Wind River Revs Embedded Linux

Wind River recently unveiled the fourth generation of its commercial embedded Linux development platform, Wind River Linux 4.

The operating system is based on the Linux 2.6.34+ kernel and gcc 4.4.1/eglibc 2.11/gdb 7 toolchains. Wind River Linux 4 supports a full range of embedded hardware architectures, as well as a wide selection of virtualization and multi-core offload capabilities ranging from kernel-based KVM to multi-OS Wind River Hypervisor, the company said.

Developers can build system enhancements that improve workflow with decreased development time, making it easier to consolidate embedded Linux projects onto a scalable commercial-grade platform, according to Wind River, a wholly owned subsidiary of Intel. The developer created preconfigured profiles for some key vertical markets to kick-start solutions for certain high-growth segments.

"With the introduction of Wind River Linux 4, we're providing customers with the latest Linux technology in a stable, tested, and integrated development environment," said Paul Anderson, VP of marketing and strategy for Linux products at Wind River. "Having a fully supported, development-ready Linux platform enables customers to reduce cost and time-to-market by focusing resources on product differentiation and revenue-impacting activities, rather than spending time reinventing base technologies or dealing with potential open source license issues."

Wind River Linux 4 supports fully pre-emptible kernel (PREEMPT RT) and provides a seamless migration path for developers creating products on Wind River Linux 3.x. In addition, the newest version of the operating system features user space, workflow, and tool enhancements designed to increase productivity and improve resource-sharing across multiple groups, according to Wind River. These enhancements include an improved mechanism for capturing, archiving, and sharing patches; analysis tools for memory, footprint, and power; and tools designed to speed-up cross-compiling and debugging, the developer said.

This iteration supports next-generation processes from vendors including Cavium Networks, Freescale, Intel, NetLogic Microsystems, and Texas Instruments. There also is the capability for customers to build applications in a native-build environment on an x86-based machine with a reduced development and diagnosis time, Wind River said.