Timesys Delivers a Comprehensive, Low-cost Linux Solution for Altera's Nios II Embedded Processor

Unique combination of products and services enable widespread adoption of Nios II processor in Linux-based products

Pittsburgh, PA, USA – October 22, 2009 – Timesys® Corporation (http://www.timesys.com), provider of LinuxLink, the first commercial software development framework for building custom embedded Linux®-based products, today announced the availability of a suite of Linux products and services supporting Altera Corporation’s Nios® II embedded processor. The Timesys LinuxLink software development framework gives Nios II processor users access to a low-cost, intuitive environment for developing a wide range of Linux-based products.

LinuxLink allows customers to accelerate their product development by providing access to hundreds of open-source middleware packages, making it simple and easy to create footprint-optimized Linux platforms with a rich set of APIs well matched to their end applications. Developers can take advantage of both the online and desktop-hosted versions of LinuxLink’s build system. The desktop build system offers more flexibility than other Linux build platforms by allowing users to integrate third-party packages, custom applications and proprietary software. With either interface, customers leverage the code from the open-source community, and LinuxLink’s update service automatically notifies customers of changes to any of the components used in their project. The Timesys distribution includes a board support package for Altera’s Nios II Embedded Evaluation Kit and Embedded Systems Development Kit, Cyclone® III Edition.

Included with LinuxLink is an Eclipse-based TimeStorm IDE, providing tools for application development and debugging. With support for industry-standard JTAG probes as well as a wealth of Eclipse-compatible plug-ins, these development tools help customers ensure the quality, reliability and performance of their final product.

LinuxLink customers receive full access to technical support from expert Timesys engineers, who have extensive experience in developing, debugging and optimizing Linux platforms for a wide range of applications. When customers need additional assistance with specific development programs, they can engage with Timesys’ Professional Services team to develop the software for all or part of a Linux-based product.

As an additional resource for customers developing FPGA-based products, the Timesys Professional Services team provides FPGA design capability. Customers who want to focus their internal resources on developing value-added applications for their product can rely on Timesys to provide both a well-optimized hardware design and the accompanying Linux platform support.

“We are delighted to see Timesys introduce their Linux environment and professional services for the Nios II platform,” said Chris Balough, senior director of software, embedded, and DSP marketing at Altera. “Many of our customers are developing Linux-based products and can benefit from the availability of the LinuxLink environment. This product and service from Timesys is an attractive option for customers who want commercial support to complement their in-house capabilities so they can get their product to market quickly.”

“LinuxLink from Timesys is a key element of the complete system-level solution that Arrow provides to customers developing products around the Altera Nios II platform,” said Jessica McCabe, Corporate Supplier Manager for Software at Arrow. “Many of our customers have selected Timesys as their commercial Linux provider, and we welcome the availability of Nios II support within the LinuxLink environment that is so widely used.”

“We are pleased to announce our support for the Nios II processor,” said Charlie Ashton, Vice President of Business Development at Timesys. “The LinuxLink business model is well aligned with the requirements of Altera’s customers, and we look forward to good mutual success across a broad spectrum of markets, such as industrial control, medical equipment, consumer products, networking devices and other high-volume applications.”

Availability

LinuxLink software development framework is available now from Timesys Corporation. For a limited time, developers can obtain a free trial access to LinuxLink by registering at https://linuxlink.timesys.com/register/factory and entering promotion code PRNIOSII when completing the form. This trial access to LinuxLink allows developers to quickly configure, build and evaluate embedded Linux on the Nios II embedded processor.

Additional information about LinuxLink subscriptions for Altera® platforms can be found at http://www.timesys.com/Altera.

About Timesys

Timesys is the provider of LinuxLink, a high-productivity software development framework for embedded Linux applications. The LinuxLink framework includes the Linux kernel, cross-toolchain, application development IDE, an award-winning build system called Factory, a vast library of middleware packages, software stacks and libraries, documentation and expert technical support. LinuxLink enables development teams to consistently build and maintain a custom, open source embedded Linux platform through regularly updated Linux sources, proven middleware packages, and a scriptable GNU-based build environment. LinuxLink reduces the time, resources, risk and cost associated with building a product based on open source Linux. For more information, visit http://www.timesys.com.