Timesys provides the first commercial Linux support for the Sitara family of ARM Cortex-A8 technology-based AM35x MPUs from TI

Complete open-source Linux solution for developers creating products that can endure rugged and extreme thermal industrial environments

Pittsburgh, PA – November 10, 2009 – Timesys Corporation (https://timesys.com), provider of LinuxLink, today announced that LinuxLink customers working with the Texas Instruments Incorporated (TI) Sitara™ family of AM35x microprocessors (MPUs) can have their platform and development environment with integrated OpenGL® ES 2.0 up and running in days. As a leading provider of embedded Linux software and expertise, Timesys is the first to deliver commercial Linux support for the AM3517 and AM3505 MPUs, which are the industry’s first ARM® Cortex™-A8 technology based solutions for the industrial market segment.

LinuxLink customers can choose from the latest GNU-based toolchains enabled with uClibc and glibc libraries optimized for the Cortex-A8 core and the Neon™ instruction set. The initial release is based on the 2.6.31 Linux kernel and comes with support for many device drivers including, Ethernet, Flash, LCD and USB, which are present on the AM3517 Evaluation Module from Texas Instruments. The complete list of drivers, Linux packages/middleware and other utilities can be found on the Timesys website at https://timesys.com/supported/processors/ti.

Customers who use LinuxLink to design around Linux on AM3517 MPUs benefit from the latest open source code. They can design a variety of applications by selecting from hundreds of packages/middleware offered through LinuxLink’s award-winning online and desktop-hosted build tools (called Factory) that facilitate the process of building and integrating the custom Linux platform. The desktop version of the Factory build tool offers unique flexibility compared to any other Linux build platform by allowing users to integrate third-party packages, custom applications and proprietary software.

Timesys frequently updates the Linux components offered in LinuxLink to provide the best open source alignment, and the company also adds new features/packages to LinuxLink on a regular basis. As an added benefit, LinuxLink’s update service automatically notifies customers of changes to any of the components used in their project.

Application developers will benefit from LinuxLink development tools, including the Eclipse-based TimeStorm IDE and commonly used debugging tools. These tools help customers ensure the quality, reliability and performance of their final product. When needed, LinuxLink customers have immediate access to a vast suite of documentation and tutorials as well as support from Timesys’ expert engineers.

“As the first commercial Linux support offering for our new Sitara family of AM35x MPUs and designs, Timesys’ unique LinuxLink development environment and engineer support allows our customers to quickly build a custom Linux platform and focus their engineering resources on developing a value added application. This ultimately translates to a faster time-to-market and greater product success,” said Gerard Andrews, Sitara product line manager, TI

In addition to the LinuxLink product, Timesys also offers professional services to customers requiring access to highly experienced Linux system developers to work on specific projects in partnership with their in-house engineers.

“We are delighted to add LinuxLink support for the latest AM3517 processor from TI,” said Maciej Halasz, Director of Product Management at Timesys. “We’ve had tremendous success so far in helping our customers build Linux-based products with TI processors, and we are excited to further enhance our support by offering LinuxLink support for AM3517 and AM3505 based designs.”

For a limited time, developers can obtain free trial access to LinuxLink, to quickly configure, build and evaluate embedded Linux on the AM3517 MPU by registering at https://timesys.com/register.

Additional information about LinuxLink subscriptions for TI’s AM35x can be found at https://timesys.com/supported/processors/ti.

About Timesys

Timesys is the provider of LinuxLink, a high-productivity software development framework for embedded Linux applications. The LinuxLink framework includes the Linux kernel, cross-toolchain, application development IDE, an award-winning build system called Factory, a vast library of middleware packages, software stacks and libraries, documentation and expert technical support. LinuxLink enables development teams to consistently build and maintain a custom, open source, embedded Linux platform through regularly updated Linux sources, proven middleware packages, and a scriptable GNU-based build environment. Sign up for access to the Free Edition of LinuxLink at www.timesys.com/register.

Timesys Press Contact

Theresa Kisha
Tel: (+1) 412.325.6362
Email: theresa.kisha@timesys.com

About the Texas Instruments Developer Network

Timesys is a member of the TI Developer Network, a community of respected, well-established companies offering products and services based on TI analog and digital technology. The Network provides a broad range of end-equipment solutions, embedded software, engineering services and development tools that help customers accelerate innovation to make the world smarter, healthier, safer, greener and more fun. www.ti.com/dspdevnetwork

Editors’ Notes:

Timesys is a registered trademark of Timesys Corporation.
Sitara is a trademark of Texas Instruments.
OpenGL is a registered trademark of Silicon Graphics Inc.
ARM is a registered trademark and Cortex and NEON are trademarks of ARM Limited.
Eclipse is a trademark of Eclipse Foundation, Inc.
Linux is a registered trademark of Linus Torvalds in the United States and other countries.
All other company and product names mentioned are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of their respective owners.