Duke Energy Division Enlists Intuitive Technology's Web@aGlance To Create Embedded Internet Process Control System.

MARLBORO, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan. 19, 1999--Today, Intuitive Technology announced that Charlotte, NC-based Techtrol adopted Web@aGlance into Techtrol's new process information solution. Web@aGlance is an award-winning Sun-certified 100% pure Java(tm)-based solution that makes process control information easily available across a corporate Intranet.

Techtrol's solution - called "Orchestrator" - is currently available to companies in the chemical and textile industries and is applicable in a host of industrial and commercial settings. Techtrol incorporated Web@aGlance into their embedded solution to create a web-based process information solution that converts the Human-Machine Interface (HMI) for viewing from any popular Web browser, such as Netscape Navigator or Microsoft Internet Explorer. The Orchestrator provides utility companies and other users with process data such as temperature, humidity, current weather and kilowatt-hours in a graphical and customizable format.

"We selected Web@aGlance because we can implement it easily and it fits within our strategy to provide thin-client technology," said Larry Blumer, Head Programmer, Techtrol. "With nothing more than a workstation Web browser, users have access to real-time data from Orchestrator within Web@aGlance's Java-animated graphic displays. Properly designed thin-client applications have the advantage of being platform independent and easy to administer."

According to Intuitive Technology President Dave Copeland, "Web@aGlance provides more exciting and dynamic content than is capable with plain HTML. The result is a clever browser-based human-machine interface complete with changing color, flashing text, motion, updated real-time values and trends. In addition, no special software needs to be installed on the remote device."

Use Model

The Orchestrator Industrial Control System, representing Techtrol's first venture into embedded PC control, is a successful marriage of off-the-shelf PC/104 hardware and hard real-time operating system software.

The standard model features a 386 25mHZ processor, two isolated RS-422/485 communication ports, 10baseT Ethernet and a flash disk. The Orchestrator's object-based firmware incorporates HTTP 1.1 compliant micro web server technology to drive a hierarchical web-based interface based on HTML and JavaScript.

The system can be completely configured and programmed using a point and click browser interface to its embedded SQL language interpreter and state logic engine.

The Web@aGlance Java animation library communicates with a data source via simple HTML pages transported via the HTTP protocol. Unlike other heavily encoded protocols, Web communications are ASCII-based, an attribute that facilitates product development, troubleshooting, and understanding.

In essence, the Techtrol Orchestrator acts as a gateway by publishing data acquired via common industrial protocols like Modbus, OPT0-22, and BACnet (typically via RS-232 and RS-485) onto an Ethernet network in the form of animated Java-based web pages.

"The three most important traits of any component in an embedded system are speed, size, and cost," said Techtrol's Blumer. "Embedded systems designers typically choose components that can comfortably perform the task at hand, as opposed to the latest and greatest `barn-burner' CPU. Web@aGlance's Java animation library is well suited for this minimalist environment, as the entire library - including the editor - occupies about 224k."

Web@aGlance provides a direct window into the inner workings of each Techtrol Orchestrator controller, helping to strip away the many layers of hardware and software complexities separating traditional fat client SCADA workstations from important process data. The Web@aGlance Java animation library is tightly integrated, eliminating the need for interposing "pay-per-point" style tagname databases. The editor allows you to browse for tags directly from each Orchestrator and drop them onto a graphics page, which then becomes immediately available to the entire TCP/IP network.

About Techtrol

Techtrol is the systems integration division of DukeSolutions, headquartered in Charlotte, NC. A leading provider in HVAC controls, Techtrol provides controls systems that improve customer efficiencies and productivity. Focusing on the industrial sector, product offerings include: metering, monitoring and verification systems; application of variable speed drives (VSD) to injection molding machines; process control systems and data center integration systems. For more information, contact Techtrol on the World Wide Web at http://www.techtrol.com.

DukeSolutions, a wholly owned subsidiary of Duke Energy (NYSE: DUK), is one of the fastest growing energy services companies in North America with 26 offices throughout the United States and Canada. Duke Energy is a global energy company based in Charlotte, North Carolina, with more than $26 billion in assets.

About Intuitive Technology

Intuitive Technology Corporation, based in Marlboro, MA, is a leading supplier of client/server technology and Web-based technology for the process manufacturing industries. Intuitive Technology offers a family of products called @aGlance and Web@aGlance (pronounced "At-A-Glance"). @aGlance products allow process control engineers, plant managers, and plant cost accountants to bring real-time or historical process data directly into their PC spreadsheet packages such as Microsoft Excel for Windows. Web@aGlance provides animated console screens, charts and trend views, enabling data access from a Web Browser without any software being installed on the remote system. The product was selected as one of 1997's Top 25 Technologies by Industry Week magazine. For more information, contact Intuitive Technology on the World Wide Web at http://www.aglance.com.

Web@aGlance, @aGlance/IT and NetOLE are registered trademarks of Intuitive Technology Corporation. Java and all Java-based trademarks and logos are trademarks or registered trademarks of Sun Microsystems, Inc. in the United States and other countries. All other trademarks, service marks, product and company names are the property of their respective owners.