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                                                                    EXHIBIT 10.3

                         CHAPARRAL NETWORK STORAGE, INC.

                        2000 EMPLOYEE STOCK PURCHASE PLAN

     1. Purpose. The purpose of the Plan is to provide employees of the Company
and its Designated Subsidiaries with an opportunity to purchase Common Stock of
the Company through accumulated payroll deductions. It is the intention of the
Company to have the Plan qualify as an "Employee Stock Purchase Plan" under
Section 423 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended. The provisions of
the Plan, accordingly, shall be construed so as to extend and limit
participation in a manner consistent with the requirements of that section of
the Code.

     2. Definitions.

        (a) "Board" shall mean the Board of Directors of the Company.

        (b) "Code" shall mean the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended.

        (c) "Common Stock" shall mean the Common Stock of the Company.

        (d) "Company" shall mean Chaparral Network Storage, Inc., a Delaware
corporation, and any Designated Subsidiary of the Company.

        (e) "Compensation" shall mean all base straight time gross earnings and
commissions, exclusive of payments for overtime, shift premium, incentive
compensation, incentive payments, bonuses and other compensation.

        (f) "Designated Subsidiary" shall mean any Subsidiary which has been
designated by the Board from time to time in its sole discretion as eligible to
participate in the Plan.

        (g) "Employee" shall mean any individual who is an employee of the
Company for tax purposes whose customary employment with the Company is at least
twenty (20) hours per week and more than five (5) months in any calendar year.
For purposes of the Plan, the employment relationship shall be treated as
continuing intact while the individual is on sick leave or other leave of
absence approved by the Company. Where the period of leave exceeds 90 days and
the individual's right to reemployment is not guaranteed either by statute or by
contract, the employment relationship shall be deemed to have terminated on the
91st day of such leave.

        (h) "Enrollment Date" shall mean the first day of each Offering Period.

        (i) "Exercise Date" shall mean the last day of each Offering Period.

        (j) "Fair Market Value" shall mean, as of any date, the value of Common
Stock determined as follows:




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            (i) If the Common Stock is listed on any established stock exchange
     or a national market system, including without limitation the Nasdaq
     National Market or The Nasdaq SmallCap Market of The Nasdaq Stock Market,
     its Fair Market Value shall be the closing sales price for such stock (or
     the closing bid, if no sales were reported) as quoted on such exchange or
     system on the date of such determination (or, if such date is not a Trading
     Day, for the immediately preceding Trading Day), as reported in The Wall
     Street Journal or such other source as the Board deems reliable, or;

            (ii) If the Common Stock is regularly quoted by a recognized
     securities dealer but selling prices are not reported, its Fair Market
     Value shall be the mean of the closing bid and asked prices for the Common
     Stock on the date of such determination, as reported in The Wall Street
     Journal or such other source as the Board deems reliable, or;

            (iii) In the absence of an established market for the Common Stock,
     the Fair Market Value thereof shall be determined in good faith by the
     Board.

            (iv) For purposes of the Enrollment Date of the first Offering
     Period under the Plan, the Fair Market Value shall be the initial price to
     the public as set forth in the final prospectus included within the
     registration statement in Form S-1 filed with the Securities and Exchange
     Commission for the initial public offering of the Company's Common Stock
     (the "Registration Statement").

        (k) "Offering Period" shall mean a period of approximately six (6)
months during which an option granted pursuant to the Plan may be exercised,
commencing on the first Trading Day on or after August 1 and terminating on the
last Trading Day in the period ending the following January 31, or commencing on
the first Trading Day on or after February 1 and terminating on the last Trading
Day in the period ending the following July 31; provided, however, that the
first Offering Period under the Plan shall commence with the first Trading Day
on or after the date on which the Securities and Exchange Commission declares
the Company's Registration Statement effective and ending on the last Trading
Day on or before July 31, 2000. The duration of Offering Periods may be changed
pursuant to Section 4 of this Plan.

        (l) "Plan" shall mean this Employee Stock Purchase Plan.

        (m) "Purchase Price" shall mean an amount equal to 85% of the Fair
Market Value of a share of Common Stock on the Enrollment Date or on the
Exercise Date, whichever is lower; provided, however, that the Purchase Price
may be adjusted by the Board pursuant to Section 20.

        (n) "Reserves" shall mean the number of shares of Common Stock covered
by each option under the Plan which have not yet been exercised and the number
of shares of Common Stock which have been authorized for issuance under the Plan
but not yet placed under option.

        (o) "Subsidiary" shall mean a corporation, domestic or foreign, of which
not less than 50% of the voting shares are held by the Company or a Subsidiary,
whether or not such corporation now exists or is hereafter organized or acquired
by the Company or a Subsidiary.



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        (p) "Trading Day" shall mean a day on which national stock exchanges and
the Nasdaq System are open for trading.

     3. Eligibility.

        (a) Any Employee who shall have been employed by the Company for at
least six months on a given Enrollment Date shall be eligible to participate in
the Plan.

        (b) Any provisions of the Plan to the contrary notwithstanding, no
Employee shall be granted an option under the Plan (i) to the extent that,
immediately after the grant, such Employee (or any other person whose stock
would be attributed to such Employee pursuant to Section 424(d) of the Code)
would own capital stock of the Company and/or hold outstanding options to
purchase such stock possessing five percent (5%) or more of the total combined
voting power or value of all classes of the capital stock of the Company or of
any Subsidiary, or (ii) to the extent that his or her rights to purchase stock
under all employee stock purchase plans of the Company and its Subsidiaries
accrues at a rate which exceeds Twenty-Five Thousand Dollars ($25,000) worth of
stock (determined at the fair market value of the shares at the time such option
is granted) for each calendar year in which such option is outstanding at any
time.

     4. Offering Periods. The Plan shall be implemented by consecutive Offering
Periods with a new Offering Period commencing on the first Trading Day on or
after August 1 and February 1 each year, or on such other date as the Board
shall determine, and continuing thereafter until terminated in accordance with
Section 20 hereof; provided, however, that the first Offering Period under the
Plan shall commence with the first Trading Day on or after the date on which the
Securities and Exchange Commission declares the Company's Registration Statement
effective and ending on the last Trading Day on or before July 31, 2000. The
Board shall have the power to change the duration of Offering Periods (including
the commencement dates thereof) with respect to future offerings without
stockholder approval if such change is announced at least five (5) days prior to
the scheduled beginning of the first Offering Period to be affected thereafter.

     5. Participation.

        (a) An eligible Employee may become a participant in the Plan by
completing a subscription agreement authorizing payroll deductions in the form
provided by the Company to this Plan and filing it with the Company's payroll
office prior to the applicable Enrollment Date.

        (b) Payroll deductions for a participant shall commence on the first
payroll following the Enrollment Date and shall end on the last payroll in the
Offering Period to which such authorization is applicable, unless sooner
terminated by the participant as provided in Section 10 hereof.

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     6. Payroll Deductions.

        (a) At the time a participant files his or her subscription agreement,
he or she shall elect to have payroll deductions made on each pay day during the
Offering Period in an amount not exceeding ten percent (10%) of the Compensation
which he or she receives on each pay day during the Offering Period.

        (b) All payroll deductions made for a participant shall be credited to
his or her account under the Plan and shall be withheld in whole percentages
only. A participant may not make any additional payments into such account.

        (c) A participant may discontinue his or her participation in the Plan
as provided in Section 10 hereof, or may increase or decrease the rate of his or
her payroll deductions during the Offering Period by completing or filing with
the Company a new subscription agreement authorizing a change in payroll
deduction rate. The Board may, in its discretion, limit the number of
participation rate changes during any Offering Period. The change in rate shall
be effective with the first full payroll period following five (5) business days
after the Company's receipt of the new subscription agreement unless the Company
elects to process a given change in participation more quickly. A participant's
subscription agreement shall remain in effect for successive Offering Periods
unless terminated as provided in Section 10 hereof.

        (d) Notwithstanding the foregoing, to the extent necessary to comply
with Section 423(b)(8) of the Code and Section 3(b) hereof, a participant's
payroll deductions may be decreased to zero percent (0%) at any time during an
Offering Period. Payroll deductions shall recommence at the rate provided in
such participant's subscription agreement at the beginning of the first Offering
Period which is scheduled to end in the following calendar year, unless
terminated by the participant as provided in Section 10 hereof.

        (e) At the time the option is exercised, in whole or in part, or at the
time some or all of the Company's Common Stock issued under the Plan is disposed
of, the participant must make adequate provision for the Company's federal,
state, or other tax withholding obligations, if any, which arise upon the
exercise of the option or the disposition of the Common Stock. At any time, the
Company may, but shall not be obligated to, withhold from the participant's
compensation the amount necessary for the Company to meet applicable withholding
obligations, including any withholding required to make available to the Company
any tax deductions or benefits attributable to sale or early disposition of
Common Stock by the Employee. The form of subscription agreement may provide
that shares of Common Stock issued under the Plan may be held in escrow or
legended to provide for satisfaction of withholding obligations.

     7. Grant of Option. On the Enrollment Date of each Offering Period, each
eligible Employee participating in such Offering Period shall be granted an
option to purchase on the Exercise Date of such Offering Period (at the
applicable Purchase Price) up to a number of shares of the Company's Common
Stock determined by dividing such Employee's payroll deductions accumulated
prior to such Exercise Date and retained in the Participant's account as of the
Exercise Date by the applicable Purchase Price, provided that such purchase
shall be subject to the limitations set forth in




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Sections 3(b) and 12 hereof. Exercise of the option shall occur as provided in
Section 8 hereof, unless the participant has withdrawn pursuant to Section 10
hereof. The Option shall expire on the last day of the Offering Period.

     8. Exercise of Option. Unless a participant withdraws from the Plan as
provided in Section 10 hereof, his or her option for the purchase of shares
shall be exercised automatically on the Exercise Date, and the maximum number of
full shares subject to option shall be purchased for such participant at the
applicable Purchase Price with the accumulated payroll deductions in his or her
account. No fractional shares shall be purchased; any payroll deductions
accumulated in a participant's account which are not sufficient to purchase a
full share shall be retained in the participant's account for the subsequent
Offering Period, subject to earlier withdrawal by the participant as provided in
Section 10 hereof. Any other monies left over in a participant's account after
the Exercise Date shall be returned to the participant. During a participant's
lifetime, a participant's option to purchase shares hereunder is exercisable
only by him or her.

     9. Delivery. As promptly as practicable after each Exercise Date on which a
purchase of shares occurs, the Company shall arrange the delivery to each
participant, as appropriate, the shares purchased upon exercise of his or her
option.

     10. Withdrawal.

         (a) A participant may withdraw all but not less than all the payroll
deductions credited to his or her account and not yet used to exercise his or
her option under the Plan at any time by giving written notice to the Company in
the form of Exhibit B to this Plan. All of the participant's payroll deductions
credited to his or her account shall be paid to such participant promptly after
receipt of notice of withdrawal and such participant's option for the Offering
Period shall be automatically terminated, and no further payroll deductions for
the purchase of shares shall be made for such Offering Period. If a participant
withdraws from an Offering Period, payroll deductions shall not resume at the
beginning of the succeeding Offering Period unless the participant delivers to
the Company a new subscription agreement.

         (b) A participant's withdrawal from an Offering Period shall not have
any effect upon his or her eligibility to participate in any similar plan which
may hereafter be adopted by the Company or in succeeding Offering Periods which
commence after the termination of the Offering Period from which the participant
withdraws.

     11. Termination of Employment. Upon a participant's ceasing to be an
Employee for any reason, he or she shall be deemed to have elected to withdraw
from the Plan and the payroll deductions credited to such participant's account
during the Offering Period but not yet used to exercise the option shall be
returned to such participant or, in the case of his or her death, to the person
or persons entitled thereto under Section 15 hereof, and such participant's
option shall be automatically terminated. The preceding sentence
notwithstanding, a participant who receives payment in lieu of notice of
termination of employment shall be treated as continuing to be an Employee for
the participant's customary number of hours per week of employment during the
period in which the participant is subject to such payment in lieu of notice.





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     12. Interest. No interest shall accrue on the payroll deductions of a
participant in the Plan.

     13. Stock.

         (a) Subject to adjustment upon changes in capitalization of the Company
as provided in Section 19 hereof, the maximum number of shares of the Company's
Common Stock which shall be made available for sale under the Plan shall be
6,000,000 shares, plus an annual increase to be added on the first day of each
of the Company's fiscal years beginning with fiscal year 2001 equal to the
lesser of (i) 1,000,000 shares, (ii) 2.0% of the outstanding shares on such
date, or (iii) a lesser amount determined by the Board. If, on a given Exercise
Date, the number of shares with respect to which options are to be exercised
exceeds the number of shares then available under the Plan, the Company shall
make a pro rata allocation of the shares remaining available for purchase in as
uniform a manner as shall be practicable and as it shall determine to be
equitable.

         (b) The participant shall have no interest or voting right in shares
covered by his option until such option has been exercised.

         (c) Shares to be delivered to a participant under the Plan shall be
registered in the name of the participant or in the name of the participant and
his or her spouse.

     14. Administration. The Plan shall be administered by the Board or a
committee of members of the Board appointed by the Board. The Board or its
committee shall have full and exclusive discretionary authority to construe,
interpret and apply the terms of the Plan, to determine eligibility and to
adjudicate all disputed claims filed under the Plan. Every finding, decision and
determination made by the Board or its committee shall, to the full extent
permitted by law, be final and binding upon all parties.

     15. Designation of Beneficiary.

         (a) A participant may file a written designation of a beneficiary who
is to receive any shares and cash, if any, from the participant's account under
the Plan in the event of such participant's death subsequent to an Exercise Date
on which the option is exercised but prior to delivery to such participant of
such shares and cash. In addition, a participant may file a written designation
of a beneficiary who is to receive any cash from the participant's account under
the Plan in the event of such participant's death prior to exercise of the
option. If a participant is married and the designated beneficiary is not the
spouse, spousal consent shall be required for such designation to be effective.

         (b) Such designation of beneficiary may be changed by the participant
at any time by written notice. In the event of the death of a participant and in
the absence of a beneficiary validly designated under the Plan who is living at
the time of such participant's death, the Company shall deliver such shares
and/or cash to the executor or administrator of the estate of the participant,
or if no such executor or administrator has been appointed (to the knowledge of
the Company), the Company, in its discretion, may deliver such shares and/or
cash to the spouse or to any one or more

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dependents or relatives of the participant, or if no spouse, dependent or
relative is known to the Company, then to such other person as the Company may
designate.

     16. Transferability. Neither payroll deductions credited to a participant's
account nor any rights with regard to the exercise of an option or to receive
shares under the Plan may be assigned, transferred, pledged or otherwise
disposed of in any way (other than by will, the laws of descent and distribution
or as provided in Section 15 hereof) by the participant. Any such attempt at
assignment, transfer, pledge or other disposition shall be without effect,
except that the Company may treat such act as an election to withdraw funds from
an Offering Period in accordance with Section 10 hereof.

     17. Use of Funds. All payroll deductions received or held by the Company
under the Plan may be used by the Company for any corporate purpose, and the
Company shall not be obligated to segregate such payroll deductions.

     18. Reports. Individual accounts shall be maintained for each participant
in the Plan. Statements of account shall be given to participating Employees at
least annually, which statements shall set forth the amounts of payroll
deductions, the Purchase Price, the number of shares purchased and the remaining
cash balance, if any.

     19. Adjustments Upon Changes in Capitalization, Dissolution, Liquidation,
Merger or Asset Sale.

         (a) Changes in Capitalization. Subject to any required action by the
stockholders of the Company, the Reserves, the maximum number of shares each
participant may purchase per Offering Period (pursuant to Section 7), as well as
the price per share and the number of shares of Common Stock covered by each
option under the Plan which has not yet been exercised shall be proportionately
adjusted for any increase or decrease in the number of issued shares of Common
Stock resulting from a stock split, reverse stock split, stock dividend,
combination or reclassification of the Common Stock, or any other increase or
decrease in the number of shares of Common Stock effected without receipt of
consideration by the Company; provided, however, that conversion of any
convertible securities of the Company shall not be deemed to have been "effected
without receipt of consideration." Such adjustment shall be made by the Board,
whose determination in that respect shall be final, binding and conclusive.
Except as expressly provided herein, no issuance by the Company of shares of
stock of any class, or securities convertible into shares of stock of any class,
shall affect, and no adjustment by reason thereof shall be made with respect to,
the number or price of shares of Common Stock subject to an option.

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         (b) Dissolution or Liquidation. In the event of the proposed
dissolution or liquidation of the Company, the Offering Period then in progress
shall be shortened by setting a new Exercise Date (the "New Exercise Date"), and
shall terminate immediately prior to the consummation of such proposed
dissolution or liquidation, unless provided otherwise by the Board. The New
Exercise Date shall be before the date of the Company's proposed dissolution or
liquidation. The Board shall notify each participant in writing, at least ten
(10) business days prior to the New Exercise Date, that the Exercise Date for
the participant's option has been changed to the New Exercise Date and that the
participant's option shall be exercised automatically on the New Exercise Date,
unless prior to such date the participant has withdrawn from the Offering Period
as provided in Section 10 hereof.

         (c) Merger or Asset Sale. In the event of a proposed sale of all or
substantially all of the assets of the Company, or the merger of the Company
with or into another corporation, each outstanding option shall be assumed or an
equivalent option substituted by the successor corporation or a Parent or
Subsidiary of the successor corporation. In the event that the successor
corporation refuses to assume or substitute for the option, the Offering Period
then in progress shall be shortened by setting a new Exercise Date (the "New
Exercise Date"). The New Exercise Date shall be before the date of the Company's
proposed sale or merger. The Board shall notify each participant in writing, at
least ten (10) business days prior to the New Exercise Date, that the Exercise
Date for the participant's option has been changed to the New Exercise Date and
that the participant's option shall be exercised automatically on the New
Exercise Date, unless prior to such date the participant has withdrawn from the
Offering Period as provided in Section 10 hereof.

     20. Amendment or Termination.

         (a) The Board of Directors of the Company may at any time and for any
reason terminate or amend the Plan. Except as provided in Section 19 hereof, no
such termination can affect options previously granted, provided that an
Offering Period may be terminated by the Board of Directors on any Exercise Date
if the Board determines that the termination of the Offering Period or the Plan
is in the best interests of the Company and its stockholders. Except as provided
in Section 19 and Section 20 hereof, no amendment may make any change in any
option theretofore granted which adversely affects the rights of any
participant. To the extent necessary to comply with Section 423 of the Code (or
any other applicable law, regulation or stock exchange rule), the Company shall
obtain stockholder approval in such a manner and to such a degree as required.

         (b) Without stockholder consent and without regard to whether any
participant rights may be considered to have been "adversely affected," the
Board (or its committee) shall be entitled to change the Offering Periods, limit
the frequency and/or number of changes in the amount withheld during an Offering
Period, establish the exchange ratio applicable to amounts withheld in a
currency other than U.S. dollars, permit payroll withholding in excess of the
amount designated by a participant in order to adjust for delays or mistakes in
the Company's processing of properly completed withholding elections, establish
reasonable waiting and adjustment periods and/or accounting and crediting
procedures to ensure that amounts applied toward the purchase of Common Stock
for each participant properly correspond with amounts withheld from the
participant's Compensation, and establish such other limitations or procedures
as the Board (or its committee) determines in its sole discretion advisable
which are consistent with the Plan.




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         (c) In the event the Board determines that the ongoing operation of the
Plan may result in unfavorable financial accounting consequences, the Board may,
in its discretion and, to the extent necessary or desirable, modify or amend the
Plan to reduce or eliminate such accounting consequence including, but not
limited to:

             (i) altering the Purchase Price for any Offering Period including
     an Offering Period underway at the time of the change in Purchase Price;

             (ii) shortening any Offering Period so that Offering Period ends
     on a new Exercise Date, including an Offering Period underway at the time
     of the Board action; and

             (iii) allocating shares.

     Such modifications or amendments shall not require stockholder approval or
the consent of any Plan participants.

     21. Notices. All notices or other communications by a participant to the
Company under or in connection with the Plan shall be deemed to have been duly
given when received in the form specified by the Company at the location, or by
the person, designated by the Company for the receipt thereof.

     22. Conditions Upon Issuance of Shares. Shares shall not be issued with
respect to an option unless the exercise of such option and the issuance and
delivery of such shares pursuant thereto shall comply with all applicable
provisions of law, domestic or foreign, including, without limitation, the
Securities Act of 1933, as amended, the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as
amended, the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder, and the requirements
of any stock exchange upon which the shares may then be listed, and shall be
further subject to the approval of counsel for the Company with respect to such
compliance.

     As a condition to the exercise of an option, the Company may require the
person exercising such option to represent and warrant at the time of any such
exercise that the shares are being purchased only for investment and without any
present intention to sell or distribute such shares if, in the opinion of
counsel for the Company, such a representation is required by any of the
aforementioned applicable provisions of law.

     23. Term of Plan. The Plan shall become effective upon the date of the
closing of the Company's initial public offering of Common Stock pursuant to an
effective registration statement on form S-1. It shall continue in effect for a
term of ten (10) years unless sooner terminated under Section 20 hereof.


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