KOM Networks announces OptiServer support for Rdb/VMS

Ottawa, ON Canada – April 30, 1992

KOM Networks today announced the release of a new version of its optical jukebox integration product for VAX/VMS.

OptiServer/NAS incorporates significant changes to the present OptiServer product. These changes render OptiServer/NAS compliant with Network Application Services (NAS), with Rdb/VMS V4.1, Digital's strategic relational database for production applications and with SQL Multimedia for Rdb V1.0.

The company said the Rdb was clearly a key component of NAS as it could be put under other layered products such as DECforms and DECimage Express. In addition the new version will act as a jukebox file server to PATHWORKS based heterogeneous networks. Digital packages the runtime version of Rdb with each VMS license. All software vendors who layer their products on Rdb and are members of Rdb Solutions Vendor Program (RSVP) receive technical and marketing assistance.

The new version will still maintain all the Level 2 file structures on Write Once Read Many (WORM) optical disks, the difference will be in the mount status of the optical disks. The new version will present the jukebox to VMS or Rdb as a string of disks. Thus the operating system, Rdb, layered products and applications can ignore jukebox robotic commands.

"Mounting all of the disks in the library while staying out of the unpublished area of VMS presented some tough technical problems," said Monir El Rayes KOM's R & D Manager. "We had to allow VMS and Rdb to interface with the device driver through the device driver interface supported by Digital, and at the same time develop smart algorithms to transparently handle the movement of disks in the jukebox. Hence, all the VMS disk management features remain intact. That VMS sees is a number of units equal to the number of possible volumes in the jukebox."

Qualification of OptiServer/NAS was conducted by the KOM Networks lab near Ottawa, Ontario and by Digital's database engineering facility in Nashua, New Hampshire.

KOM Networks will be offering existing OptiServer users, who have software maintenance, the option of remaining with the old version or converting to OptiServer/NAS. Initial shipments will be limited to jukeboxes using SCSI2 commands to control the robotics with an RS232 control version to be announced at a later date.

OptiServer is a Trademark of KOM Networks. Rdb/VMS, DECforms, PATHWORKS and SQL Multimedia are Trademarks of Digital Equipment Corporation.

About KOM Networks

KOM Networks is a world leading provider of flexible, secure data archiving and storage management software. Over 10,000 of the world's leading corporations have recognized KOM Networks as the most logical, unobtrusive and secure way to store, access and protect their data. KOM is enabling enterprises large and small a cost effective way to improve productivity and meet compliance requirements without altering their network infrastructure or daily business routines. The industry pioneer holds vital industry patents for electronic file lifecycle management, virtual file management and eWORM fixed content hard disk archiving. Find out how KOM Networks can help you implement a comprehensive information lifecycle solution to optimize your existing storage environment and meet your compliance requirements. Contact us at 1-888-556-6462, sales@komnetworks.com or visit our website for more information. www.komnetworks.com.

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