Laguna Hills, Calif., March 13, 1997... Today at CeBIT in Hannover, Germany, Ultera Systems of California introduced a new version of its high speed tape array controller which operates at up to twice the speed of its existing product. Called Striper2, the new unit implements a 16-bit Ultra SCSI interface rated at 40MB/sec.

For maximum recording speed, a Striper2 array could be used in a data striping mode where high speed incoming data is recorded a byte at a time in parallel on up to four tape drives simultaneously. (A fifth is used for parity.) High speed tape backups or high speed data capture could run at up to 40MB/sec in this mode.

For recording multiple copies simultaneously, Striper2 can operate in mirroring mode. Up to five copies could be made in the time it takes to record just one at 10MB/sec.

The high cumulative speeds are possible because each tape drive has its own dedicated 10MB/sec channel. And in each application, the cluster of tapes looks like a very large, very fast single drive to the host computer.

"Tape technology continually pushes recording speeds and capacities higher," said Mo Nourmohamadian, Ultera president. "Some of the drives being introduced today transfer at over 5MB/sec. Our array controller can handle up to twice that speed on each channel, with up to five channels operating simultaneously. In effect, we’re already prepared for the next generation of drives, but that’s how it should be.".

A "Scrambler" feature has been added for operator convenience. (It isn’t necessary to remember which tape cartridge or reel goes in which drive.) And Flash memory makes updates easier. In addition, support for a graphics user interface has been implemented for tape subsystem management.

Ultera Striper2 controllers are compatible with all popular tape drives, from 8mm to DAT to DLT to reel-to-reel. Controller prices remain unchanged over earlier models at $4,300 with a single-ended interface. A recommended differential interface adds $300. Deliveries begin in the second quarter.

About Ultera
Ultera Systems designs and manufactures high performance storage products, including RAID tape array controllers and compact disk duplicators. The company is headquartered at 26052 Merit Circle, Suite 106, Laguna Hills, California 92653.

For further information, call (949) 367-8800, email inform@ultera.com or visit Ultera's web site at http://www.ultera.com.