Sophisticated Circuits Announces PowerKey Pro Server Restart Option

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Beverlee Heiszler
Sophisticated Circuits, Inc.
Voice: 425-485-7979
Fax: 425-485-7172
E-mail:

SOPHISTICATED CIRCUITS ANNOUNCES NEW SERVER RESTART OPTION

SAN FRANCISCO, CA -- January 7, 1997 -- Sophisticated Circuits, Inc. introduced the PowerKey Pro Server Restart Option at Macworld Expo.
The Server Restart Option activates features in the PowerKey Pro® that enable it to detect crashed MacOS-based computers and automatically restart them.
"Anyone who has gotten out of bed and gone to the office to restart a hung server in the middle of the night will find the combination of PowerKey Pro and Server Restart Option a necessary addition to their system," said Amar Singh, President of Sophisticated Circuits, Inc. "Our goal with the Server Restart Option for the PowerKey Pro is to increase the up-time for all MacOS-based servers."
PowerKey Pro, the world's smartest power strip, provides six outlets for your computer and peripherals. PowerKey Pro allows you to start-up or shutdown your entire system with one touch, provides user-definable scheduling, helps conserve energy, enables you to control your system power with a phone call, and much more. Additional information on the PowerKey Pro can be found at www.sophisticated.com.

Capabilities
These capabilities of the PowerKey Pro are activated by installing the Server Restart Option on the MacOS-based computer:
System crash detection and automatic restart -- the PowerKey Pro uses several different methods to detect if a system has crashed. When it detects a crash, it performs a system reset or if necessary cycle's power on the outlet that provides power to the computer.
User timer -- custom application developers that wish to make sure their applications do not stop execution can use this feature. The application can set the User timer to a value and then must set the timer again before it reaches zero. If the User timer reaches zero, the PowerKey Pro can reload the application, restart the computer, or perform additional functions based on user's choices.
Recovery after power failures -- users can insure that their system starts-up as soon as power is restored after a power failure. In addition, they can instruct PowerKey Pro to perform any unique start-up functions whenever the systems is starting after a power failure.
Remote access -- users can use any telephone to call their computer and turn it on, load any applications you choose, or perform a restart. They can set the number of rings and actions to be taken using the PowerKey Pro software.
Action logging -- users can set the PowerKey Pro to keep a history of all activities it generates, even power failures, reboots, scheduled events, etc.
For a detailed description of how to use the PowerKey Pro and Server Restart Option to implement a server restart strategy, see the "Server Restart Option User Manual."
"Software developers such as Maxum Development and ACME Technologies provide products which offer users remote access to the PowerKey Pro to provide better control of their web sites," said David Cloutier, VP of Sales and Marketing for Sophisticated Circuits. "This provides greater flexibility for web site mangers, allowing them to immediately detect when their web server stops functioning and restart the system."
The Server Restart Option is priced at $39.95 and is available directly from Sophisticated Circuits, Inc. The Server Restart Option runs on the PowerKey Pro Model 200, which has a street price of $99.95.
Sophisticated Circuits, Inc. is was founded in 1984 to develop, manufacture, and market smart hardware accessories for MacOS-based computers. The company is based in Bothell, Washington, and sells PowerKey, PowerKey Pro, PowerPad and Desktop Dialer MacOS-based accessories worldwide.

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