SAN JOSÉ, Calif., Sept. 16, 1996—Lynx Real-Time Systems, Inc. today unveiled two industry firsts: (1) the industry's first scalable, multi-platform, hard real-time, operating system using LynxOS Kernel Plug-Ins™, and (2) the industry's first embedded operating system that provides a standard Web-based browser as an integral part of its development environment.
"Truly scalable operating systems allow companies to pick a single operating system and significantly leverage their knowledge across a broad range of products and applications, from very complex to relatively simple," said Paul Zorfass, analyst with International Data Corporation, based in Framingham, MA. "Large corporate customers are demanding modular operating systems to help them standardize on a single embedded solution."
"The reason why Lynx is the first vendor to offer modularity across multiple platforms is simply because we are focused on the communications marketplace," said Dino Brusco, Director of Lynx's Communications Business Unit. "The competitive pressures in the communications market requires scalable technology to dramatically reduce their costs and time-to-market."
"Modular operating systems cut development costs dramatically for communications applications such as ATM switches, PBXs, network computers, and wireless communications devices, as well as for other products which demand real-time functionality," said Brusco. "Growth in the communications market has generated pressures to re-engineer product lines for modularity, re-use, added features, higher performance, lower costs, and reduced time-to-market."
Customers who use a modular operating system can either save money by creating smaller memory footprints with lower memory costs, or can add more functionality to their application due to the smaller OS footprint. Because LynxOS can be scaled upward to include more functionality, customers can easily expand their productís capabilities, while preserving their product development investments.
To achieve the scalable functionality, the Lynx operating system has introduced a modular approach. Beginning with its minimal 28-Kbyte microkernel foundation, Lynx allows customers to simply add "Kernel Plug-Ins" (KPIs) using the company's new web-based browser configuration tool. Using the patented LynxOS technology, KPIs and the Web-based configuration tool, users can build solutions from the minimal microkernel up to a full-featured and networked UNIX®-compatible, POSIX conforming system. This building block approach enables engineers to select only the size, cost and functionality that they need at the time, while building in room to increase complexity later. These technologies are code-named Galaxy.
Traditionally, modularity has been associated with poor deterministic performance. That was because microkernels usually required two context switches for each module that was called by the microkernel. Those switches took a large toll on the performance of the overall system.
Lynx, however, addressed that historic pitfall by taking an innovative KPI approach. KPIs eliminate the need for a context switch and are multi-threaded, fully pre-emptive, and re-entrant.
In addition, traditional microkernels tended to be larger in overall memory footprint due to the additional memory, stack, process, and data overhead. Lynx similarly solved this problem by packing the KPIs into system space, not requiring a KPI to be a process, and allowing KPIs to be re-entrant.
In keeping the company's communications focus, Lynx today became the first company to deliver web-based tools as an integral part of its operating systems environment.
"We're convinced that web-based tools will be the standard graphical-user interface for the next generation of products—particularly for the communications industry," said Mitchell Bunnell, Lynx Founder and Chief Technology Officer. "Our operating system will allow engineers to see tremendous benefits from leveraging Internet capabilities. For instance, a few HTML pages or a modest amount of Java byte code can provide a sophisticated GUI interface to an embedded application. Likewise, embedded system developers can leverage off the Web browser vendors like Netscape and Microsoft who have already finished much of the difficult browser development work."
Galaxy, which includes the modular capabilities with KPIs as well as the web-based tool, will be available for early adopters as an optional add-on to the company's LynxOS 2.5 product in Q4, 1996. Continuing with this line of development, Lynx will ship extended modular capabilities and expanded web-based tools in Q2, 1997 when the company unveils the next version of its software.
The LynxOS v2.5 Galaxy Add-On also offers Web-ready support for the Java run-time interpreter and Java applets. This support lays the foundation for next-generation embedded devices which will be designed and monitored over the net. Likewise, the company offers full support for HTML and http, enabling engineers to access a new configuration tool which provides the ability to fit the size of the OS to the size of the application. This feature is compatible with standard browsers such as Netscape and Microsoft Explorer.
In addition to the Galaxy Add-On capabilities, Lynx announced the following features as part of its LynxOS 2.5 operating system product:
Lynx Desktop:
Additional features and benefits:
Lynx Real-Time Systems, Inc. is a world-wide supplier of real-time operating systems and development tools. Its products shorten product development cycles and reduce costs for software engineers. By committing to POSIX, UNIX, and other industry standards, the company enables customers to leverage their investments in software development and education. Founded in 1988 as a privately-held company, Lynx has offices in the U.S., Europe and Japan, and worldwide headquarters in San José, Calif.
| Kirsten Long Director, Marketing Communications LynuxWorks, Inc. USA +1 408-979-4404  |
Dave Reddy Weber Shandwick USA +1 650-868-4659  |
Peter van der Sluijs Neesham Public Relations Europe +44 1442-879222  |
| Hamid Mirab Managing Director EMEA LynuxWorks Ltd. United Kingdom +44 208-906-9506  |
Francisca Llamas Weber Shandwick USA +1 415-685-0608  |
 |
Copyright © LynuxWorks™, Inc. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part in any form or medium without express written permission of LynuxWorks is prohibited. | 21 years of embedded excellence |
