QLogic Introduces The First Line of PCI-to-Ultra SCSI Host Adapter Cards

QLogic's Fast!SCSI PCI Ultra host adapter cards double traditional SCSI
data transfer rates to 40MB/sec, the fastest, most cost-effective I/O
throughput available for narrow and wide SCSI buses.

Costa Mesa, Calif., May 1, 1995 -- QLogic Corp. today introduced the
industry's first PCI-to-SCSI host adapter cards to fully support the next
generation Ultra SCSI standard. This new standard doubles traditional data
transfer rates. QLogic's Fast!SCSI PCI Ultra products are the first to
deliver an unprecedented 40MB/sec SCSI data transfer rate with direct
connection to the popular Peripheral Component Interface (PCI) bus.

"Off-disk data rates on future generation hard disk drives will soon exceed
20MB/sec," said Dave Tovey, QLogic marketing vice president. "This is
greater than the maximum speed of current generation Fast SCSI host
adapters. Installing our new high performance Ultra SCSI host adapter
cards will allow users to double the SCSI transfer rate when Ultra SCSI
drives become available during 1995. The cards allow Ultra SCSI and
conventional Fast SCSI peripherals to be mixed on the same SCSI cable,
thus saving the user the expense of replacing existing SCSI peripherals."

The Fast!SCSI PCI Ultra Family includes a full line of host adapter cards
in narrow, wide and wide differential versions:

* Fast!SCSI PCI Ultra allows a narrow SCSI bus (8-bit wide) to support 20
MB/sec data transfer rates and delivers cost-effective I/O RISC processor
performance to workstations and small network servers;

* Fast!SCSI PCI Ultra-W brings both Fast (20 MB/sec) and Wide (40 MB/sec)
connectivity to high performance SCSI bus applications such as servers and
workstations while providing I/O RISC processor performance to manage I/O
queuing capability; and

* Fast!SCSI PCI Ultra-W/D, is the family's differential version that
supports cable lengths up to 25 meters for differential SCSI products at a
40MB/sec data transfer rate.

Meeting the Needs of Next Generation Peripherals

QLogic's next generation cards feature the enhanced throughput capabilities
defined by the Ultra SCSI standard. These capabilities meet the needs of
increasingly sophisticated PC environments that now require one gigabyte
and higher hard disk drive capacity, multimedia support and massively
increased CPU power. Unlike alternative solutions for improved performance
such-as serial SCSI, QLogic's Ultra SCSI cards successfully provide direct
communication both with today's PC peripherals and emerging very
high-performance hard disk drives.

"Our Fast!SCSI PCI Ultra host adapter cards can deliver three times the
maximum I/O throughput available with Enhanced IDE solutions and use a
tried and true interface that is already installed in 15-20% of PCs
worldwide," explains Tovey. "By supporting real-time video capture data
rates and up to 1100 concurrent I/O's, the cards will allow new
multi-tasking operating systems to finally execute their goal of bringing
high quality multimedia to the average PC user. We expect our new cards to
be quickly adapted in such speed-intensive applications as
video-on-demand, video and audio broadcast editing as well as environments
that require RAID subsystems."

Enhanced Server Oriented Technology

Because the emerging transaction-intensive server environments differ
substantially from those encountered in desktop systems, the Fast!SCSI PCI
Ultra host adapter cards feature an intelligent bus master design
developed specifically for the I/O intensive server environment. Use of
QLogic's widely accepted dual processor, single chip ISP 10000
architecture provides an on-chip 12 MIPS I/O RISC processor that executes
operations at the I/O control-block level from host memory, requiring no
CPU intervention to execute SCSI operations from start to finish -- even
in heavily loaded multi-threaded operating environments. This ensures that
the SCSI I/O processing doesn't bottleneck system performance.

Installation and Drivers Supported

Supporting the entire range of SCSI devices including hard disk drives,
removable disk drives, CD-ROM drives, tape drives and scanners, the
Fast!SCSI PCI Ultra host adapter cards are remarkably easy to install.
They require no jumper settings and feature automatic configuration
software and comprehensive documentation. All of the Fast!SCSI PCI Ultra
host adapter cards come with drivers for DOS/Windows (including WinASPI
and FastDisk VxD drivers), Windows NT, OS/2, Windows 95, SCO UNIX and
Novell NetWare, thereby ensuring comprehensive software support. In
addition, a copy of CorelSCSI VERSION 2 with NetWare support comes bundled
with the products.

Pricing and Availability

Samples of the entire line of QLogic Fasr!SCSI PCI Ultra host adapter cards
will be available in early June 1995, with production quantities to begin
shipping in July 1995. Suggested retail pricing for the Fast!SCSI PCI
Ultra is $395.00, the Fast!SCSI PCI Ultra-W is priced at $445.00 and the
Fast!SCSI PCI Ultra-W/D is $565.00. QLogic offers customers free support
including a toll-free customer support telephone line, a 24-hour
electronic bulletin board and a five-year warranty.

QLogic also manufactures a complete line of SCSI host adapter cards for
other industry standard buses including ISA, VESA Local, PC Card (formerly
PCMCIA) and EISA. In addition to making its card products available
through a worldwide distributor and reseller network, QLogic sells both
card and chip products to an international base of PC and workstation OEMs
and peripheral manufacturers.

QLogic Corp., (NASDAQ:QLGC), headquartered in Costa Mesa, Calif., is a
pioneer and market leader of high performance I/O technology that
facilitates faster, more efficient data transfer between computers and
peripherals. The company has shipped more than 23 million SCSI solutions
to the peripheral OEM, computer OEM and distribution markets. For
additional information, contact QLogic Corporation -- 3545 Harbor Blvd.,
Costa Mesa, CA 92636; Telephone: (714) 438-2200 or (800) TOP SCSI
(800-867-7274).

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