The Firmix team has successfully completed numerous embedded Linux projects over the last 15 years. Customers of Firmix benefit from the experience and knowledge gained in these projects. The development of embedded Linux systems calls for know-how about hardware and software tools, hands-on experience with common technologies and knowledge about production transition.
Consulting
You can profit the most from our experience based skills by employing our services from the early and conceptual project stages on. We provide consulting on a wide range of topics like:
- Selection and validation of hardware components (e.g. CPUs, chips)
- Feasibility studies
- Estimation of efforts and costs
- Specifications and project plans
- Analysis and systems design
- Selection of tools and utilities
- Buildup of an embedded Linux development platform
- Programming methods
- Migration of systems based on a proprietary OS (e.g. VxWorks™) to embedded Linux
- Copyright and license issues
- Due diligence support for technology investors
Hardware-level programming services
- Developing and/or customizing Linux bootloaders (e.g. U-Boot)
- Porting, customizing and tuning the Linux kernel to customer-specific hardware and requirements
- Developing and/or customizing Linux kernel drivers
- Developing test-software for board diagnosis and production tests
Board Support Packages
We offer "Board Support Packages" (BSP), i.e. we bring Linux to your hardware according to your requirements. This typically comprises the following tasks:
- Customizing a bootloader
- Porting the kernel and configuring it
- Optionally integrating a real-time extension (e.g. RTAI)
- Creating or customizing a Linux distribution
- Writing a customer-friendly, technical documentation
- We also offer support and maintenance for existing BSPs
Linux system programming services
- Configuring the kernel to target hardware and requirements
- Identification and removal of dispensable software parts
- Replacing standard utilities with resource-optimized variants
- System tuning
- Mass storage device support (e.g. Compact Flash, DoC, etc.)
- Parameterized build system for product and hardware variants
- Design and implementation of remote software update
- Integration of a real-time extension (e.g. RTAI)
- Internationalization, e.g. multilingual user interface, cyrillic fonts
- Distribution maintenance, trouble-shooting and security updates
Linux application programming services
- Infrastructure for run-time configuration management
- User-interfaces for configuration, administrations and maintenance
- Web interface
- Command line interface (over telnet or ssh)
- SNMPv1/v2/v3-agent
- Maintenance infrastructure
- Remote software update
- Encrypted remote access
- Customization and optimization of Asterisk (open source PBX)
- Design and implementation of customer specific applications
Linux real-time programming services
- Development of board support packages with RTAI
- Porting RTAI to sub-architectures (e.g. processors/boards with ARM9 core)
- Development of real-time capable hardware drivers
- Porting existing real-time systems to RTAI
- Assessment of the real-time capabilities of specific processors/boards
- Implementation of various real-time Ethernet protocols (e.g. RTnet)
