MontaVista has released what it calls an “early access” version of its commercial embedded Linux distribution based on the 2.6-series Linux kernel. The x86-only evaluation release will let existing MontaVista customers test applications on the new kernel, MontaVista says, and is available to current subscribers of MontaVista Linux Professional Edition.

The 2.6 Linux kernel, considered by some to be a breakthrough for embedded developers because of its mainstream integration of uClinux, the preemptible kernel patch, and a bevy of other embedded-specific features and filesystems, officially took wing on December 18 of last year, by which time some commercial Linux vendors, including LynuxWorks and SnapGear, had already marketed embedded distributions based on 2.6-series test kernels. After 2.6 officially launched, LynuxWorks was first out of the gate with a commercial release based on 2.6, while TimeSys claimed the first 2.6 release on PowerPC. TimeSys also quickly produced tools for any 2.6 kernel, not to mention a timely series of detailed, technical whitepapers and Webinars devoted to porting applications and drivers to the new kernel.

MontaVista, meanwhile — a company that claims to lead the embedded OS and tools market — has taken a conservative tack toward 2.6, continuing to refine the patched 2.4.20 kernel used in its commercial products since the November, 2003 release of MontaVista Linux Professional Edition 3.1.

In the fall of last year, when other embedded Linux vendors were pre-releasing 2.6-test kernels, MontaVista's director of strategic marketing Bill Weinberg told the SD Times that MontaVista would wait for a stable release, but that its kernel already had “the same thing” as parts of 2.6. In May, five months after the official 2.6 kernel release, CEO Jim Ready reiterated MontaVista's conservative 2.6 strategy: “Actually, there were more relevant incremental improvements from 2.2 to 2.4. We have already mitigated differences between 2.6 and 2.4. Having 2.4 stuff with real-time capabilities [backported from 2.6], softens the pressure to move to 2.6. Still, we'll be shipping 2.6 this year. From a customer point of view, there's pressure. It's not overwhelming. We did a pretty quick 2.4 upgrade, but followed in six months with another one. It's somewhat arbitrary when 2.5 becomes 2.6, and there's still a shakeout period. Waiting for it to mature minimizes perturbation.”

2.6-based MontaVista eval is x86 only, for now

According to MontaVista, today's evaluation release provides customers with the opportunity to try out the new 2.6 kernel with existing applications originally developed for the current release of Pro 3.1 based on the 2.4.20 kernel. The release brings new features that include:

• High Resolution Timers
• KGDB (kernel debugger) Support
• Interrupt Latency Measurement
• Linux Trace Toolkit
• Configurable System V Semaphores
• Cross-Development Build Enhancements

The evaluation release supports x86 target platforms that include generic x86-586, IA32 Pentium II, and IA32 ­ Pentium III. It is designed for use with both Linux and Windows-hosted (but not Solaris-hosted) cross-development tools, MontaVista says.

MontaVista's VP of marketing Peder Ulander said, “MontaVista Linux is already a standard on many solutions ranging from the data center to the device. This update integrates many of the latest Open Source components, and is designed for increased application performance, improved memory management, tighter security, and increased system flexibility.”

Current MontaVista subscribers are eligible to download the evaluation release from MontaVista's support Website.

 
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