SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA, SIMI VALLEY, CALIFORNIA and BOTHELL, WASHINGTON - August 27, 2001 - BakBone Software™ (TSE: BKB, OTC: BKBOF), Qualstar Corporation (NASDAQ: QBAK) and Vixel Corporation (NASDAQ: VIXL) today announced a partnership to deliver a certified Fibre Channel-based backup and restore solution for Windows NT/2000 environments. Building on the success of the previously released Solaris-based offering in May 2001, the respective companies have extended their solution to address the increasing growth of Storage Area Networks (SANs) in the Windows NT/2000 market.

The solution, available immediately, employs BakBone's NetVault™ backup/restore software, Qualstar's 8466 LTO and 4222 AIT, Vixel's 7000 Series Fibre Channel Switches and Emulex's LP8000 (and LP8000S) Host Bus Adapters (HBAs), providing Windows NT/2000 customers with powerful backup/restore capability. The Windows NT/2000-based solution is designed for small-to-midsize companies with workgroup to datacenter level IT environments that require a reliable and high performance means to safeguard their data. To ensure compatibility, each component has been pre-tested by the partners, delivering a faster and more scalable backup/restore solution. The bundled solution can be purchased directly through Qualstar's worldwide network of resellers, providing a one-stop-shop for Windows NT/2000 end-users.

Partner Comments

"The acceptance of the initial SAN backup solution for the Solaris environment by our resellers and end-users was very gratifying," said Barry Mattingly, senior director of OEM sales, BakBone Software. "But our resellers were also quick to point out that the demand was just as strong for a proven, turn-key SAN backup solution in Windows NT/2000-centric datacenter and workgroup environments. This bundled solution addresses the requirements of this important class of user, providing all of the benefits of storage area networks in a cost-effective, easy to install and manage solution."

"Extending this partnership to provide a fully-certified SAN backup solution to Windows NT/2000 users continues the commitment that we have made to provide simple, reliable solutions to IT professionals," said Bob Covey, vice president of marketing at Qualstar. "Combining our Simply Reliable SANSmart™ libraries with other best-of-breed components from our partners, lets us offer a backup solution that is fast, scalable, and easy to install and configure."

"By assembling a certified suite of storage products, we are able to provide Windows NT/2000 end-users with cost-effective solutions that are easy to configure and able to address individual needs for backing up and restoring corporate critical data," said Claude Lorenson, director, product marketing, Vixel Corporation. "As a leading provider of storage technology, we are excited to work with these three companies yet again to provide small-to-mid-sized organizations with reduced backup times and increased reliability."

Pricing and Availability

The solution is available for immediate distribution through Qualstar's network of distributors and solution providers. The list price of the bundled solution with the Vixel 7100 Fibre Channel Switch and Qualstar's 4222 AIT is $49,260. The list price of the bundled solution containing the Vixel 7200 Fibre Channel Switch and Qualstar's 8466 LTO is $78,690.

About BakBone Software, Inc.

BakBone Software™ (TSE: BKB, OTC: BKBOF) is an international storage management software company that develops and globally distributes high-performance software solutions to the network storage and open systems markets. BakBone's near-line archival and backup/restore software suites provide scalable data protection from the workgroup to the enterprise. Founded in 2000, BakBone Software's products are used by companies worldwide, and are distributed through a network of OEMs and solution providers. BakBone's corporate headquarters is located at 10145 Pacific Heights Boulevard, San Diego, California 92121. Its stock is listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange and is included on the TSE 300 Composite, S&P/TSE Canadian SmallCap and TSE 200 indices. For more information on BakBone products, call (866) 484-2663, e-mail sales@bakbone.com, or access BakBone's web site at www.bakbone.com.

BakBone Software Safe Harbor

The statements contained in this press release that are not historical in nature are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are not guarantees since there are inherent difficulties in predicting future results, and actual results could differ materially from those expressed or implied in the forward-looking statements.

About Qualstar Corporation

Qualstar Corporation's TLS-Series Tape Libraries are expressly designed for automated data storage applications including SAN, backup/restore, serverless backup, and image and data archives.

The TLS-Series Tape Library families offer the widest range of capacity and throughput options in the industry: 48 models offer native capacities ranging from 250 gigabyte to over 30 terabytes. Over 36,000 Qualstar tape products have been delivered worldwide through selected OEMs, VARs, and Systems Integrators, each one representing our commitment to quality, reliability, and customer support.

Qualstar Corporation is publicly traded under the symbol QBAK on the NASDAQ Exchange. For more information, visit www.qualstar.com, or call (805) 583-7744, or e-mail inquiries to sales@qualstar.com.

Qualstar Safe Harbor Statement

Statements in this news release concerning the future business, operating results and financial condition on the company are ``forward-looking'' statements as defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such statements are based upon management's current expectations and are subject to a number of uncertainties that could cause actual performance and results to differ materially from the results discussed in the forward-looking statements. Factors that could affect the company's actual results include unexpected shortages of critical components, unexpected product design problems, and adverse changes in market demand for tape libraries or Qualstar's products. Further information on these and other potential factors that could affect the company's financial results are included in Qualstar's Form 10-K dated Sept. 28, 2000, filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

About Vixel Corporation

Vixel Corporation offers customers real world solutions for storage networking. As a leading provider of Storage Area Network (SAN) solutions, the company's comprehensive portfolio of multivendor-certified solutions, switches, hubs and integrated management software delivers reliable, interoperable solutions to its customers and partners. SAN InSite is Vixel's comprehensive open management software for SANs, providing remote control and diagnostics for Fibre Channel switches, hubs and transceivers from a single console, reducing the administration and overhead of implementing a SAN. Vixel products and technology are used by major system suppliers including Avid Technologies, Compaq, IBM, Lucent, Network Appliance, Sun Microsystems and Unisys. Products are available worldwide through its network of value-added resellers, alliances and OEMs. Vixel is an ISO 9001 certified company.

For more information, visit Vixel's web site at www.vixel.com. Vixel Corporation is headquartered at 11911 North Creek Parkway South, Bothell, Washington 98011 and can be contacted by phone at 425-806-5509 or e-mail at marketing@vixel.com.

Vixel Safe Harbor Statement

Except for historical information contained herein, this news release contains forward-looking statements that are subject to risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results to differ materially from the results discussed in the forward-looking statements. Factors that may cause such a difference include risks affecting performance and market acceptance of Vixel's products, Vixel's ability to meet its quality and performance standards, development of the storage area network, or SAN market, the competitiveness and performance of Vixel's products in the rapidly changing SAN market and the ability of Vixel to meet evolving product standards required by customers and others involved in the distribution channel for SAN products. Further information on the factors and risks that could affect Vixel's business, financial condition and results of operations, are contained in Vixel's Annual Report on Form 10-K, and most recent Form 10Q, which are available at www.sec.gov.