Adaptec Links Servers to the Future with New Duralink Software Suite

Product enables fault tolerance and management for emerging mid-range class of PC servers

MILPITAS, Calif. -- December 2, 1996 -- Adaptec today announced Duralink software, a new software suite that ships with the company's Fast Ethernet PCI adapters and includes two new powerful utilities: Duralink Failover and Duralink Manager. Duralink Failover keeps servers up and running for mission-critical applications by protecting servers from network link failures, one of the most common causes for server downtime. Duralink Manager provides SNMP and DMI management, allowing IS managers to monitor server performance and optimize servers for the environment.

Duralink software is Adaptec's answer to customer demand for the power, flexibility, and failsafe features of mid-range servers in computing environments increasingly dominated by PC servers built on the combination of Windows NT and Pentium Pro.

"High availability and manageability have always been requirements for servers in mission-critical environments. However, in the past, these features were only available in high-end proprietary systems," said Gary Law, vice president of marketing for the Network Products Group at Adaptec, Inc. "As more users move to Pentium Pro and Windows NT solutions for their servers, Adaptec is ready with adapters -- Fast Ethernet, RAID, ATM, and SCSI--which provide the fault tolerance and manageability those users have come to expect."

About Duralink

Duralink software is a new suite of software services developed by Adaptec for its network interface cards (NICs). Duralink includes two powerful utilities: Duralink Failover and Duralink Manager. Duralink Failover provides failover and redundancy to empower networks with high availability (uptime). Duralink Manager includes both DMI and SNMP for common server operating systems, enabling server monitoring and optimization.

Duralink is available now at no charge to Adaptec customers and ships with all PCI Fast Ethernet adapters from Adaptec. The software is available on disk with Adaptec's extensive driver suite .

Additional information on Duralink and other Adaptec network products is available on the Web at http://www.adaptec.com/networking.

About Adaptec

Adaptec provides bandwidth management technologies for organizations building the global information infrastructure. Its high-performance I/O, connectivity, and network products are incorporated into the systems and products of major computer and peripheral manufacturers. Founded in 1981 and headquartered in Milpitas, Calif., Adaptec (NASDAQ:ADPT) employs 3000 people worldwide in design, manufacturing, sales, service and distribution.

Adaptec's home page is http://www.adaptec.com.

Document Part Number: W850168-011

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