MontaVista Announces Release of Hard Hat Linux 1.0 for Embedded Applications

Joinux Team
February 03, 2000

MontaVista Software Inc., a developer of open source operating systems, has announced the release of Hard Hat Linux 1.0, a version of its Hard Hat Linux distribution optimized for embedded applications. The distribution is based entirely on the standard Linux kernel and open-source components and royalty-free. It offers features such as scalable memory footprint down to 0.5 megabytes, embedded operation, flash ROM memory boot and file system, support for high-integration processors and accompanying peripherals. Hard Hat Linux targets x86/Pentium CPUs from Intel and PowerPCTM microprocessors from Motorola and IBM, offering board support for COTS (Commercial Off-The-Shelf) and custom embedded systems hardware. It also offers communications applications developers a 'CompactPCI advantage' with tailored board support for system and I/O cards from Force Computers, Inc., Motorola Computer Group, and Ziatech Corp.; CompactPCI back-plane networking with MontaVista Hard Hat Net; support for PICMG Hot Swap; partner solutions for telecommunications protocols such as ATM and SS7; and a High- availability Framework (available later this year). In addition to supplying the Hard Hat Linux kernel and facilities for embedding on target hardware, MontaVista also offers an array of cross and native embedded Linux development tools, including C and C++ compilers, application and kernel debuggers, and configuration/scaling tools for the Linux kernel. The Hard Hat Linux version 1.0 is available immediately for Intel x86/Pentium and Motorola PowerPC microprocessors in CompactPCI, PC/104, and other industrial computing form factors, as well as for customer-specific hardware platforms. It is available through MontaVista hardware partners and directly from MontaVista together with Hard Hat Linux professional services subscriptions. The distribution will be demonstrated at MontaVista's booth # 165/167 from Feb. 1-4, 2000 at the LinuxWorld Conference & Expo, Jacob Javits Center, New York City.