Embedded Linux Vendor Adds Verticals

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Article Source MoblinZone Blog
October 28, 2009, 11:00 am

The original Stateside embedded Linux OS and tools vendor is touting a few new vertical market spins. “Market-specific” versions of MontaVista Linux 6.0 (MVL6) will ship “this quarter,” targeting industrial automation, automotive, Android, portable multimedia devices, and multicore networking, says MontaVista.

The news comes on the heels of the release of Android 2.0. It also comes at an exciting time for Linux in the automotive space.

For MontaVista, though, the emphasis appears to be on industrial automation. The early market leader in embedded Linux and especially real-time Linux commercialization boasts of being the first commercial vendor to offer the unique combination of CAN bus support, advanced power management, RT Preempt support, and Ethernet enablement for PROFINET. The company — often a late joiner to key industry groups — has yet to join the member ranks of the OSADL, however.

Other verticals touted in the release include:

  • For networking, the new MSDs support “some of the newest multicore processors from Intel, Cavium, and Freescale,” along with support for “multi core management, and advanced network features like SCTP, OpenSwan, libpcap, and IPsec tools.”
  • MontaVista’s Android implementation is said to support “advanced power management, advanced 2D/3D graphics, semiconductor advanced codec enablement, along with Bluetooth and WiFi connectivity.
  • For portable media devices and automotive, MontaVista touts power management, an area where the company has a huge amount of experience and has made large contributions. Of course, MontaVista is also ready to act as a third-party licensing broker, and says it can deliver “advanced 2D/3D graphics, semiconductor advanced codec enablement, Bluetooth and WiFi connectivity, and CAN (controller-area network).”
  • In multifunction enterprise printers, long a financial mainstay for the company, MontaVista again touts power management, “advanced” connectivity, and “memory management features like bigphysarea, and mass storage for larger HDDs.”
  • Finally, Moblin software also merits a mention, with MontaVista touting its readiness to help companies commericalize a “Moblin v2.1 solution for Intel z530.”

MontaVista spokesperson Patrick MacCartee said in a statement, “As our hardware partners develop powerful new platforms, we will remain committed to providing new [vertical market spins] as quickly as possible [and] aligning the embedded Linux supply chain.”

The full release is available for perusal, here.