Author Archives: richard wilson

IBM makes biggest ever commitment to Linux

largeOpen source software is set to dominate the enterprise server market, says IBM.

Fifteen years after first running Linux on a mainframe, IBM said it is now ready to contribute “the single largest amount of mainframe code to open source community.”

“We are betting big on open source in the enterprise,” said IBM which has introduced two Linux mainframe servers.

IBM is also working with Canonical to create an Ubuntu distribution for the new Linux servers called LinuxONE and the z Systems cloud computing platform.

The collaboration with Canonical will bring Ubuntu’s scale-out and cloud capability to the IBM z Systems platform.

Tom Rosamilia, senior vice president, IBM Systems writes:

“Fifteen years ago IBM surprised the industry by putting Linux on the mainframe, and today more than a third of IBM mainframe clients are running Linux.”

LinuxONE Emperor server is based on the IBM z13, and it can scale up to 8,000 virtual machines through the open standards-based KVM hypervisor. SUSE, a leading distributor of Linux, will provide initial support for KVM for the mainframe.

The second server, the LinuxONE Rockhopper is intended as an entry-level server.

Both incorporate encryption features built into both the hardware and software to help keep customer data and transactions confidential and secure.

As part of its largest ever commitment to open-source software IBM has enabled Apache Spark, Node.js, MongoDB, MariaDB, PostgreSQL, Chef and Docker for LinuxONE and IBM z Systems.

Canonical plans to distribute Ubuntu for LinuxONE and z Systems, adding a third Linux distribution. SUSE and Red Hat already support distribution. Canonical also plans to support KVM for the mainframe.

IBM has also joined Linux Foundation Project.

 

 

Richard Wilson

IDF: Microchip adds authentication security to IoT devices

Microchip will implement IC authentication security developed by Intel into its chips for IoT applications

Microchip will implement IC authentication security developed by Intel into its chips for IoT applications

Microchip Technology says it will implement IC authentication security developed by Intel into its chips for IoT applications.

The whole area of IoT where devices such as smart meters and health sensors are connected to the internet to transfer data has raised the issue of data security.

Many chip firms are implementing security techniques such as authentication and processor partitioning into their devices.

Intel’s device authentication technology called Enhanced Privacy ID is intended to allow a service provider when setting up a connection to an IoT device to verify that an end user is authorised to access the service.

For the user of the IoT device the EPID protocol should mean they do not need to reveal their identity to an internet service provider.

According to Lorie Wigle, general manager of Internet of Things Security at Intel, the technology will mean users of Microchip’s devices will be able to “maintain end-to-end security and privacy in their IoT products and services, which helps them to protect data from device to cloud, minimizes unauthorized access of endpoints and gateways, and will promote a common security framework for IoT platforms.”

At the Intel Developer Forum this week in San Francisco, the Intel EPID protocol was demonstrated running on Microchip’s IoT Security Platform (pictured)

“Microchip has long recognised the importance of security in IoT applications,” said Ian Harris, vice president of Microchip’s Computing Products Group.

It is a group signature scheme that allows a platform to sign objects without uniquely identifying the platform or linking different signatures. Instead, each signer belongs to a ‘group’, and verifiers use the group’s public key to verify signatures.

EPID supports two modes of signatures:

  • Fully anonymous: an EPID verifier cannot associate a given signature with a particular member of the group.
  • Pseudonymous: an EPID verifier has the ability to determine whether it has verified the platform previously.

 

Richard Wilson

IDF: Microchip adds authentication security to IoT devices

Microchip will implement IC authentication security developed by Intel into its chips for IoT applications

Microchip will implement IC authentication security developed by Intel into its chips for IoT applications

Microchip Technology says it will implement IC authentication security developed by Intel into its chips for IoT applications.

The whole area of IoT where devices such as smart meters and health sensors are connected to the internet to transfer data has raised the issue of data security.

Many chip firms are implementing security techniques such as authentication and processor partitioning into their devices.

Intel’s device authentication technology called Enhanced Privacy ID is intended to allow a service provider when setting up a connection to an IoT device to verify that an end user is authorised to access the service.

For the user of the IoT device the EPID protocol should mean they do not need to reveal their identity to an internet service provider.

According to Lorie Wigle, general manager of Internet of Things Security at Intel, the technology will mean users of Microchip’s devices will be able to “maintain end-to-end security and privacy in their IoT products and services, which helps them to protect data from device to cloud, minimizes unauthorized access of endpoints and gateways, and will promote a common security framework for IoT platforms.”

At the Intel Developer Forum this week in San Francisco, the Intel EPID protocol was demonstrated running on Microchip’s IoT Security Platform (pictured)

“Microchip has long recognised the importance of security in IoT applications,” said Ian Harris, vice president of Microchip’s Computing Products Group.

It is a group signature scheme that allows a platform to sign objects without uniquely identifying the platform or linking different signatures. Instead, each signer belongs to a ‘group’, and verifiers use the group’s public key to verify signatures.

EPID supports two modes of signatures:

  • Fully anonymous: an EPID verifier cannot associate a given signature with a particular member of the group.
  • Pseudonymous: an EPID verifier has the ability to determine whether it has verified the platform previously.

 

Richard Wilson

IDF: Microchip adds authentication security to IoT devices

Microchip will implement IC authentication security developed by Intel into its chips for IoT applications

Microchip will implement IC authentication security developed by Intel into its chips for IoT applications

Microchip Technology says it will implement IC authentication security developed by Intel into its chips for IoT applications.

The whole area of IoT where devices such as smart meters and health sensors are connected to the internet to transfer data has raised the issue of data security.

Many chip firms are implementing security techniques such as authentication and processor partitioning into their devices.

Intel’s device authentication technology called Enhanced Privacy ID is intended to allow a service provider when setting up a connection to an IoT device to verify that an end user is authorised to access the service.

For the user of the IoT device the EPID protocol should mean they do not need to reveal their identity to an internet service provider.

According to Lorie Wigle, general manager of Internet of Things Security at Intel, the technology will mean users of Microchip’s devices will be able to “maintain end-to-end security and privacy in their IoT products and services, which helps them to protect data from device to cloud, minimizes unauthorized access of endpoints and gateways, and will promote a common security framework for IoT platforms.”

At the Intel Developer Forum this week in San Francisco, the Intel EPID protocol was demonstrated running on Microchip’s IoT Security Platform (pictured)

“Microchip has long recognised the importance of security in IoT applications,” said Ian Harris, vice president of Microchip’s Computing Products Group.

It is a group signature scheme that allows a platform to sign objects without uniquely identifying the platform or linking different signatures. Instead, each signer belongs to a ‘group’, and verifiers use the group’s public key to verify signatures.

EPID supports two modes of signatures:

  • Fully anonymous: an EPID verifier cannot associate a given signature with a particular member of the group.
  • Pseudonymous: an EPID verifier has the ability to determine whether it has verified the platform previously.

 

Richard Wilson

IDF: Intel gives transistor-less cross point memory a name

The transistor-less 3D XPoint non-volatile memory technology - Micron-3d-NAND

The transistor-less 3D XPoint non-volatile memory technology – Micron-3d-NAND

Intel has given an indication at Intel Developer Forum (IDF) in San Francisco this week when the transistor-less 3D XPoint non-volatile memory technology it has been developing with Micron, will appear in commercial products.

A range of solid state drives (SSDs) which implement the 3D memory technology will be introduced in 2016.

Intel has also given the non-volatile memory a new brand name, Optane.

Intel and Micron have made big claims for the non-volatile memory which they say will be up to 1,000 times faster and has up to 1,000 times greater endurance than NAND flash.

The companies also say it has the potential to have 10 times the density of conventional memory.

The “3D” memory is based on a new transistor-less cross point architecture which creates a three-dimensional checkerboard where memory cells sit at the intersection of word lines and bit lines, allowing the cells to be addressed individually.

The consequence of this, says Intel, is that data can be written and read in small sizes, leading to faster and more efficient read/write processes.

It seems the market will start putting the technology to the test when it sees first sample 128Gbit memory devices later this year and commercial production should follow in 2016 under the Optane brand.

 

 

 

Richard Wilson

Yocto Linux SBC adds modules for prototyping

Habey has designed the Linux board around a Freescale i.MX6 processor based on ARM Cortex-A9 architecture

Habey has designed the Linux board around a Freescale i.MX6 processor based on ARM Cortex-A9 architecture

A US company has created a modular embedded Linux board which it hopes will be used across the entire product development cycle from evaluation, development, prototyping to finish product.

Habey has designed the Linux board around a Freescale i.MX6 processor based on ARM Cortex-A9 architecture. It runs an open source embedded Linux distribution with Yocto Project.

The industrial computer firm describes the HIO-EMB-1200 as a single-board computer with its own power input, on-board RAM, flash storage, HDMI, digital audio, USB ports and SD expansion.

The modular design gives eight 50-pin female headers on the top and bottom of the board for expansion modules.

Along with the base board, the company has developed a starter kit for power over Ethernet designs, and a development kit with LCD touch panel.

For more information on product availability go to Habey’s HIO Project website.

The Yocto embedded Linux images, support documents and source codes are also available at HIO Project’s wiki and GitHub.

Richard Wilson

Morocco on the map as chip design centre

Unlikely as it may seem, but Morocco is becoming a centre for IC design.

Unlikely as it may seem, but Morocco is becoming a centre for IC design.

Unlikely as it may seem, but Morocco is becoming a centre for IC design.

STMicroelectronics has had a chip design team in Rabat Morocco for ten years .

UK-based silicon design house Sondrel has design teams in the US, France, Israel and China, and now Morocco has been added to the list.

“After considering several European locations, Morocco delivered both on the quality of the engineering resources and the quality of the facilities and communications infrastructure,” said Graham Curren, CEO of Reading-based Sondrel.

Sondrel provides consultancy services across the full IC design cycle from RTL design, though verification, emulation and DFT to physical implementation. The team in Rabat, Morocco will carry out IC design verification and physical implementation.

Curren said he continues to see a demand from clients “for secure off shore design facilities, with the appropriate engineering expertise, continues to be strong.”

“In terms of engineering skills and capabilities we continue to add depth to our verification resources to meet the growing demand in this area in particular,” said Curren.

 

 

Richard Wilson

Technology job prospects were never better, says KPMG

Tudor Aw, KPMG

Tudor Aw, KPMG

Technology job prospects have never been better, according to the latest survey by KPMG/Markit.

The latest tech sector business monitor found that company recruitment plans  “jumped to a survey-record high and tech companies signaled greater confidence about future workloads”.

The survey found that growth in the second quarter of the year marked three years of sustained business activity growth across the UK tech sector. This growth was down on previous years probably due to the temporary uncertainty of the General Election in May and more specifically, weakness in the Euro Zone.

Commenting on the report, Tudor Aw, partner and head of technology sector at KPMG, said:

“Happily, it looks like Tech companies were just pressing the pause button as our survey also shows that despite this Q2 slowdown, tech companies are very upbeat about the future, forecasting an upturn in profitability, strong job hiring intentions and continued investment in capex.”

And profits were up, which contributed to the confidence in future prospects and the need for recruiting staff.

“Tech companies are highly upbeat projections for activity, job creation and capex during the next 12 months. In terms of business activity, just over half (57%) expect an increase over the year ahead and only 6% forecast a decline,” said Aw.

The survey found that almost half of the respondents anticipate a rise in payroll numbers over the year ahead, indicating the strongest employment projections across the UK tech sector since this index began in October 2009.

And over 70% forecast an upturn in profits during the year ahead, against just 2% that foresee a decline.

 

Richard Wilson

Micro-projector turns wall into an 80-inch touchscreen

A micro-projector which can create a touch display up to 80-inches in size on a flat surface

A micro-projector which can create a touch display up to 80-inches in size on a flat surface

A Singapore company has created a micro-projector which can create a touch display up to 80-inches in size on a wall or other flat surface.

The two year old start-up called Touchjet has already secured funding for its Pond Projector on the Indiegogo crowd-funding website.

Built on the Android 4.4 operating system, the infrared projector will interface with a smartphone or tablet using a third-party app.

What the company calls a light processing unit picks up an infrared signal which then runs through an image-processing algorithm.

That process translates the location of the user’s gesture into a standard touch point signal.

The system can process thousands of points and dozens of projected frames per second.

A second product, the Touchjet WAVE uses the same technique to turns almost any flat screen TV or monitor into a touchscreen.

The projector is portable, weighing 9.6 ounces and has a built-in speaker.

The Touchjet Pond Projector sells for £599 in the UK.

Touchjet describes itself as follows:

Founded in 2013, Touchjet brings people together in shared experiences using its patented touch technology. The company’s first product, the Touchjet Pond Projector (formerly called Touchpico), turns any surface into a giant touchscreen. The Touchjet Pond Projector had one of the most successful Indiegogo campaigns ever, securing more than $800,000 in funding.

See also: TI sees micro-mirror 3D projector going into production

 

Richard Wilson

Micro-projector turns wall into an 80-inch touchscreen

deviceA Singapore company has created a micro-projector which can create a touch display up to 80-inches in size on a wall or other flat surface.

The two year old start-up called Touchjet has already secured funding for its Pond Projector on the Indiegogo crowd-funding website.

Built on the Android 4.4 operating system, the infrared projector will interface with a smartphone or tablet using a third-party app.

What the company calls a light processing unit picks up an infrared signal which then runs through an image-processing algorithm.

That process translates the location of the user’s gesture into a standard touch point signal.

The system can process thousands of points and dozens of projected frames per second.

A second product, the Touchjet WAVE uses the dame technique to turns almost any flat screen TV or monitor into a touchscreen.

The projector is portable, weighing 9.6 ounces and has a built-in speaker.

The Touchjet Pond Projector sells for £599 in the UK.

 

Richard Wilson