Toronto and Vancouver, Canada — (press release excerpt) — Arcturus Networks Inc. and Belcarra Technologies are teaming up to provide USB Remote NDIS (USB RNDIS) device support for next generation embedded Residential Gateway and CPE devices. Through the collaboration, Balcarra's USB support will be available for Arcturus' Residential Gateway firmware suites.

USB RNDIS is a standard Microsoft USB host facility for networking which eliminates the need for additional Windows driver software. This simplifies end-user operation and reduces product support costs for an OEM or carrier.

The joint solution will eliminate the need for end users to purchase and install additional hardware to network their different PC based devices and enable the interoperability demanded in a LAN/WAN solution for the home, small or branch office.

USB was conceived to replace the various extra cards that users struggled with when adding such things as networking, sound, and extra storage. USB support within Linux has included simple, single-function devices such as cameras, printers and disk drives; however, the use of USB for connecting complex devices such as PDAs and routers to a Desktop system for data and network sharing has not had an elegant and architecture-independent solution prior to Belcarra. Alternate solutions also rely on special drivers on the Windows host end.

The joint solution will be integrated as part of the Arcturus firmware suites, which include SentryVPN for secure networking, MIBflex for remote management, and SIPstream for Voice and session media.

 
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