| Report from the 2nd Embedded Linux Expo & Conference |
Rick Lehrbaum (Nov. 4, 2000)
I suspect it will come as no surprise that the second Embedded Linux Expo & Conference (ELEC), held October 27, 2000 in Westborough, MA (near Boston), was another great success! As in the case of last June's ELEC, the event was well attended from both the attendee and exhibitor perspective, and the day was permeated by a clear sense that Embedded Linux is truly "a market on fire."
The pre-conference "hands-on workshop"
This time, there was an additional day -- the day prior to the one-day Conference & Expo -- devoted to an all-day classroom-style Embedded Linux hands-on workshop. The session was conducted by Kevin Dankwardt of K Computing, a training and consulting firm. I had the pleasure of attending that session, and can heartily recommend it to anyone who wants to learn more about embedding Linux.
There were about 25 participants and we worked in groups of two to a lab bench. Get this: our project for the day was, working in teams of two, to convert the PC on each of our lab stations into a remotely controlled "headless" (i.e. no graphics output) embedded mp3 player. Basically, in the course of the day, we started from Red Hat Linux 6.2 sources and built a minimized kernel (starting from menuconfig) and filesystem, created and tested a system image, compressed and transferred the system image to a floppy diskette, booted from the floppy, and tested the resulting standalone mp3 player. Incidentally, we used BusyBox for embedded utilities, syslinux to load Linux, and GoAhead as the embedded webserver.
And it worked! By the end of the day, we were happily controlling our Linux-PC based mp3 player remotely via html-based play, pause, and stop buttons using the browser on another team's PC. Well, being an embedded Linux newbie myself, I must admit that it was *really* helpful to be teamed up with a Unix guru from the MIT Lincoln Laboratory (thanks, Mark!). In retrospect, I can't recall the last time I've learned so much in a single day!
If you'd like to see what you missed, you can view the slides from the seminar here.
Meanwhile back at the Expo & Conference
The expo/conference event was nicely organized, with one large room for "table-top" style vendor exhibits, and a second large room for the technical presentations. Sally Bixby, RTC event manager for the Embedded Linux Expo & Conference, provided these summary statistics . . . - 40 exhibitors
- 150 technical conference attendees
- 250 overall attendees of the event
- 5 representatives of the press
- Attendees came from 15 states of the US, plus 5 countries: Norway, UK, Indonesia, Japan, and Canada
The exhibitors, who represented a broad range of software, hardware, tools, and services targeting the Embedded Linux market, included: ACT/Technico, AMIRIX Systems, Cirrus Logic, Cogent Computer Systems, Computer I/O Corporation, Cowboy Industries, CSP, DevelopOnline, Embedded Linux Consortium, The Embedded Community, EMJ Embedded Systems, Generic Logic, Green Hills Software, Highlander Engineering, I-Logix, Infomatec, Intrinsyc, Lanner Electronics, Lineo, LinuxDevices.com, Linux Journal, LynuxWorks, M-Systems, MEN Micro, Metro Link, MontaVista Software, Neoware Systems, NETsilicon, Objective Interface Systems, OnCore Systems, PalmPalm Technology, PEP Modular Computers, QNX Software Systems, Reasoning, Tilcon Software, TimeSys, Trolltech, Ultimate Solutions, WIN Enterprises, Xycom Automation.
The technical presentations
As in the case of the first ELEC event (last June), the technical presentations were high caliber, avoided blantant commercialism, and spanned a broad set of topics and issues on using Linux in embedded apps. As we did following the last conference, we are making the speakers' slide presentations available online. Please use the links provided here to view more information about each of the ELEC speakers and their talks, including (if available) the presentation slides:I think all of us who attended the event in Westborough are looking forward to attending one or more of the future ELEC events. Currently the RTC Group has scheduled three ELEC's for 2001, adding a Japan event in addition to the eastern and western US events.
(Click here for further information)
|
|
|
FUEL Database on MontaVista Linux
Whether building a mobile handset, a car navigation system, a package tracking device, or a home entertainment console, developers need capable software systems, including an operating system, development tools, and supporting libraries, to gain maximum benefit from their hardware platform and to meet aggressive time-to-market goals.
Breaking New Ground: The Evolution of Linux Clustering
With a platform comprising a complete Linux distribution, enhanced for clustering, and tailored for HPC, Penguin Computing¿s Scyld Software provides the building blocks for organizations from enterprises to workgroups to deploy, manage, and maintain Linux clusters, regardless of their size.
Data Monitoring with NightStar LX
Unlike ordinary debuggers, NightStar LX doesn¿t leave you stranded in the dark. It¿s more than just a debugger, it¿s a whole suite of integrated diagnostic tools designed for time-critical Linux applications to reduce test time, increase productivity and lower costs. You can debug, monitor, analyze and tune with minimal intrusion, so you see real execution behavior. And that¿s positively illuminating.
Virtualizing Service Provider Networks with Vyatta
This paper highlights Vyatta's unique ability to virtualize networking functions using Vyatta's secure routing software in service provider environments.
High Availability Messaging Solution Using AXIGEN, Heartbeat and DRBD
This white paper discusses a high-availability messaging solution relying on the AXIGEN Mail Server, Heartbeat and DRBD. Solution architecture and implementation, as well as benefits of using AXIGEN for this setup are all presented in detail.
Understanding the Financial Benefits of Open Source
Will open source pay off? Open source is becoming standard within enterprises, often because of cost savings. Find out how much of a financial impact it can have on your organization. Get this methodology and calculator now, compliments of JBoss.
Embedded Hardware and OS Technology Empower PC-Based Platforms
The modern embedded computer is the jack of all trades appearing in many forms.
Data Management for Real-Time Distributed Systems
This paper provides an overview of the network-centric computing model, data distribution services, and distributed data management. It then describes how the SkyBoard integration and synchronization service, coupled with an implementation of the OMG¿s Data Distribution Service (DDS) standard, can be used to create an efficient data distribution, storage, and retrieval system.
7 Advantages of D2D Backup
For decades, tape has been the backup medium of choice. But, now, disk-to-disk (D2D) backup is gaining in favor. Learn why you should make the move in this whitepaper.
|
|
|
|
|
news feed