Arco Announces New IDE Backup Device DupliDisk Makes Drive Mirroring Easy and Affordable

HOLLYWOOD, Florida — Arco Computer Products, Inc., www.arcoide.com, a leading provider of
low cost IDE disk mirroring technology, today announced the
DupliDisk-POS, a real-time backup device designed for small chassis
PC users who want the security of a duplicate hard drive but not
the high cost of a SCSI RAID system.

Until now, disk mirroring–writing data to two drives
simultaneously–has been pretty much restricted to computers
outfitted with SCSI hardware but the high cost of SCSI systems has
made RAID (Redundant Arrays of Inexpensive Disks) mirroring too
expensive for most businesses to implement on a wide scale.

Unlike earlier DupliDisk models, which have all been designed
for use with the standard 3.5-inch disk drives used in desktop and
tower model PCs , the DupliDisk-POS provides disk mirroring
capability for the smaller 2.5-inch form factor drives. These are
popular for use in the small chassis computers commonly used for
point-of-sale and other specialty computer systems where box space
is at a premium. Because the DupliDisk-POS does not require a bus
slot, it offers considerable flexibility in placement within the
computer chassis.

The DupliDisk is capable of mirroring up to two pairs of IDE,
E-IDE or U/DMA drives of any capacity. If a hardware failure
disables one of the mirrored drives, the DupliDisk automatically
shifts operations to the functioning drive. Visual feedback is
available via LEDs on the unit’s optional external panel. When the
external panel is installed, LEDs change color to indicate a failed
drive. An audible alarm also alerts the user of the drive failure,
but there is no interruption of service. The system continues to
function normally until the user can find a convenient time to
power down and install a new drive. ARCO’s ACP software provides a
quick and easy way to rebuild the new drive.

HOW DOES IT WORK?
ARCO’s unique patented intermediate controller design provides
continuous automatic hard disk backup and disk fault tolerance
through RAID 1 technology. Once plugged into an onboard IDE
controller and attached to the primary and mirror drives with
cables provided by Arco, the DupliDisk operates transparently. All
data sent from the PC to the primary drive is automatically
duplicated to the mirroring drive but the system (and end user)
sees only the primary drive.

The DupliDisk uses no jumper settings and requires no drivers or
TSRs so installation is a simple procedure. Because it requires no
device drivers, the DupliDisk is essentially operating-system
independent. It has been tested with systems running Windows 3.x,
95, 98, and NT, as well as OS/2, DOS, Unix, Linux, Solaris386, BSDI
and Novell NetWare. Manufacturer’s suggested retail $250.

ABOUT ARCO
ARCO is an IDE technology company. It offers ISA and PCI bus
versions of the DupliDisk as well as both 3.5-inch and 5.25-inch
Bay Mount units and a Direct model that seats directly onto the
onboard IDE.

Contact ARCO at: ARCO Computer Products, Inc., 2750
North 29th Ave., Hollywood, FL 33020, (phone) 954
925-2688, (fax) 954 925-2889, (e-mail) arco@arcoide.com,
(web site) http://www.arcoide.com.

Editor’s Contact: Donna Barron
(954) 925-2688 e-mail: donna@arcoide.com
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