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Date Posted: 05:57:51 01/13/00 Thu
Author: warren
Subject: JNIC news...

BW0072 JAN 13,2000 5:25 PACIFIC 08:25 EASTERN



( BW)(CA-JNI)(JNIC) JNI Adds Linux and Novell Drivers to Its PC Server
DriverSuite


Business Editors

SAN DIEGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan. 13, 2000--JNI Corporation (Nasdaq:JNIC) today
announced the introduction of its PC Server DriverSuite(TM), the world's first integrated suite of
software drivers designed to work with the company's PCI-based FibreStar(TM) host bus adapters
(HBAs) using the Emerald(TM) ASIC controller.
The PC Server DriverSuite is a single, integrated software driver platform that enables JNI
FibreStar HBAs to operate under all major PC server operating systems, including Microsoft(R)
Windows NT(R) and Windows 2000(R), Novell(R) NetWare(R), Red Hat(R) Linux(R) and
Apple(R) Macintosh(R) operating systems.
In conjunction with the PC Server DriverSuite introduction, JNI is introducing new drivers for the
Novell and Linux operating systems. (See accompanying Novell driver, Linux driver news releases).
Previously, JNI has offered drivers for Windows NT and Macintosh operating systems for their PCI
HBAs. The company recently announced the availability of a Windows 2000 driver for configuring
Microsoft's latest operating system, which was released to manufacturers in December.
"The PC Server DriverSuite offers mission-critical reliability and enterprise-class performance in
storage area networks (SANs), the fastest growing and most promising data management
architecture," said Terry Flanagan, Ph.D., president and CEO of JNI. "Now, with the addition of
Linux and Novell, two of the most important operating systems for the growth in the SAN and
enterprise markets, JNI offers a complete solution that simplifies installation and ensures complete
interoperability between all types of platforms and servers."
In addition to the different operating systems, the PC Server DriverSuite operates under all three
Fibre Channel topologies switched fabric, arbitrated loop and point-to-point - as well as Fibre
Channel configurations using switches and hubs. The result is the PC Server DriverSuite simplifies the
installation and ensures complete interoperability between all types of platforms and servers.
"Connecting servers with heterogeneous operating systems by means of heterogeneous switches is
critical for development of large-scale SANs," said James Opfer, senior analyst with
Dataquest/Gartner Group. "Improved interoperability of all components of heterogeneous SANs is
key to acceleration of their market acceptance."

PC Server DriverSuite Features

The PC Server DriverSuite is a suite of drivers sharing a common code base that supports the most
common operating systems found in PC server environments using PCI bus hardware: Windows NT
4.x; Windows 2000; Red Hat Linux 6.0 and 6.1; Novell NetWare 5.x; and Macintosh OS 8.x and 9.
It offers several advantages over independently developed drivers for HBA, Fibre Channel topology
and hardware configuration that don't share a common code base:

-- Cuts OEM qualification time - In Fibre Channel, OEMs require months of testing before
certifying a host bus adapter to run on a specific operating system or environment. This step must be
repeated for each new OS and hardware configuration supported. With a common code base,
qualification time is cut from months to weeks because the feature-set is largely the same between the
JNI FibreStar HBAs already qualified and those undergoing qualification. This is very important as
most of today's major manufacturers support multiple OS and hardware environments. The result is
HBAs are qualified far more quickly, and manufacturers know the feature set of a JNI HBA is
consistent.

-- Simplifies driver development time - With the Fibre Channel protocol modules independent of
the operating system modules, there is no need to re-create an entirely new driver every time a new
OS is supported. Other vendors require different drivers for different feature sets and/or topologies.

-- Unifies features and performance across operating systems - The PC Server DriverSuite assures
all features and performance are consistent across all operating systems, making it seamless to
configure and support JNI FibreStar products in heterogeneous environments. By its nature, a SAN is
normally heterogeneous, connecting systems and storage devices running under different hardware
and OS configurations.

Pricing and Availability

The PC Server DriverSuite is compatible with all Emerald-based FibreStar PCI-bus HBAs. These
include the FCE-3210, FCE-6410, FCE2-6410 and FCE2-6412. It will be available in 1Q 2000 for
free via a download from an ftp link on JNI's Web site, www.jni.com. A beta version is available
today to qualified OEMs and development partners. Please check with a JNI representative for
receiving a beta driver or confirming board compatibility.
To upgrade to JNI FibreStar boards that operate under the PC Server DriverSuite, please contact
you local sales representative or contact JNI at 858/535-3121 or at www.jni.com.

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