NEWS
Wind River Raises the Bar in Linux Device Software Development; Introduces New Products, Services and Partnerships to Speed Linux Adoption in the Device Software Optimization Market
- Wind River announces Wind River General Purpose Platform, Linux Edition and latest version of Wind River Platform for Network Equipment, Linux Edition
- Complete platform offering includes Wind River Workbench and delivers configuration options tailored to meet the needs of Linux application developers and Linux platform developers
- Wind River Workbench provides developer support for Wind River Linux, Red Hat Linux, kernel.org Linux, and MontaVista Linux
- Announces Professional Services Practices providing Linux and development expertise across multiple industries
“Today’s announcement closely follows the January 2005 Linux release and the market adoption of Wind River’s Linux Platform, setting the pace for other Linux providers,” said John Fanelli, vice president, product planning and management, Wind River. “Our customers are demanding that we deliver Linux solutions incorporating the latest kernel.org releases that are scalable, reliable and high performing, backed with the 20+ years of support and professional services capabilities that only Wind River can deliver.”
Today’s device manufacturers are under increasing pressure to support the demand for more complex software. To keep up with this demand, device manufacturers are forced to deliver complex devices faster, while maintaining quality and reliability. In order to be successful, developers are choosing to adopt a DSO strategy that enables innovation, flexibility and cost controls within tight development windows. The Wind River Linux solutions enable customers to deliver Linux-based device software with increased connectivity, security, reliability and quality.
“Wind River has made tremendous strides, both in its support for open source and in bringing choice to the device software space,” said Bill Weinberg, OSDL open source architecture specialist. “The company offers a wide array of solutions, with support for multiple operating systems and Eclipse-based tools, and is making key investments in Linux for device software, including active participation in the OSDL Carrier Grade Working Group.”
Wind River General Purpose Platform, Linux Edition and
Wind River Platform for Network Equipment, Linux Edition
Wind River’s Linux Platform offerings are based on kernel.org and deliver an integrated platform designed for both “hard-core” Linux kernel developers as well as Linux-based application developers:
- Based on Linux 2.6.10 kernel
- Carrier Grade Linux (CGL) version 2
- ATCA and Compact PCI support
- Workbench 2.3 development suite support
- Commercial strength development methodology and support: leverages two decades of Wind River experience in developing, integrating, testing and supporting device software that requires a high degree of reliability and scalability
- Flexibility in configuration and purchase options
Wind River Professional Services
Supporting the new Linux General Purpose Platform, Wind River also announced Wind River Professional Services for Linux. Based on more than 20 years of DSO services experience, Wind River Professional Services now offers its full suite of capabilities for the Linux market. Whatever the technical or logistical challenge, Wind River Professional Services offers a unique blend of skills, contacts, knowledge, intellectual property, flexible resources, design process and project management methodology to help get customers’ products to market. A sampling of the services that Linux customers receive includes:
Technology enabling
- Platform support: Hotline, custom hotline, AE/TAM access, training, installation and orientation services
- Platform enabling: Custom training, Linux support package, device drivers, feature acceleration, EOL extension and support, middleware integration
- Platform customization: Platform extensions, third party IP integration, middleware, platform and runtime optimizations, Wind River Workbench porting, kernel customization, custom drivers
Design Services
- First design: First version complete system design and development services, including knowledge transfer
- Linux migration: Evaluate and recommend an effective porting strategy to migrate current applications to new platforms, Linux simulation, migration services
Service Availability Forum
Traditionally, commercial technology vendors and Telecom Equipment Manufacturers have made significant investments in various proprietary high availability middleware solutions. However, this area of technology, while still critical for the applications, no longer provides for strong vendor differentiation. Much of it has been adopted by open standards and becomes available in open source. Following the general industry trend toward standardization, telecom equipment and solution providers are looking to replace their in-house technology efforts with open standards-based solutions.
The leading standards body around high availability is the Service Availability Forum (SAF). SAF is concerned with the specification of software programming interfaces for networking applications requiring high service availability. Its goal is to provide for open standards and modularity of high availability functional components. Wind River is an active member of the SAF contributing to the specification of standard interfaces for high availability telecom applications.
Strong Partner Support for Wind River General Purpose Platform, Linux Edition
Wind River boasts partnerships with many of the industry’s leading software and hardware technology providers, which affords customers the choices they need to be successful in a highly competitive and crowded market. Partners have expressed resounding support for Wind River General Purpose Platform, Linux Edition:
"One of the biggest challenges we experience with the Linux operating system today is that our customers want a quality distribution that they can deploy with confidence. They want a solid Linux kernel foundation that is scalable, integrated and tested," said Dave Mothersole, chief technology officer, Networking and Computing Systems Group, Freescale. "Now that Wind River is bringing more than 20 years of device software experience to the Linux kernel-based device market, we believe this problem is solvable, and we are happily working with Wind River to that end."
“We are excited about the new developments in the Wind River Platforms and its added support for MIPS cores. Wind River is recognized as the leader for DSO solutions and our licensees continue to adopt their solutions,” said Jack Browne, vice president of worldwide sales, MIPS Technologies. “Strengthening of the Wind River and MIPS Technologies relationship benefits our joint customers by lowering development costs and reducing time-to-market.”
“The ARM microprocessor architecture is the leading choice for a wide range of next-generation consumer products where Linux is increasingly being used. The expansion of Wind River development solutions to target these platforms will enable developers to maximize control and optimize performance throughout the development cycle,” said Philippe Robin, product manager, ARM. “The inclusion of support for the RealView® Versatile Application Baseboard for the ARM926EJ-S™ will provide an excellent development platform with a highly integrated, feature rich development environment.”
“As the level of shared data in infrastructure applications increases and becomes more complex, managing the applications' data becomes extremely challenging,” said Alain Couder, president and chief executive officer, Solid Information Technology. “Our customers have benefited from the powerful combination of the Wind River General Purpose Platform and Solid's robust, carrier grade shared data manager for their applications.”
“Motorola customers depend upon a robust hardware and software ecosystem to provide a wide range of increasingly capable, standards-based products that allow them to quickly develop their added-value – which is increasingly software-based – and deliver to their customers,” said Wade Campbell, strategic marketing director, Embedded Communications Computing, Motorola. “The new capabilities being introduced by Wind River, such as the Wind River Workbench, can be used by our customers to improve their ability to meet many of today’s dynamic market challenges.”
Availability
The Wind River General Purpose Platform, Linux Edition and the Wind River Platform for Network Equipment, Linux Edition are available today in Early Access for select customers. Both platforms will be generally available in June 2005.
For more information on the Wind River’s Linux Platforms, please visit: www.windriver.com/products/platforms/index.html
Forward-Looking Safe Harbor Statement
Certain statements in this press release including, but not limited to, the anticipated release and benefits of new products, services and reference designs by Wind River and resulting from collaboration with partners, are forward-looking statements that are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause results to be materially different than expectations. Such risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, delays in the development or integration of technologies, rapid technological or business changes that adversely affect customer demand or partner strategies, and other risks detailed from time to time in the Wind River reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission including its Form 10-K for the year ended January 31, 2005. These forward-looking statements speak only as of the date hereof. Wind River disclaims any obligation to update these forward-looking statements.
About Wind River
Wind River is the global leader in device software optimization (DSO). Wind River enables companies to develop and run device software faster, better, at a lower cost and more reliably. Wind River Platforms are pre-integrated, fully standardized enterprise-wide development solutions. They reduce effort, cost and risk, and optimize quality and reliability at all phases of the device software development process from concept to deployed product.
Founded in 1981, Wind River is headquartered in Alameda, California, with operations worldwide. To learn more, visit Wind River at www.windriver.com or call Wind River at 1-800-872-4977.
The Wind River logo is a trademark of Wind River Systems, Inc., and Wind River and VxWorks are registered trademarks of Wind River Systems, Inc. Other marks used herein are the property of the respective owners.
Contact Information
Jessica Miller
Global Corporate Communications