For Immediate Release

LaCie Shipping Flexible Ultra 160 RAID Tower for Mac Environments

* Choice of RAID levels 0 , 1, 0+1, 3 & 5
* 160 MB/sec high-performance SCSI connection
* Increases throughput by up to 80 percent
* 12 drives for a total capacity of up to 2.16TB, scaleable to 24
drives per array
* Hot-swappable key components=F1no system downtime

HILLSBORO, OR (August 21, 2001) =F1 LaCie announced today that it is shippin=
g
its new high-speed RAID system, the TX12000, for Mac environments.
Specifically designed for applications where fault-tolerance, high data
throughput, extensibility and economy are prime requirements, the TX12000,
is a complete, turnkey solution. With the TX12000, users can achieve all
the benefits of centralized storage, including improved access and sharing
capabilities, enhanced data protectection and easier management. The
powerful TX12000 can be attached to virtually any SCSI host computer. No
special device drivers or software are required.

When configured with LaCie's new 7200 rpm 180GB hard drives, the TX12000
can achieve record-breaking transfer rates of up to 75 MB/sec. and a 2ms
average access time. With support for up to 12 drives, the TX12000 provides
a total capacity of up to 2.16TB using the 180GB drives. Half-height SCSI
SCA 36GB and 73GB 10,000 rpm drives are also available. Designed to
accommodate changing requirements, the LaCie TX12000 scales from a single
JBOD (Just a Bunch of Drives) with as few as three drives to a 24-drive
daisy chained solution.

In addition to providing a huge storage capacity and increased data
security, the TX12000 also features a new modern design. Key features of
the design include modules with rounded, easy-to-grab handles and an
attractive dark blue enclosure.

Equipped with an Ultra 160 connection, the fastest SCSI interface on the
market, the LaCie TX12000 delivers the outstanding performance required for
environments such as Server Attached Storage (SAN), NT clustering and
applications such as e-commerce, databases and data warehousing, imaging
systems and Internet services. The U160 interface also offers backward
compatibility with legacy SCSI drives or hosts.

LaCie's state-of-the-art controller supports up to eight concurrent RAID
sets, each with its own unique RAID level, allowing custom configuration to
provide either blinding speed or unrivalled data safety. For desktop video,
editing and transferring giant Adobe PhotoShop files, or searching massive
databases requiring high- speed processing, the RAID 0 configuration can be
used.

Other RAID configurations (1, 0+1, 3 and 5) offer fault-tolerant data
redundancy--the ability to recover data that would otherwise be lost by a
failed drive. The array automatically rebuilds the data from the failed
drive on a spare drive--without any system downtime.

Expansion Flexibility
To enable low-cost expansion as system requirements grow, the TX12000 will
support an additional chassis. The tower runs from the existing RAID
controller and adds 12 hot-pluggable disk drive modules to the array. The
LaCie RAID system can then easily be scaled from 3 to 24 drives, with
capacities of 36GB, 73GB or 180GB each for a total capacity ranging from
108GB to 2.16TB. Future Ultra 160 10k and 15K rpm disks with higher
capacities will also be compatible, offering an additional path for
expansion.

Exceptional fault tolerance
Because the TX12000 is a modular system, all major components can be
replaced, including the optional redundant RAID controllers. All drives,
both power supplies, and the 6 fans are also hot-swappable. In case of a
failure, they can be replaced while the system is powered on and without
system downtime. In a Windows environment, the TX12000 provides failure
notification to the system administrator over the network.

Sophisticated features
The array can be set up and administered via an LCD display at the back of
the device. Once installed, a movable LCD panel at the front of the device
can be used to conveniently view the drives=ED status. The system can be
designed as a tower or several towers can be stacked in a compact Rack
mount configuration.

Availability
The LaCie TX12000 towers come with standard 160MB/sec SCSI host
connectivity, dual ingress power architecture and 12 hot-pluggable disk
drive modules that can accommodate 10,000 rpm hard drives with capacities
of 36GB, 73GB or 7200 rpm 180GB hard drive.

Offering expandability and modularity, the LaCie TX12000 is available in
tower or rack configurations through LaCie=EDs authorized VAR ONE resellers.
LaCie offers free 24-hour technical support for TX12000 users. The systems
are also backed by a 3-year warranty.

For additional data security, LaCie recommends frequent backups and offers
a choice of AIT or DLT backup units and libraries.

About LaCie
Founded in 1987, LaCie is a world leader in the development and manufactur=
e
of cross-platform mass storage, digital video and color-management computer
peripherals for personal, business, industrial and multimedia environments.
In addition to its U.S. development, marketing and manufacturing facilities
in Hillsboro, OR, LaCie has its corporate office in Massy, France, and
sales offices in Canada and 10 European countries. LaCie Group SA is a
French public company listed on the Paris Nouveau March=C8 (code 5431). Fo=
r
more information, contact LaCie, Ltd. at 22985 NW Evergreen Parkway;
Hillsboro, OR 97124 or call (503) 844-4500, Fax (503) 844-4593. Visit
LaCie=EDs Web site at www.lacie.com