PrismTech Introduces Java to the World of Real-Time Distributed Object Computing.

SAN FRANCISCO -- For the First Time Enterprises Can Use Java to Integrate Their Most Demanding Real-Time Applications with PrismTech's OpenFusion Middleware

PrismTech, a leading provider of distributed and wireless software infrastructure, today announced OpenFusion(R) RT for Java(TM). The latest in PrismTech's range of high quality, highly optimized Object Request Brokers (ORBs), OpenFusion RT for Java brings distributed real-time CORBA(R) middleware to the real-time Java world.

Real-time systems are those which must produce correct responses within a definite time limit. Changes in the scale, complexity and scope of real-time systems are forcing the real-time community to re-think the way in which it develops software. Elements of real-time programming are now finding their way into applications that had never previously required real-time programming expertise and as a result it is becoming increasingly difficult to view real-time developers and business application developers as members of two separate communities. Rather, ways will have to be found to build bridges between these communities to facilitate the smooth flow of information from the smallest embedded device to the largest enterprise information system, and vice versa.

Taken together, these trends make it necessary for the real-time community to adopt real-time platforms that provide higher-level abstractions and advanced tools for functional and temporal programming. The Java platform is ideally suited to many of the needs facing the real-time community, but until now, has offered limited support for real-time functionality. The Real-Time Specification for Java extends the benefits of the Java programming language to the real-time community, creating an architecture in which hard real-time (HRT), soft-real-time (SRT), and non-real-time (NRT) processes could coexist and share data.

Project Mackinac is Sun Microsystems' first commercial implementation of the Real-Time Specification for Java (RTSJ). Its purpose is to provide a real-time implementation that meets the stringent needs of real-time developers while continuing to offer all of the other advantages of the Java programming language.

Distributed middleware conforming to the Object Management Group's (OMG(TM)'s) language-neutral CORBA specification is well established as a technology for integrating diverse systems and is used extensively for mission and business critical applications in many industry sectors. With the publication of the Real-time CORBA Specification, the OMG extended the benefits of CORBA to the real-time domain. The standard addresses the issues of end-to-end predictability across CORBA systems and provides a solution in terms of priority control, synchronization and resource control.

OpenFusion RT for Java is PrismTech's new real-time CORBA-compliant ORB for the RTSJ. Based on a product core that has been tried and tested in demanding applications in both the military and commercial sectors, its architecture supports full CORBA operations.

The architecture of OpenFusion RT for Java is open, flexible and highly performant. It includes a fully capable, enterprise level ORB and, unlike many real-time ORBs, OpenFusion RT for Java includes enterprise level functionality. It is therefore uniquely positioned to provide a single solution for different needs and uses, supporting both real-time and business applications in a single ORB.

OpenFusion RT for Java includes support for Sun Microsystems' Project Mackinac real-time Java platform on the Solaris(TM) Operating System.

Amongst the key features of OpenFusion RT for Java are:

--RT CORBA v1.1 support on a RTSJ compliant JVM with low jitter comparable to that obtained with C or C++ applications,

--Java Language bindings based on the OMG's IDL to Java Language Mapping specification,

--Full POA implementation,

--Multithreaded support,

--Comprehensive Portable Interceptor support,

--Support for ValueTypes,

--Request Timeouts from the CORBA Messaging specification.

OpenFusion RT for Java is guaranteed to interoperate with other PrismTech ORBs and is backed by PrismTech's extensive and well established range of OpenFusion CORBA Services products.

"We are very excited by this latest addition to our range of highly optimized middleware products," said Keith Steele, PrismTech's CEO. "With OpenFusion RT for Java we can now offer the benefits of real-time CORBA to the rapidly emerging real-time Java sector."

"We have been extremely impressed by the performance we have achieved with OpenFusion RT for Java using Project Mackinac. The robustness and ease of use of the system coupled with excellent support from Sun Microsystems have been key to us achieving our development goals," added John Russell, PrismTech Product Manager.

"The recent development milestones represented by Project Mackinac highlight the extraordinary capabilities and rich functionality of the Java platform for the real-time software development and embedded systems community," said Greg Bollela, Distinguished Engineer at Sun Microsystems. "The steady progress of Project Mackinac to fully implement the Real-Time Specification for Java (JSR 01) combined with the efforts and vision of partners like PrismTech have created the keystone of a new community which will profit from the advanced and theoretically correct real-time development platform defined by the RTSJ."

For further information about OpenFusion RT for Java and PrismTech's other highly optimized middleware products please visit the website at www.prismtech.com. For more information on the Real-Time Specification for Java and Project Mackinac, visit www.sun.com/news.

Notes for Editors

About PrismTech

Founded in 1992, with offices in the USA and Europe, PrismTech is a privately held software products company. PrismTech serves international Fortune 500 customers in the telecommunications, data communications, defense and aerospace sectors. PrismTech is an acknowledged leader in distributed and wireless software infrastructure, with solutions ranging from wide-scale integration to embedded real-time systems, supporting applications from operations support systems (OSS) through to software-defined radio (SDR). For additional information about PrismTech, visit the web site at www.prismtech.com.

SUN, Sun Microsystems, the Sun Logo, Java, and J2EE are trademarks or registered trademarks of Sun Microsystems, Inc in the U.S. and other countries. CORBA is a registered trademark of the Object Management Group, Inc in the U.S. and other countries. OpenFusion is a trademark of PrismTech. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.