Hi
Jeff,
Since you are learning about Linux, and especially how Linux is adapted
and used in the
embedded market, I thought I might pass on a few
observations from my personal
experience working with Advantech products and people. About
18 months ago I bought
an Advantech PCM-4823L SBC. I thought it would be a good
choice for low-cost embedded applications where no video is required (network
appliance, firewall, home
or industrial automation/control, etc.) because there was
a version without onboard
video which sold for only USD 230 (single quantity).
Here is the problem: No BIOS support for console
redirection during POST and BIOS setup! So in order to setup the BIOS
for a headless SBC, one must install a PC-104 video module or use
a PC-104-to-ISA bus adapter along with an ISA video card (this was my
solution).
I tried valiantly to get console redirection support from Advantech,
but all the persons that I spoke with couldn't understand why someone
would want console redirection to serial port as a standard
BIOS
feature for a headless SBC designed for embedded
applications!
Nevermind that console redirection and debugging are fairly
common BIOS features in the embedded computer marketplace, and that literally
dozens of Advantech's competitors ( including Adastra, JUMPtec, Micro/sys,
Tri-M Systems, Versalogic, WinSystems to name just a few) DO sell SBC and
PC/104 computers with console redirection BIOS feature!
I ended up selecting a product from one of your competitors
for a project where we ordered 7500 units for an embedded network appliance
application. I came away from my experience with Advantech frustrated and
incredulous that your company was so out of touch with the needs of a
significantly large segment of the embedded development market. It seemed to
me that the Advantech design engineers and marketing and product line
management were totally stuck in a PC desktop perspective, and could not
imagine that there were embedded applications that did not rely on a local
graphics display, did not run a microsoft Windows OS, and therefore did not
need the added expense of video/graphics hardware.
As a contrast to this PC desktop paradigm, consider any
SunMicrosystems computer ever made since their beginning up to a modern
UltraSparc: remove the video card and power the system back up: the console
I/O will be redirected to the serial port automatically!
I hope
this gives you some ideas on how Advantech might capture some business that
you have ignored up till now. For example: Not everyone needs an 800+ Mz
Pentium III with onboard sound, video, etc. Low power consumption, low heat
production, low cost are more important for some kinds of embedded
applications. A small footprint SBC with PC104+ ISA & PCI bus, USB v2.0
and dual 10/100 base-T Ethernet onboard, minimum 2 Mb Flash memory, DOC
socket, PCMCIA/cardbus support in chipset, no video or sound but with BIOS
support for console redirection (to serial and possibly also to ethernet) with
a modest power consumption (under 5 or 10 Watts) and a price under USD
280 (in quantity of 100+) could be a killer product, in my
opinion.
Best
Regards,
Mark Bickel
Sr. Technical Support Engineer
Ericsson Inc.
Tel: +1 972 583 5111
Fax: +1 972 583 2333
Mobile:
+1 972 567 2172
mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]
Dear Ron,
I send this email from my home, because 5/1 is a national
holiday.
Thanks for what you did in the past to co-work with Isaac and help us
to understand more about Linux. Especially, your comments as an independent
observer is very valuable to us.
Hope to get your help in the future as in the past. Let us know if you
got a chance to visit Taipei. We are looking forward the chance to meet and
learn from you directly.
Regards!
Jeff Chen
VP, Advantech Corp. Ltd.
-----Original Message-----
From: Ronald G
Minnich [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]]
Sent: 2002/4/30 [星期二] PM 11:31
To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Cc: Charles.Kang; Isaac.Hsu;
Jeff.Chen (CPO); Oscar.Lee
Subject: advantech pcm-5823 support
COMMITTED
the pcm-5823 is a nice geode card with two enets (realtek
8139), ide
controller, serial port, compact flash socket.
This
last support completes the linuxbios port, as IRQs are now set
up
correctly via a valid $PIR table.
Oddly enough, the chips on
this card don't get nearly as hot as the lipper
cool roadrunner II. On
the lippert the chips get so hot it hurts to touch
them. On the
advantech everything is quite cool.
I have made an effort on the
lippert and the advantech to do a "correct"
port of linuxbios, which
means that superio's are done in standard
fashion. If anyone does
further ports these two are a good starting
point.
ron
