggedness and stability of InfoStation with our PCI RAID for clustering products. We were especially impressed by the compatibility of our controllers with the enclosure," said Rudiger Grund, of ICP vortex channel marketing. "StorCase enclosures certainly provide an environment which should extend the lifetime of a disk and which is key in enhancing the overall performance of the RAID/clustering system."

Adam Greenwood, StorCase UK channel manager, appraised the excellent teamwork shown between the two companies, "ICP vortex is a partner that not only offers high-performance solutions to customers but is known for a highly qualified and highly available service."

About StorCase Technology Inc

In 1989, Kingston Technology launched a unique line of removable storage products for its customers. With the philosophy that quality products and close customer relationships inspire loyalty, Kingston's Storage Product Division (SPD) quickly earned the respect of storage customers worldwide. Developing quality products was always a Kingston trademark, and their storage products were no exception. Data Express, Data Silo, Data Stacker, InfoStation and RhinoJR enclosures continue to be rugged, reliable and provide excellent performance. Now, as StorCase Technology Inc, they provide the same quality products, the same rigorous 100 percent testing requirement and the longest and most flexible warranties in the industry. For specific information on StorCase products, please call 800-435-0642. For current product information, please visit www.storcase.com.

Contact: Heather Jardim of Kingston Technology Company, 714-438-1817, heather--jardim@kingston.com.