Features - Storage Innovations:

ULTERA SYSTEMS ANNOUNCES BREAKTHROUGH VIRTUAL TAPE

Ultera Systems, a leading provider of high-performance tape controllers and tape RAID systems, has unveiled the first in a series of scalable Virtual Tape Controllers (VTC) for enterprise backup, restore and archive -- Mirage.

The Mirage controller operates as a hard drive-based virtual tape library providing high-performance backup and restore with instantaneous file access and a unique patent-pending embedded archive capability with seamless scalability. Mirage brings immediate performance improvements to backup, restore and archival application, as its measured backup/restore rate is 280GB/Hr for the SCSI version and 540GB/Hr for the Fibre channel version. Both provide extremely fast file access with measured times of less than 15 milliseconds when compared with several minutes or more using a physical tape library. AutoArchive is a significant feature embedded in the Mirage controller that enables the controller to initiate and manage the archive operation. The archive operation automatically moves data stored in the virtual library to a physical library.

All library robotics are managed by the controller including exporting of tapes from the library for off-site storage. Mirage also has the capability to make identical copies of backup tapes directly at hardware speeds; this addresses those customers with multiple DR sites. Mirage fully supports all industry tape drives and tape libraries, disk RAID and is totally application software transparent.

"In other words, it supports investments companies have already made in tape drives, libraries and RAID equipment, as well as the application software they have already licensed and trained their personnel to operate. We did not forget the importance of cost of ownership when we designed the Mirage series," said Mo Nour, president and founder of Ultera Systems. "Mirage with all of its features and high-performance characteristics has received fantastic reception from OEMs and VARs but it would have been short lived if the Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) model was not fully considered and implemented as part of the design criteria."

Nour further explained, "Our Mirage VTC is the only one that allows users to keep their current configuration in place, no hardware changes, (other than installing Mirage), no software changes, no procedural or policy changes; its only through this kind of seamless installation process that you will reduce the TCO for the customer."

Tape Remains a Critical Component

It should be noted that while Mirage VTC is a virtual tape product, tape remains a principal component in its design, as tape will continue to play a critical role in today's, as well as future Disaster Recovery (DR) applications. The design principal behind Mirage was never to fully replace tape but to enhance its utilization within its current IT mission. That said, Mirage has repositioned tape to its appropriate place as a removable storage device for archival purposes. Mirage has patent pending breakthrough concepts supporting the management of data from the servers it's backing up to the archival storage of mission critical data.

"With more than 20 years in this industry, we can spot real computing innovation and value, and it's all here in the Mirage VTC. Mirage offers seamless configuration, total transparency to existing hardware and maximum scalability...this is a storage solution with measurable ROI," stated Robert Allen, vice president and co-founder of System Upgrade Inc, a storage solution integrator located in Sky Valley, CA.

"Mirage offers companies like mine the flexibility to configure the RAID, tape libraries and storage management software we have been selling to our customers into a leading virtual tape solution," continued Allen.

Price and Availability

Mirage VTC is packaged as a base hardware platform consisting of a 1U, 19-inch rack-mount chassis which supports up to two Mirage controllers either SCSI or a Fibre channel host connection is available each with five dedicated SCSI channels for disk RAID and tape/library support. All additional features are delivered as firmware options; these include increasing virtual tape storage capacity and the various tape devices supported by the controller.

Model VT2104 is a single SCSI Mirage controller supporting 4TB of virtual storage capacity; list price is $23,300. Additional virtual tape storage capacity support is sold in 4TB increments; list price is $2,860. Library support is sold in 100 slot units; each has a list price of $4,285.

Model VT2120 is the host Fibre channel version, which is priced the same as the SCSI model. Model VT2104 is currently shipping and Model VT2120 will ship in mid-January 2003. Both models offer a full one year warranty with free firmware updates for the first year.

Demonstrated at COMDEX

Las Vegas -- Ultera will be demonstrating its new Mirage product through live demonstrations at its COMDEX suite located in the Bellagio Hotel, Nov 18 through the 21st.

About Ultera

Ultera Systems Inc is a leading manufacturer of high-performance secondary storage controllers and subsystems for high-speed backup, archive and high-speed data acquisition applications. Founded in 1994 Ultera has exclusively designed and delivered only high-performance technology for tape and other removable storage devices.

It is this vast knowledge and understanding of tape technology and applications that has enabled Ultera to bring reality to virtual tape solutions. Its product lines are marketed under the trade names: "Mirage," "Striper," "Imager," "LibraryMaster," "RAILMaster," and "ShadowMaster," and sold through OEMs, VARs, and systems integrators worldwide. Ultera is based in Laguna Hills.

Contact: Cynthia Karch of Ultera Systems Inc, 949-367-8800, Fax: 949-367-0758, E-mail: inform@ultera.com.