Sunnyvale, CA — (press release excerpt) — MontaVista Software Inc. today announced the introduction of the company's first High Availability (HA) development tools for Linux-based embedded applications. The Hard Hat Linux High Availability Tool Kit is targeted to designers of central office switching equipment, ISP/ASP systems, and other communications applications. It provides a standards-based, off-the-shelf software platform for building fault-resilient systems based on industry-standard CompactPCI and customer-specific hardware.

High Availability (HA) is a term for technology that enhances the “up-time” of computer systems by distributing functionality across multiple CPUs. In response to hardware and software failures, HA systems facilitate the rapid transfer of control (fail-over) from a faulty CPU, peripheral, or software component to a functional one, while preserving operations or transactions in-progress at the time of failure. Many embedded designers choose the standard CompactPCI board and system form factor for HA designs since it supports replacement and insertion of system and peripheral cards without the need for cycling power, reducing technician-assisted time-to-repair.

MontaVista's High Availability Tool Kit supports redundant system slot fail-over (RSS) and hot swap/hot replace of I/O cards in multi-CPU chasses. The tool kit enables developers to enhance the reliability of their applications by supporting redundant system slot processors to work in active/stand-by pairs (2N) with rapid fail-over from the active to the stand-by CPU. It also supports the in-place swapping out of failed peripheral slot processors by technicians in response to hardware faults. The Hard Hat Linux High Availability Tool Kit includes key software components needed to support fault-resilient systems, including code that facilitates RSS fail-over, and ready-to-use hot swap “aware” device drivers and templates for standard peripheral slot CPUs. The offering also bundles training and professional services to speed HA technology insertion and reduce customer learning curves.

“With this release, MontaVista continues the trend of moving embedded development away from proprietary, closed software and hardware designs toward open, standards-based systems,” commented Kevin Morgan, MontaVista vice president of Engineering. “By providing a CompactPCI platform and an open architecture for hot swap and fail-over, MontaVista is rewriting the book on how to build highly available and fault resilient systems.”

Product Availability

The MontaVista High Availability Tool Kit for Hard Hat Linux is available immediately for use on CompactPCI ZT5083 chasses from Ziatech Corporation. It supports RSS for the Intel Pentium-based Ziatech ZT5550 as system slot controller and hot replace for Ziatech ZT5540 and ZT5541 as peripheral slot CPUs. MontaVista will demonstrate its Hard High Linux High Availability Tool Kit at the Embedded Systems Conference, April 10-12. In the third quarter of 2001, MontaVista will augment its Hard Hat Linux High Availability Tool Kit with RSS and PICMG 2.12 hot swap for chasses and boards from Motorola Computer, SBS Technologies, Radisys Corporation and other manufacturers. The upgraded offering will also support a larger framework of distributed computing software components.

 
This article was originally published on LinuxDevices.com and has been donated to the open source community by QuinStreet Inc. Please visit LinuxToday.com for up-to-date news and articles about Linux and open source.