Lantronix Showcases Network-Enabling Technology for Jini Products At JavaOne Show

Business Wire, June 15, 1999

IRVINE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--June 15, 1999--

Platform-Independent Hardware Complements Operating

System-Independent Jini and Java Software Applications

Many companies will be exhibiting Jini- and Java-enabled products at the JavaOne Show in San Francisco Tuesday and one company will be demonstrating hardware products that will go a long way in helping fulfill the promise of these software applications.

Lantronix, a leading provider of network-enabling technology, is showcasing its universal thin servers, which offer network connectivity to hundreds of traditionally non-networked devices.

One of a number of companies working directly with Sun Microsystems on the development of Jini technology, Lantronix is developing Java-enabled, application-specific universal thin servers for a wide variety of networking applications. Lantronix products and the Java application complement each other in the sense that both are platform independent and the latter provides a graphic user interface to access and control a networked device.

"We are looking to expand the perception of Java beyond the computer peripheral and consumer product realm to that of the hundreds of types of commercial devices," said Richard Geasey, strategic marketing manager at Lantronix.

"Along with our technology, Java can be a means of communicating with, gathering information from and controlling a device remotely over a shared network or the Internet, such as a manufacturing manager updating a CNC tool from across the world."

Like Lantronix's products that communicate using the TCP/IP protocol over Ethernet, Java is not tied to a specific network operating system (NOS) or application environment. Geasey points out that the combination of these technologies provides a compelling networking solution. "Companies no longer have to worry about compatibility issues because everything is platform independent."

Lantronix's external universal thin servers, which are about the size of a garage door opener, can connect any existing device with a serial port to a network. New board-level universal thin servers specifically tailored for OEM manufacturers allow companies to embed a small Lantronix board into their products for a fraction of the cost that it would take to develop an internal solution to network-enable their products.

The key benefit of the universal thin server is the capability to implement policy-based reporting and management at the device level, actually creating an intelligent device, not just a network connection.

According to Geasey, by offering universal thin servers in a variety of form factors, companies can now network-enable their past, present, and future products. "Regardless of what stage of development a company's products are in, Lantronix has a solution to network-enable them," he noted.

"The external solution works for products that are already on the market, the board-level solution can be embedded into products currently in development, and, in the future, Lantronix will license its hardware design, TCP/IP stack and firmware directly to OEM manufacturers."

Lantronix is currently a member of the Jini Printer Workgroup and plans to incorporate Jini support into its universal thin servers over the next six months to a year, as the printer manufacturers in the group develop the framework for how Jini will work with their products.

About Lantronix

Lantronix is the leading provider of revolutionary network-enabling technology that allows nearly any device to communicate over the Internet and shared networks. Lantronix's Universal Thin Servers bring the advantages of high-speed networking and remote management to thousands of unconnected legacy devices that today can only communicate through local serial ports.

For manufacturers who need to network-enable their current products, Lantronix provides embedded board-level solutions that accelerate time-to-market, in addition to technology licensing for network-enabling tomorrow's products. From factory and building automation to remote data collection to security systems and beyond, Lantronix allows system integrators and designers to create networked applications that were never before possible.

Lantronix is a privately held company established in 1989 with headquarters in Irvine. More than 1.5 million Lantronix products have been installed worldwide. For more information, visit the company's Web site at www.lantronix.com.