Wind River Targets Mobile Handhelds and Telecommunications Equipment With the Latest Release of Its Commercial Grade Linux Platforms

ALAMEDA, Calif., July 31 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Wind River Systems, Inc. (Nasdaq: WIND), the global leader in Device Software Optimization (DSO), today announced the latest release of its industry-leading Commercial Grade Linux product line with specific new features geared towards consumer device and network equipment manufacturers. At its foundation is a pristine, unmodified, stable version of the Linux 2.6.14 kernel. Available today, the Linux editions of the Wind River(R) General Purpose Platform, Platform for Consumer Devices and Platform for Network Equipment ship with the latest version of the company's Eclipse-based device software development suite, Wind River(R) Workbench 2.5 and include significant new enhancements to runtime performance and footprint size, networking protocols, security, file systems and hardware architectures.

This release, Wind River's fourth release based on the 2.6 kernel, clearly positions Wind River as a Linux distribution leader. The 2.6.14 Linux kernel, released to the community last October, includes significant improvements and dozens of patches that have been applied since the 2.6.10 kernel release, on which Wind River's previous Linux platforms were based. In addition to the advancements made in the kernel, Wind River leveraged additional patches, packages, and drivers developed in the open source community and integrated them into the distribution. These include hardware-specific drivers for additional processors and boards, updates to development tools, real-time performance and scheduling-related patches, high resolution timer patches, security, networking updates to IPv6, IPsec, and Mobile IPv6, the uClibc library to reduce footprint and memory consumption, and dynamic power management. Leveraging Wind River's 25 years of commercial software expertise in the device industry, Wind River Commercial Grade Linux platforms are engineered, integrated, tested, validated, and supported just as rigorously as the company's VxWorks products.

Wind River's Linux platforms start with the pristine, unmodified kernel downloaded from kernel.org. The platforms ship with all source code just as it is available in the open-source community. A unique and intuitive build methodology enables device manufacturers to customize and add differentiating value to their Linux build without ever losing sight of the clear path back to original source. All patches and packages in Wind River's Linux platforms are available in open source just as they are found in the distribution. This approach helps ensure that customers are able to fully leverage the benefits of open source and will not be orphaned by using patches that have not been submitted back into open source. Wind River also packages over 50 binary reference platforms ranging from SOCs for handheld devices to COTS-based ATCA boards.

"This release addresses two key growth segments for Linux: consumer devices and network equipment," said Glenn Seiler, senior manager for Linux Platforms at Wind River. "Our key market segments include mobile handsets and digital media devices in the consumer space and Carrier Grade Linux based equipment in the networking segment. Wind River is in a favorable position to address these high-growth markets with our commercial grade quality distribution that is based on the open standards adopted by those segments, our broad ecosystem of hardware and software partners and our industry-leading services and support organizations."

Wind River(R) Platform for Consumer Devices, Linux Edition 1.3, is an ideal fit for customers who require the specific Linux capabilities of mobile handheld, consumer electronics, and home entertainment device development projects. This Linux platform combines a high-performance Linux kernel with a Linux distribution that offers device manufacturers a fast-boot, small- footprint run-time environment ideal for memory-constrained devices. Wind River optimized this release to specifically serve as a framework for Mobile handheld reference profiles. As part of its industry-leading partner ecosystem, Wind River worked closely with major handheld hardware vendors such as Intel, Freescale and others, to provide this run-time profile on their hardware platforms. Wind River additionally maintains an unparalleled software partner ecosystem geared towards the demands of mobile handhelds, including advanced graphics, user interfaces, base band communications and smart phone applications such as Web browsers, email and power management capabilities. Wind River is working closely with organizations such as the Open Source Development Labs (OSDL) in its Mobil Linux Initiative to help drive open standards for a Linux-based mobile phone platform.

"With increasing demand for Linux on consumer devices and in telecommunications infrastructure, Wind River provides an attractive platform that both supports the very latest specifications and provides seamless integration among telecommunications platforms," said Bill Weinberg, senior technology analyst at OSDL. "As Linux adoption continues to advance, we expect Wind River will continue to be a driving force in OSDL working groups and in the marketplace, by collaborating to build the next generation of products and services."

With Wind River(R) Platform for Network Equipment, Linux Edition 1.3, the company is one of the first vendors to register with the OSDL Carrier Grade Linux (CGL) 3.2 specification. CGL 3.2 is a key specification for equipment providers to use as the base of their Linux solutions. This new platform combines a high-performance kernel with powerful networking applications, file systems, management, and security features together with CGL availability and serviceability features, support for popular ATCA telecom systems, and a highly-productive cross-development infrastructure. In addition, the platform follows the guidelines for prioritized functionality recently defined by the SCOPE Alliance's Linux Operating System profile. Wind River Platform for Network Equipment, Linux Edition supports all major COTS hardware platforms and enables networking equipment manufacturers to deliver CGL with industry- standard ATCA hardware. The platform is optimized for a wide range of networking applications including control and management system software in 3G wireless infrastructure systems and IMS, WiMax elements, Fixed-Mobile convergence, soft switches, media gateways, DSLAMs, cable modem head-ends, and multi-service switches.

The updated Wind River Commercial Grade Linux platforms are tightly integrated with the company's latest version of the premier, Eclipse-based device software development suite, Wind River(R) Workbench 2.5, and are backed by Wind River's twenty-plus years of device software experience, a broad network of hardware and software partners, a world-class support organization, and a specialized professional services team. Wind River's development suite offers customers complete development lifecycle solutions from board bring-up to application development to testing. Based on Eclipse, the Workbench development suite can be easily extended to include open source and in-house plug-in tools.

Availability

Wind River Linux 1.3 editions of the Wind River General Purpose Platform, Platform for Consumer Devices and Platform for Network Equipment are shipping today.

About Wind River

Wind River is the global leader in device software optimization (DSO). Wind River enables companies to develop, run and manage device software faster, better, at 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 http://www.windriver.com or call 1-800-872-4977.

NOTE: 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.