Modcomp Cerplex, L.P. announces more robust PC REAL IX Operating System, also to be offered with industrial grade Pentium-based PC and turnkey systems

Business Wire, Jan 19, 1996

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan. 19, 1996-- Modcomp/Cerplex, L.P. (MODCOMP), has announced the PC REAL/IX operating system as the company's premier flagship operating system.

The PC REAL/IX operating system can be purchased alone, with an industrial grade PC platform, and with turnkey and near-turnkey systems. Offered with the operating system are industrial interfaces, client/server application software and enabler packages, all delivered in an easily managed media format.

The announcement was made in response to inquiries by MODCOMP's customers at recent user symposiums and through the company's open door policy for customers. John P. Clary, president and CEO, who highly regards the input of his customers stated: "The demand for real-time performance in the industrial markets continues to grow and the call for high-performance low-cost solutions is a driving force. The PC REAL/IX operating system provides the performance requirements for hard real-time applications and easily meets the needs in the areas of soft real-time. Industrial installations require life-cycles well beyond what is commonly available in the general data processing arena. The ability to replace computer systems on a regular basis, due to obsolescence, is not an option. Industrial installations require high-performance, high-reliability, long-life computer systems: a service that MODCOMP has been providing to the industry for over 25 years."

At present, MODCOMP is actively evaluating a wide range of industrial grade PC platforms. Their criteria is to select a platform that can be supported for the life of the installation, a highly reliable ruggedized platform that will operate and survive in harsh factory environments. The system will be ISO 9000 compliant and be CE mark certified. Industrial interfaces such as IEEE-488, discreet analog and digital input/output, and PLC's will be offered and fully supported. MODCOMP's renowned Special Engineering department will integrate hardware and software with PC REAL/IX platforms to meet specific customer requirements.

MODCOMP continues to make the product even more robust. Two areas of focus are POSIX 1003.1b (real-time extensions) compliance and providing client/server object oriented application enabler software. Further development in these areas are expected to establish a solid foundation, allowing MODCOMP to provide complete integration capabilities and to supply customers with turnkey or near-turnkey solutions.

AccessPoint, a popular application enabler will be available with the PC REAL/IX operating system, which together on MODCOMP's 88K RISC-based REAL/STAR systems will provide scalable, cross-platform application availability. AccessPoint collects, delivers and presents real-time supervisory control and data acquisition information accurately and quickly. AccessPoint features one common source code across all supported UNIX-based platforms, graphical displays to assist plant operators with control actions optimizing processes in industrial and utility plants, and provides easy access to information for engineers and managers.

MODCOMP's customer service provides full technical support services for the PC REAL/IX operating system. Software patches and fixes for PC REAL/IX will be available on MODCOMP's Internet gateway, greatly enhancing the company's ability to react and to respond. Access to patches any where in the world over the Internet will greatly compress the time required to alleviate any problems that are encountered.

Examples of future offerings being evaluated for development or value-added resale are: PC REAL/IX operating system failover capability for high availability system configurations, front-end data acquisition and control products, plant equipment monitoring and maintenance analysis systems.

MODCOMP was founded in 1970, and is a worldwide supplier of high-performance, real-time computer systems, products and services for time-critical applications in markets such as factory automation, process control, real-time data acquisition and control, government/aerospace, and communications. In 1986, MODCOMP was acquired by AEG Daimler-Benz Industrie (AEG), a member of the Daimler-Benz Group, the largest industrial company in Germany. In 1994, MODCOMP became a joint venture between members of AEG Daimler-Benz Industrie and The Cerplex Group Inc., a leading independent provider of electronic repair and parts logistics services. MODCOMP is headquartered in Fort Lauderdale and maintains offices for sales, services and support throughout North and South America, Europe, and Far East regions of the world.

MODCOMP corporate headquarters is located at 1650 West McNab Road, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33309-1088. Telephone: 800/322-3287 or 954/974-1380. Fax: 954/977-1900. Email: info@modcomp.com Internet: http://www.modcomp.com. -0-

Note to Editors: MODCOMP, Modular Computer Systems Inc., MAX, and REAL/STAR are registered trademarks of Modcomp/Cerplex, L.P. REAL/IX is a registered trademark of Modular Computer Systems Inc. All other product and company names mentioned herein may be trademarks and/or registered trademarks of their respective companies.