Rorke Data's StudioNet™ SAN Solution Selected by
Manhattan Neighborhood Network
Rorke and PWR Systems Team Up to Deliver SAN for Apple Final Cut Pro® Users in NYC

Eden Prairie, Mn., August 21, 2001 - Rorke Data, Inc., a subsidiary of San Jose-based Bell Microproducts, Inc. (NASDAQ: BELM), announced today that the company's new StudioNet-FC, a high bandwidth Fibre-Channel workgroup solution, was recently installed at Manhattan Neighborhood Network (MNN) in New York City. MNN is responsible for administering public access cable television services throughout the New York City borough of Manhattan. Rorke's reseller in New York, PWR Systems, a subsidiary of Vizacom (NASDAQ:VIZY), was instrumental in facilitating the important new installation, which provides a Fibre-Channel SAN solution to MNN's need to cost-effectively network its Macintosh-based Final Cut Pro workstations.

Kenyatta Cheese, Producer, Manhattan Neighborhood Network, said MNN's networking needs were unique. "Our user base isn't made up of professional editors," said Cheese, "it's made up of the thousands of community producers and independent media-makers of Manhattan. They're users of all ages, all walks of life, and all levels of production experience. We needed a solution where a person could just come in, sit down, click a few buttons, and gigs and gigs of storage space would magically appear on their desktop, ready to use. The StudioNet-FC system does that for us.

"Our criteria were simple: good value, easy access, and no anxiety," said Cheese. "Rorke and PWR presented us with a solution that was easy to administer, emphasized workgroup collaboration, and fit within the project's budget. Manhattan Neighborhood Network is all about providing the tools of media-making in ways that the community can use. Having the StudioNet-FC system helps us open up a whole new world of expression for our producer community."

MNN's StudioNet installation features the networking of eight Final Cut Pro workstations (Apple G4s), allowing the sharing of stored video content in the amount of 1 TB of Fibre-Channel RAID5 storage.

StudioNet-FC is a Fibre-Channel SAN solution for the post-production audio, video, and educational markets, and the system's open architecture and flexibility are growing in recognition as a solution to the industry's unique storage and networking problems. StudioNet-FC is highly reliable and adaptive, providing the scalable storage and high bandwidth required by diverse applications, including High Definition edit suites, large university multi-media classrooms, and automated on-air systems for sizeable radio stations. Facilitating efficient data management, StudioNet-FC allows large numbers of editors to collaborate and be more creative by sharing a "Media Pool," a centralized network-like storage volume that allows all SAN users access to the files, and yet delivers very fast drive speeds. Any editor can then capture DV, MPEG-2, M-JPEG, or even High Definition digital video streams directly to the Rorke JBOD or RAID through the Fibre-Channel network. Once on the SAN, all editors can immediately start to edit and play back the newly digitized streams, even the same stream, simultaneously.

Joe Rorke, VP Marketing, Rorke Data, said the MNN installation is further evidence of the penetration of Mac-based SAN solutions into the mainstream of the digital video community. "The benefits of Fibre-Channel SAN are too big to ignore," said Rorke. "By not having to copy files alone, a post-production studio can save huge amounts of time. When you combine that with the cost savings inherent in a Mac-based application like Final Cut Pro, it's not difficult to see why markets like New York and Los Angeles have been installing more and more SAN solutions this year."

Commenting on the project, Steve Manella, Sales Engineer for PWR Systems, said: "There is no question that the future of film production is digital. The issue confronting producers today is how to optimize the technology infrastructure supporting professional video. Rorke's Fibre-Channel SAN
solutions address these issues, with high-capacity reliability and flexibility as well as support for key Apple applications, like Final Cut Pro."

About Manhattan Neighborhood Network
Manhattan Neighborhood Network is responsible for administering the Public Access cable television services in Manhattan. Our purpose is to ensure the ability of Manhattan residents to exercise their First Amendment rights through the medium of cable television and to create opportunities for mutual communication, education, artistic expression and other noncommercial uses of video facilities on an open, uncensored and equitable basis. In providing services, we seek to involve the diverse racial, ethnic and geographic communities of Manhattan in the electronic communication of their varied interests, needs, concerns and identities.

Public Access Television is supported by TimeWarner Cable and RCN Cable, under a franchise agreement with the City of New York. MNN is made possible by the work and support of thousands of individuals and groups in New York City.

About PWR Systems
PWR Systems, a subsidiary of Vizacom Inc. (Nasdaq:VIZY), is a professional technology organization dedicated to helping established businesses maximize efficiencies and build more profitable operations through the strategic use of internet, creative media and information technologies. The company's special expertise in creative media, including streaming media, Macintosh and cross-platform networking solutions, makes it a competitive force in the solutions industry and the provider of choice of many of the world's top advertisers, publishers, new media and entertainment companies. Clients include MTV Networks, Verizon Communications, Bozell Group (a True North Company), and Nickelodeon Networks.

About Rorke Data
Rorke Data is a full digital storage solutions provider with expertise in Fibre-Channel RAID, SAN, DVD, tape and optical libraries, Unix, NT and Mac environments, high bandwidth networks, digital asset and document management, and engineering and maintenance services. Founded in 1985, Rorke Data, together with its European subsidiary, Rorke Data Europe, located in Emmen, The Netherlands, is composed of six divisions: Medical Archive Applications, Audio/Video, Prepress, Imaging, Document Management, Engineering and Installation Services. More information about Rorke Data can be found at www.rorke.com. Rorke Data is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Bell Microproducts, Inc. (Nasdaq: BELM).

About Bell Microproducts
Bell Microproducts is an international value added provider of a wide range of high technology products, solutions, and services to the industrial and commercial marketplace. The company's offering includes semiconductors, computer platforms, peripherals, and storage products of various types including desktop, high-end computer and storage subsystems, Fibre-Channel connectivity products, RAID, NAS and SAN storage systems and back-up products. Bell Microproducts is an industry-recognized specialist in storage products and is one of the world's largest storage-centric value-added distributors.

The company's products are available at any level of integration from components, to subsystem assemblies, to fully integrated, tested and certified system solutions. The company adds value with a broad range of services including testing, software loading, kitting, mass storage system integration, and computer system integration. Trained and certified technical personnel complete each of these processes at Bell Microproducts' ISO 9002 facilities. Bell Microproducts markets and distributes more than 125 brand name product lines, as well as its own BellStor storage and TradeMark computer brands, to original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), contract electronic manufacturing services (EMS) customers, value-added resellers (VARs) and system integrators in the Americas and Europe. More information can be found in SEC filings, or by visiting the Bell Microproducts website at www.bellmicro.com.

Safe Harbor Statement
This release may contain forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such forward-looking statements, which reflect the Company's current views of future events and financial performance, involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties which could cause actual results or facts to differ materially from such statements for a variety of reasons including, but not limited to: the ability to successfully integrate the operations of recent acquisitions, industry conditions, changes in product supply, pricing, and customer demand, competition, other vagaries in the computer and electronic components markets, changes in relationships with key suppliers, foreign currency fluctuations and the other risks described from time to time in the Company's reports to the Securities and Exchange Commission (including the company's Annual Report on Form 10-K). Investors should take such risks into account when making investment decisions. Shareholders and other readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date on which they are made. The company undertakes no obligation to update publicly or revise any forward-looking statements.

For more information, contact: Rorke Data, Inc., 7626 Golden Triangle Drive, Eden Prairie, MN 55344; 800/328-8147 or 952/829-0300; fax: 952/829-0988