Rorke Data Unveils the Galaxy XL ™ Series of RAID Storage at IBC 2002
Low-cost, High-performance RAID Ideal for Desktop HD Applications

Amsterdam, The Netherlands, September 13th, 2002, International Broadcaster’s
Consortium (IBC), Hall 7, Stand 535 – Rorke Data, Inc., a subsidiary of San Jose-based Bell Microproducts, Inc. (NASDAQ:BELM), and a leader in SAN, RAID, and Archive storage solutions for the digital Post-Production, Broadcast, and Prepress industries, announced today that it has begun shipping its new Galaxy XL ™ series of cost-competitive, high-performance RAID storage products. Rorke Data, in partnership with its sister organization, Bell Microproducts Enterprise Solutions Europe, located in Almere, The Netherlands, will showcase the new RAID systems in a variety of digital video applications ranging from DV to HD (High Definition) for their worldwide reseller organization at this year’s IBC 2002 trade event.

“With the addition of the low-cost XL RAID series, Rorke Data effectively offers the widest range of storage products to the Digital AV reseller channel, on worldwide basis,” said Bob Herzan, Vice President of Sales for Rorke Data’s AV division, “The Galaxy XL series combines support for real-time, multi-stream and HDTV video applications with full RAID protection at prices less than unprotected just-a-bunch-of-disk (JBOD) storage products.”

The Galaxy XL is available in either a single controller, 5-drive desktop configuration, or a 10-drive dual controller rack mount version. Both the desktop and rack mount models of disk arrays features a high-performance Ultra 160 LVD SCSI or a Fibre Channel interface that enables the desktop models to sustain a data transfer rate of up to 130 MB/second. The dual-channel, rack mountable models sustain over 200 MB/second – more than enough performance to support 10-bit, 1080i HD capture and playback.

The Galaxy XL starts with a MSRP of $4700 USD, and capacity ranges from 200GB to 600GB of RAID storage for desktop models. The dual controller rack mount 400 GB model starts as low as $9100 USD MSRP, and capacity ranges to 1.2TB.

In addition to offering industry-leading performance, Rorke Data’s Galaxy XL series also provide RAID data protection. In the unlikely event of a disk drive failure, the systems will continue to operate with no loss of data and no degradation in data transfer rate. The ability to operate at full performance with a “downed drive” enables the user to complete work in real-time environments without requiring immediate drive replacement

Demonstrations will be available at IBC 2002 in Amsterdam this September 13th-17th at

Hall 7, Stand# 535. For more information go to: www.rorke.com/av

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 & Mac environments, high bandwidth networks, and related professional services. Founded in 1985, Rorke Data is a subsidiary of Bell Microproducts in San Jose, CA, and is composed of four divisions:

Medical Diagnostic Imaging, Digital Video & Broadcast, Digital Prepress & Publishing, as well as a Technical Services division. 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 & storage subsystems, Fibre-Channel connectivity products, RAID, NAS & 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 through 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 150 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.

About Bell Microproducts Solutions Europe
Bell Microproducts Solutions is the European value-added distributor in the area of enterprise storage technology products, solutions and services.

Bell Microproducts Solutions markets and distributes an extensive portfolio of enterprise storage solutions from the world’s leading storage manufacturers a.o.’s Adic, Brocade, HDS, HP, IBM, Legato, Tivoli and VERITAS as well as its own BellStor and Rorke Data storage solutions.

Products are available at any level of integration, from components to subsystem assemblies and fully integrated, tested and certified SAN, NAS and enterprise storage solutions.

Bell Microproducts Solutions markets and distributes the storage solutions via a comprehensive network of value-added resellers (VAR’s), system integrators, service providers and original equipment manufactures (OEM’s) in all major European countries. Within Europe subsidiaries are located in Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Sweden, The Netherlands (HQ) and the UK. Bell Microproducts Solutions is part of Bell Microproducts, Inc. (NASDAQ: BELM), the world’s largest Storage-centric value added IT distributors. (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.