SCSI Host Adapter Boosts Personal Computer Performance

Adapter Boosts Speed of Chicago (Windows 4.0), OS/2 and Unix

SAN JOSE, Calif., June 13, 1994 -- AdvanSys today announced a Small
Computer System Interface (SCSI) host adapter that uses new patent-pending
technology to increase the performance of single-user personal computers
and workstations. The new adapter boosts the performance of systems
running Chicago (Windows 4.0), OS/2 and Unix by doubling the speed at
which disk drives and other peripherals deliver data.

The ABP842 host adapter also improves the performance of personal computers
used in multimedia applications that require fast I/O performance to
transfer high-speed video information from disk drives and CD-ROMs. The
adapter also increases the performance of small and medium sized file
servers running industry-standard operating systems such as NetWare,
Windows NT, Unix and OS/2.

The new adapter is twice as fast as competing adapters because of
patent-pending technology that allows it to process up to 255 simultaneous
requests for data in its local memory. Existing adapters are slower
because they Must use a computer's memory when processing more than four
simultaneous requests.

The speed of the AdvanSys adapter is important for handling the tremendous
load that a multitasking operating system puts on disk drives in a
single-user computer. For instance, in a fraction of a second, the Chicago
operating system could request data to feed a fax board, request that an
E-mail message be stored, request data for a word processor and request
data to update a video display running in the corner of a computer
screen.

According to Lou Williams, vice president of marketing, "The power of new
microprocessors, such as the 486, PowerPC and Pentium, has far outstripped
the ability of disk drives and other peripherals to deliver data to a
computer for processing. Our new technology helps solve this problem by
controlling peripherals in a way that maintains a steady flow of data to
the microprocessor in a personal computer or workstation."

Additional Advantages

Since the AdvanSys adapter is sold to individual computer users, it was
designed to be the easiest-to-install SCSI card on the market. All
configuration parameters are set by the company's automatic installation
software instead of with confusing jumpers and switches.

Because of its higher integration (10 chips instead of 40), the AdvanSys
adapter uses half the power of its nearest competitor. The lower power
reduces overheating in a server's chassis and therefore improves
reliability. The lower power also helps computer systems meet "green"
power standards required for selling to the government.

Adapter Includes Software

AdvanSys is selling its adapter in the AdvanSCSI Silver Kit which is a
shrinkwrapped package that includes the ABP842 host adapter, SCSI ribbon
cable, installation video, automatic installation software, manuals,
24-hour, seven-day-a-week technical support, and Corel's SCSI Version 2,
drivers and utilities.

The AdvanSCSI Silver Kit is sold to end users, system administrators, MIS
managers, dealers, distributors, value added resellers (VARs), value added
dealers (VADs) and original equipment manufacturers (OEMs).

The AdvanSys adapter, which plugs into the VESA (Video Electronics
Standards Association) slot on a computer's motherboard, allows a user to
connect up to 7 different peripherals. To attach more peripherals,
additional adapters can be plugged into the computer. An AdvanSys adapter
can attach peripherals such as hard disks, removable hard disks, CD-ROMs,
scanners, tape backup systems, WORM (Write Once Read Many) Optical disks,
printers, etc.

New Technology Boosts Speed

The new multitasking technology in the ABP842 adapter improves the
performance of systems by keeping the "data hopper" on a computer's
processor full so it doesn't have to sit idle waiting for information to
process.

The ABP842 is faster than competing adapters because it has "true"
multitasking which allows it to accept up to 255 simultaneous requests
from the operating system without delay. The ABP842 adapter is able to do
this because it has high-speed memory into which requests are stored.
Other adapters are slower because after receiving four requests, they tell
the operating system to wait as the adapter stores the additional requests
in a file computer's temporary memory known as a mail box.

The ABP842 is also faster than competing adapters because of a
patent-pending algorithm that tags the data received from a disk drive
with an identifier that tells the adapter with which request the data
belongs.

Higher Integration Improves Reliability

AdvanSys has achieved the highest level of integration in its industry by
packing most of the circuitry for its host adapter into its own
proprietary chip, the ASC1000. By using its own chip, the company is able
to build its host adapter with only 10 chips, whereas, adapters from the
nearest competitors require more than 40 chips.

The higher integration of AdvanSys' adapters makes them more reliable
because they use substantially fewer interconnections, thereby lowering
the chance that a connection will break. Also, there is less chance of
crosstalk errors in which neighboring signals interfere with each other
and can cause a system failure.

Availability and Price

The AdvanSCSI Silver Kit has a suggested retail price of $379 and is
shipping now. This price includes the ABP842 host adapter, and Corel's
drivers and utilities. The price also includes cables, a user's manual, a
step-by-step VHS installation video and 24-hour, seven-days-a-week
technical support.

Reader Contact

Literature Department, AdvanSys, 1150 Ringwood Court, San Jose, CA, 95131.
Telephone: (408) 383-9400.

Company Background

AdvanSys is a Silicon Valley based company that designs and markets host
adapters, software and chips that increase the performance of personal
computers, workstations and network file servers. The company's products
improve the performance of these systems by boosting the speed at which
disk drives and other peripherals transfer data over the Small Computer
System Interface (SCSI).

The company sells its end-user products, such as host adapters and
software, to system administrators, MIS managers, system integrators,
distributors, value added resellers (VARs), value added dealers (VADs) and
original equipment manufacturers (OEMs). AdvanSys sells its chips to
computer manufacturers that design SCSI capability onto their motherboards
as a standard feature. AdvanSys is headquartered in San Jose, Calif.

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