Press Releases

CompactPCI Introduction First in a Family of HA Offerings for Embedded Linux

Sunnyvale, Calif., April 5, 2001 - MontaVista Software Inc., the company powering the embedded revolution, today announced the introduction of the company’s first High Availability development tools for Linux-based embedded applications. The Hard Hat™ Linux® High Availability Tool Kit is ideal for designers of central office switching equipment, ISP/ASP systems, and other communications applications. It provides a standards-based, off-the-shelf software platform for building fault-resilient systems based on industry-standard CompactPCI and customer-specific hardware.

MontaVista’s High Availability Tool Kit supports redundant system slot fail-over (RSS) and hot swap / hot replace of I/O cards in multi-CPU chassis. The tool kit enables developers to enhance the reliability of their applications by supporting redundant system slot processors to work in active/stand-by pairs (2N) with rapid fail-over from the active to the stand-by CPU. It also supports the in-place swapping out of failed peripheral slot processors by technicians in response to hardware faults.

"With this release, MontaVista continues the trend of moving embedded development away from proprietary, closed software and hardware designs towards open, standards-based systems," commented Kevin Morgan, MontaVista vice president of engineering. "By providing a CompactPCI platform and an open architecture for hot swap and fail-over, MontaVista is rewriting the book on how to build highly available and fault resilient systems."

The Hard Hat Linux High Availability Tool Kit includes key software components needed to support fault-resilient systems, including code that facilitates RSS fail-over, and ready-to-use hot swap "aware" device drivers and templates for standard peripheral slot CPUs. The offering also bundles training and professional services to speed HA technology insertion and reduce customer learning curves.

MontaVista’s new HA product is structured as an add-on to the company’s flagship embedded platform, Hard Hat Linux, and is available under product subscription from MontaVista.

Availability

The MontaVista High Availability Tool Kit for Hard Hat Linux is available immediately for use on CompactPCI ZT5083 chassis from Ziatech Corporation. It supports RSS for the Intel Pentium-based Ziatech ZT5550 as system slot controller and hot replace for Ziatech ZT5540 and ZT5541 as peripheral slot CPUs. MontaVista will demonstrate its Hard High Linux High Availability Tool Kit at the Embedded Systems Conference April 10-12, in the Moscone Convention Center, San Francisco, Booth #122.

In the third quarter of 2001, MontaVista will augment its Hard Hat Linux High Availability Tool Kit with RSS and PICMG 2.12 hot swap for chassis and boards from Motorola Computer, SBS Technologies, Radisys Corporation, and other manufacturers. The upgraded offering will also support a larger framework of distributed computing software components.

 

Background

 

High Availability (HA) is a term for technology that enhances the "up-time" of computer systems by distributing functionality across multiple CPUs. In response to hardware and software failures, HA systems facilitate the rapid transfer of control (fail-over) from a faulty CPU, peripheral, or software component to a functional one, while preserving operations or transactions in-progress at the time of failure. Many embedded designers choose the standard CompactPCI board and system form factor for HA designs since it supports replacement and insertion of system and peripheral cards without the need for cycling power, reducing technician-assisted time-to-repair

About MontaVista Software Inc.

MontaVista Software Inc. is a leading provider of open-source systems software solutions for embedded systems. Founded in 1999 by real-time operating system pioneer James Ready, MontaVista's principal offering is the Linux operating system and cross development tools tailored for embedded systems. MontaVista products include Hard HatTM Linux®, a standard off-the-shelf binary distribution of Linux for x86/IA-32, PowerPC, StrongARM, MIPS, Hitach SH and other microprocessor architectures. Hard Hat Linux offers developers a family of open source solutions for embedded design, with targeted offerings for applications ranging from communications infrastructure to thin-client and edge applications.

Headquartered in the heart of Silicon Valley in Sunnyvale, California, MontaVista Software is a privately held company funded by leading investors such Alloy Ventures, US Venture Partners, RRE Ventures, WR Hambrecht + Co, and Intel Capital. For more information about MontaVista, please visit http://www.mvista.com or call (408) 328-9200.

Linux is a registered trademark of Linus Torvalds. Hard Hat is a trademark of MontaVista Software Inc. Intel, Pentium and XScale are trademarks of Intel Corporation. StrongARM is a registered trademark of ARM Limited. PowerPC is a registered trademark of International Business Machines Corporation. MIPS is a registered trademark of MIPS Technologies. All other names mentioned are trademarks, registered trademarks or service marks of their respective companies.

Contacts:

Joe Samagond
Director of Marketing and Corporate Communications
MontaVista Software Inc.
Phone: (408) 328-9234
Email: jsamagond@mvista.com

Patricia Colby
PR Strategy and Business Development
Pacifico Inc.
Phone (408) 293-8600 ext. 340
E-mail: pcolby@pacifico.com