Santa Barbara, CA and Paris — (press release excerpt) — Envenergy, the developer of a [Linux-based] Multi-Protocol Exchange (MPX) technology for energy and facility management, today announced a partnership with Groupe Electricite de France (EDF), the world's largest utility. Under the terms of the agreement, EDF will contribute resources from its 2,500-person Research & Development staff and its… experience in European markets to develop applications and services using Envenergy's MPX. EDF will gain a minority equity stake in Envenergy.

Envenergy's MPX provides the infrastructure needed to bring information from disparate facility systems (building automation, energy, lighting, access control, metering, etc.) into an enterprise Information Technology (IT) environment. Envenergy's MPX technology combines its Broadway Framework software with the latest in embedded systems, networking, and open source software such as the Linux operating system.

The MPX-based infrastructure meets the needs of Energy Service companies (ESCOs), Facility Management providers, equipment and Building Automation System manufacturers, and utilities. It allows users to improve their bottom line through improved equipment performance, reduced energy costs, and greater operational efficiency. Envenergy's early customers include Fortune 500 level companies and industry leaders.

The MPX is an integrated hardware and software solution. It acts as the Facility Systems Agent within a building, allowing facility managers, system integrators, and service providers to create an intelligent and manageable network out of different building systems (HVAC, lighting, access control) and devices (meters, on-site generators). With this in-building network in place, a facility manager or energy service provider can automatically turn on or off onsite generators, control power-using systems such as lighting and air conditioning and remotely manage facility operations.

There are three essential components of the MPX:

• MPX Framework
  
• Hardware platform
  
• Embedded Linux operating system

MPX Framework

The centerpiece of the MPX is the MPX Framework, a unique software environment that allows each connected device — regardless of protocol — to be presented in a common interface. The MPX uses Internet Protocol (IP) as the true standard for communication across diverse networks – an approach designed to deliver a seamless enterprise-wide solution quickly and cost effectively.

Hardware platform

The hardware platform is a compact computer with no moving parts designed as an extremely reliable solution for harsh facility environments. It has flash memory and battery management circuits that allow it to perform its own Uninterruptible Power Supply functionality. It resilient against random power failure events that typically cause file system corruption in other systems. The MPX Series 2 hardware platform has an extensive Input/Output feature set including:

• 2 USB ports
  
• 4 Dallas bus I/O ports
  
• 2 RS232 serial ports
  
• 2 RS232/485 serial ports
  
• 2 RS485 serial ports
  
• 2 Ethernet ports;
  
• 4 Digital/Counter; inputs
  
• 2 Solid state opto-isolated relay contact closure outputs
  
• Infrared transceiver

The operating system is embedded Linux. Linux provides a number of advantages. It is the only system that can support our demanding robustness and reliability requirements and provides scalability. The Linux-based system software also supports our comprehensive security needs. It supports UNIX user security, as well as Framework Access Control List (ACL) security. Encryption support includes Secure Socket Layer (SSL), Secure Shell (SSH), IPSec for Virtual Private Networks (VPNs), plus a packet filtering firewall.

 
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