Micro Design International, Inc. 6985 University Blvd Winter Park, FL 32792 Email Address: info@microdes.com Web Site: www.microdes.com Phone: 800-920-8205 (407)677-8333 Fax: (407)677-8365 UK Office: (44)1 454 614182 MDI INTRODUCES NEW LARGE CAPACITY OPTICAL JUKEBOXES SCSI EXPRESS AND DUAL PICKER COMBINE FOR FAST DISK EXCHANGE WINTER PARK, FL. -- September 25, 1995 -- Micro Design International, Inc. introduces two new large-capacity optical jukeboxes_the SCSI Express Library 166MXT and the SCSI Express Library 309MXT. With capacities of 166GB and 309GB, these giants provide immediate access to a "data-warehouse"_ideal for archival and document imaging applications. These jukeboxes use a dual transport mechanism allowing two optical disks to be moved at the same time. This equals a disk exchange time of only six seconds, a 40% speed improvement over traditional single picker jukeboxes. The SEL166MXT uses four high-speed multifunction drives to read and store up to 166GB of information on up to 128 optical cartridges. The SEL309MXT uses six drives to read and store up to 309GB of information on up to 238 optical cartridges. Independent drives mean fewer disk swaps and more data "under the head." These multifunction drives detect the formatting on the industry-standard 5.25-inch optical disks and automatically enter the appropriate rewritable or write-once mode. A conversion kit will be available to upgrade the SEL309MXT to next-generation 2.6GB drives. The SEL166MXT and SEL309MXT are supported by SCSI Express for Novell 2.5, which provides transparent access to optical cartridges as NetWare volumes. SCSI Express is a proven solution for optical jukeboxes in the Novell environment. The combination of SCSI Express software and this new dual transport robotics mechanism provides an unsurpassed storage solution. SCSI Express provides transparent access off the Novell file server and permits expanded access to those clients connected to the server by supporting name space including DOS, OS/2, Macintosh and NFS. MDI also offers complementing software, including LAN Librarian for backup and archival requirement, and EZ-Express, MDI's alternative to HSM solutions. EZ-Express provides automated migration and direct access to archived data. The SEL166MXT and SEL309MXT are the most reliable optical jukeboxes available, with no preventive maintenance required. The drive MTBF is 100,000 hours and 1,000,000 swaps. The MTBF for the autochanger robotics is 600,000 hours and 2,000,000 swaps. If a drive ever needs replacement, it can be exchanged while the other drives continue to read and write. Micro Design International, Inc. is a mass storage solution provider delivering hardware and software designed for today's rapidly changing marketplace. MDI's SCSI Express storage solutions include CD-ROM, DAT, hard disk, multifunction, rewritable, WORM, and optical and CD-ROM jukeboxes. MDI's SCSI Express for NetWare, version 2.0, recently earned Network Computing magazine's prestigious Editor's Choice award as best of breed software for networking CD-ROMs MDI has achieved its second year placement in INC. magazine's list of the fastest growing privately held companies in the United States. ###