Rorke Data Introduces Sony AIT-3 Tape Libraries for Diagnostic Imaging Archive Libraries' Native Capacities Now Scale to 60 TBs

Chicago, IL, RSNA 2001, Booth #1122, November 27, 2001 - Rorke Data, Inc., a subsidiary of San Jose-based Bell Microproducts, Inc. (NASDAQ:BELM), and a leader in Archive, Back-up and RAID storage solutions for the healthcare industry, announced today it has incorporated Sony's new AIT-3 tape drive technology into its RTL Series of scalable AIT tape libraries and has doubled the storage capacity of the highly-regarded archive libraries.

Specifically designed for the image-intensive, high-bandwidth storage requirements inherent to diagnostic applications, the upgraded RTL Series offers increased capacity, high reliability, and low per MB cost.

By incorporating Sony's AIT-3 tape drive technology with additional tape drives and tape cartridges, a Rorke spokesperson said, the RTL Series of archive libraries has a capacity range of 500GB to over 60TB of non-compressed data storage. Offering true in-the-field expandability, the RTL Series is available in configurations with as few as 10 cartridges and a single AIT drive to systems with over 600 cartridges and up to 12 drives.

"We predicted a year and a half ago that, in combination with Sony technology, the RTL Series would allow our customers to continue doubling their storage capacity every 18 months," said Joe Rorke, VP/Marketing, Rorke Data, "and this upgrade, which features a unique blend of design efficiencies with cutting-edge technology, does exactly that, by allowing our users to cost-efficiently double their native storage capacity on-site."

"Every library in the upgraded RTL Series is designed for field-upgrading to the next model number by adding additional drives and media caddies," said Rorke. "The entire library calibrates itself automatically with built-in optical alignment, so a technician can field-upgrade a customer from 2TB to 4TB, for example, in less than two hours."

The RTL Series of AIT2 libraries is available in 12 models, and offers easy expandability between models. Pricing for the RTL Series' 500GB libraries starts as low as $6,000, ranging up to $200,000 for a 12 drive, 60TB solution.

Rorke's Medical Imaging Page

About AIT-3
Sony Electronics' third-generation Advanced Intelligent Tape™ (AIT-3) drives and Sony AIT-3 media cartridges fulfill the company's commitment to doubling the capacity and performance of AIT technology over the previous generation, and is read/write compatible with previous generations of AIT drives for customer investment protection.

The new AIT-3 tape drives and data media provide customers with a sophisticated and space-conscious storage solution with 100GB of uncompressed capacity (260GB with 2.6:1 compression) and a 12MB/sec sustained uncompressed transfer rate (28MB/sec with 2.6:1 compression) in a compact 3.5-inch form factor.

AIT-3 broadens Sony's existing AIT data storage family, which currently includes AIT-1 and AIT-2, and extends Sony's industry-leading AIT storage platform, which today has more than 200,000 drives in use providing various customer storage solutions. AIT-3 drives are read and write backward-compatible with AIT-1 and AIT-2 media, enabling users to seamlessly migrate to the higher capacity of AIT-3 without losing access to or compatibility with previously backed-up data.

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; website: www.rorke.com.