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Overland Data Joins Celestra Consortium; Adds Agent Support to Full Product Line

August 26, 1999
    Business Editors

    SAN DIEGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Aug. 26, 1999--

    Allows Overland Customers to Deploy LAN-Free and
    Serverless Backup Technologies

    Overland Data Inc. (NASDAQ:OVRL), a technology leader in data storage and backup products, Thursday announced that its full product line will support Legato Systems Inc.'s Celestra(a) agent technology, the latest move in Overland's SAN Ready Initiative aimed at accelerating the development of turnkey standards-based SAN solutions. Overland's full line of DLTtape(a)-based libraries and loaders includes the LoaderXpress(TM), MinilibraryXpress(TM), LibraryXpress(TM) and EnterpriseXpress(TM).

In making the announcement, Overland noted that Celestra support enables Overland customers to take advantage of a new generation of Storage Area Network (SAN)-based backup and data management applications and sets the stage for Overland customers to deploy solutions such as LAN-free and serverless backup technologies.

Overland has also joined Legato Systems' Celestra Consortium, a new organization formed to promote an open, integrated architecture for effective data movement and management of SAN environments. The Celestra Consortium consists of companies who, like Overland, have demonstrated a strong commitment to SAN and solution interoperability. Some of the members of the Consortium are Bull, DG/Clariion, EMC, Siemens and XIOtech.

Legato's Celestra backup agent technology sets new standards for backup/recovery performance and data movement efficiency. Because data is moved directly across the SAN and bypasses the server, minimal server resources are required, allowing a large number of parallel backup/recovery operations to be performed, even on a very modest server.

Since each of these backup/recovery operations is also very fast, a massive amount of data can be moved between disk and tape without interfering with normal server operations. Serverless backup using the Celestra architecture can deliver performance speeds exceeding one terabyte an hour. Therefore, not only is it possible to protect enormous data sets, but this protection can be performed on live data and during normal production operations.

In short, the concept of a backup window becomes obsolete, and access to data is continuous. Celestra incorporates data movement capability based on the Storage Network Industry Association (SNIA) data copy specification and works with all NDMP(a)-compliant backup software such as Legato's NetWorker(a).

A close relationship with Legato has been one of the cornerstones of Overland's aggressive program to make its products Fibre Channel-capable and SAN-ready. Legato will be the first software vendor to certify its products for SAN operation on Overland libraries and loaders, and Overland was one of the earliest participants in Legato's SAN-Ready program. The partnership is now paying dividends for Overland customers ready to deploy SAN-based backup tools.

"The combination of Overland hardware and Legato software excellence can now deliver a standards-based solution that effectively eliminates the issue of the backup window," said Steve Richardson, vice president of Marketing at Overland Data. "Earlier this year, Overland made a commitment to its customers to accelerate the development of a new generation of SAN data protection and management tools, and with partners such as Legato, we are delivering on that promise."

"The Celestra architecture is a key component in Legato's vision of SANs as the backbone of Information Continuance," said Paul JJ Payack, vice president of Worldwide Marketing at Legato Systems. "Overland's support for Celestra comes from a shared commitment to developing SAN solutions that conform with industry standards, ensuring interoperability for our customers, and allowing them to scale up their storage installations with a menu of standardized product options from leading vendors."

Overland has certified the following products for full compliance with the Legato Celestra agent architecture:

LoaderXpress

Overland has redefined entry-level storage automation with the LoaderXpress, providing the productivity, security and reliability of more expensive libraries at a cost comparable to a standalone DLTtape drive. LoaderXpress combines one DLT(a)4000 or 7000 drive with up to 10 cartridges, and is designed to back up environments for a full week or up to two months without operator intervention.

MinilibraryXpress

Overland's MinilibraryXpress is designed for servers and networks with between 50 and 200 GB of disk capacity. With native performance of 36 GB/hour and a 525 GB storage capacity, it is an ideal and cost-effective solution for workgroup storage needs. Offering one or two DLT4000 or 7000 tape drives, and a removable 15-cartridge magazine, the MinilibraryXpress provides outstanding performance and value.

LibraryXpress

The LibraryXpress has set a new standard in expandable, modular DLTtape libraries. The revolutionary SmartScale Storage(R) design lets one start with a Base Module (LXB) of 200 to 350 GB native capacity, then add a Global Control Module (LXG), which functions as a single control point among multiple modules, each of which can contain one or two DLT drives and up to 16 cartridges. Using this modular expandability, the LibraryXpress can be scaled up to a maximum configuration with 4.8 TB native capacity.

EnterpriseXpress

Utilizing field proven designs and redundant robotics to provide the highest uptime available today, Overland's EnterpriseXpress meets the needs of the entire enterprise with up to 7 TB capacity and 360 GB/hr data throughput. The same modular scalability that has been proven with the LibraryXpress in thousands of corporate installations worldwide is employed by the EnterpriseXpress.

Individual modules may be hot-replaced without halting the operation of the entire library so mission critical applications stay online and running. Additional Base Modules or Capacity Modules can be easily installed by users into pre-designed slots. The system automatically recognizes the addition of new modules and re-configures itself to support the additional capability. An accessory slot allows the addition of user required equipment such as Fibre Channel bridges or specialized servers to enable SAN or NAS attachment.

About Legato Systems

Legato Systems (NASDAQ:LGTO) is a worldwide leader in enterprise storage management software. Helping companies leverage their business-critical corporate data assets, Legato's products enable information continuance, a seamless approach to the management, movement and protection of data throughout an enterprise. Since the company was founded in 1989, Legato's storage management software products have become a recognized industry standard with the largest installed base representing more than 65,000 customers, protecting more than 5 million systems.

Legato's products are available through a network of Legato-licensed VARs, resellers, and OEM partners. Legato's corporate headquarters are located at 3210 Porter Dr., Palo Alto, CA 94304. Telephone: 650/812-6000. Legato's home page on the World Wide Web is http://www.legato.com.

About Overland

Overland is a global supplier of storage automation solutions and related technologies designed to meet and surpass the critical requirements of high-availability network computing environments, from entry level to the enterprise. The company is a recognized leader in technology innovation for such achievements as the award-winning DLT LibraryXpress SmartScale Storage architecture that establishes new standards for intelligent automated storage and scalability, and the patented (No. 5,815,514) Variable Rate Randomizer (VR2(TM)) data encoding technology that can significantly increase the capacity and throughput of linear tape formats.

Overland has also earned a worldwide reputation for unmatched product quality and innovative warranty programs such as the Guaranteed Up Time Service (GUTS(TM)) Program that dramatically reduce the total cost of ownership. The company's award-winning products meet the critical needs of end users, distributors and OEMs in industries worldwide.

(a) DLT and DLTtape are registered trademarks of Quantum Corp. All others are trademarks or trade names of their respective owners.

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    CONTACT: Overland Data Inc., San Diego, 619/571-5555
             Steve Richardson (Product Information)
             srichardson@overlanddata.com
             Investor Relations:
              Scott McClendon
              smcclendon@overlanddata.com
              Vernon LoForti
              vloforti@overlanddata.com
             http://www.overlanddata.com
                  or
             JPR Communications
             Judy Smith, 818/386-0403
             jprcommun@aol.com
             http://www.jprcom.com

    KEYWORD: CALIFORNIA
    INDUSTRY KEYWORD: COMPUTERS/ELECTRONICS COMED