OSA Technologies Joins SA Forum to Promote HPI Integration within IPMI Systems

PORTLAND, Oregon. – November 24, 2003 -  OSA Technologies, Inc., the only Independent Software Vendor (ISV) dedicated to Intelligent Platform Management Interface (IPMI) software and firmware, today announced that it has joined the Service Availability Forum (SA Forum). The SA Forum is the first industry body dedicated to developing specifications that facilitate the faster delivery of cost-effective, carrier-grade communications equipment and applications.

By joining the SA Forum, OSA adds expertise and capabilities in integrating IPMI building blocks with the Forum’s Hardware Platform Interface (HPI) standard. Such software integration offers standards-based advanced manageability in High Availability (HA) products for telecommunications hardware vendors.

“OSA’s expertise in embedded management technologies like IPMI is critical to the growing number of vendors looking for an open, standards-based platform,” said Manfred Reitenspiess, president of the SA Forum. “OSA joining as a contributing member allows OSA to offer its IPMI integration expertise, ensuring future SA Forum HPI specifications are well grounded in implementations that combine IPMI.”

“This commitment to the SA Forum underscores OSA’s objective to drive integration of management standards. OSA’s focus on standards-based embedded management solutions like IPMI, and now HPI, offers enhanced manageability products to Advanced Telecom Computing Architecture (AdvancedTCA®) and other telecommunications vendors that are compliant and seamlessly integrated with existing and future IPMI building blocks,” said Mark Lee, CEO and President of OSA.

RHK, an industry research firm, recently valued the AdvancedTCA market at $3.7B by 2007 (RHK study: www.advancedtca.org).

The SA Forum HPI and SA Forum Application Interface Specification (AIS) are now available to TEMs, Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs), Independent Software Vendors (ISVs), and Network Equipment Providers (NEPs) on the SA Forum’s web site (www.saforum.org). These specifications facilitate faster and more cost-effective development and deployment of carrier-grade infrastructure equipment and applications. In addition, this open, standards-based interface will enable an ecosystem of solutions providers, yielding greater focus of design resources on innovation and product differentiation.

“Separately, OSA also announced that it has licensed SA Forum/HPI software from Intel Corporation. By joining SA Forum, and licensing Intel’s software, OSA is well positioned to take advantage of the growing need to pre-integrate interoperable management technologies within a multi-billion dollar market,” added Lee.

About the Service Availability Forum

The Service Availability Forum is the industry body dedicated to developing specifications that facilitate the faster delivery of cost-effective, carrier-grade infrastructure equipment and applications. Created by industry leading communications and computing companies, the Forum’s specifications represent a crucial, missing piece of the COTS ecosystem model – open, carrier-grade platform and middleware interfaces that tie together standards-based network equipment elements quickly and easily. Service Availability Forum membership offers the opportunity to take part in building the availability specifications for the future. For more information about the Service Availability Forum, or to download the SA Forum HPI or AIS specifications, visit www.saforum.org.

About IPMI

IPMI is an embedded management specification that defines a common interface to how vendors monitor their system hardware and sensors (temperature, voltage, fan, etc.), control system components (power, blades, etc.), log important system events (chassis intrusion, CPU performance, etc.), to allow administrators to remotely manage and recover failed systems. It is typically implemented at the silicon level, allowing it capabilities that no other standardized management specification offers.

About OSA Technologies

OSA Technologies, Inc. provides embedded platform management solutions to the global server, blade, telecommunications, networking, and storage marketplaces. It is the only Independent Software Vendor (ISV) dedicated to IPMI software and firmware. OSA's solutions are well entrenched through partnerships with major silicon vendors, system and design manufacturers, and branded OEMs. Building on its first mover advantage, OSA has strategically set up sales, research and development centers in San Jose, Taipei and Shanghai to more closely meet the IPMI needs of system vendors worldwide. Ultimately, OSA gives IT end-users a centralized method to manage a server's complete health, including ‘Last Mile’ remote management and recovery capabilities that can only be offered with IPMI. System vendors are currently shipping OSA-enabled products worldwide. Co-founded in 2000 by a former Intel team, the company has secured a combined $20 million in funding from strategic investors including, AsiaVest, Dell, FAT Capital, Foxconn, Intel Capital, Storm Ventures, Sycamore Ventures, and other strategic investors. The company is headquartered in San Jose, California. More information about OSA can be found at www.osatechnologies.com.

The Service Availability Forum is a registered trademark. OSA and the Block Logo is a registered trademark of OSA Technologies in the United States and other countries AdvancedTCA and ATCA are trademarks of the PCI Industrial Computer Manufacturers Group. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.