Ubicom Demonstrates Networking Software/SoC Combo

By
iApplianceWeb
(04/27/01, 07:59:54 AM EDT)

Ubicom, Inc., a manufacturer of Internet processors and networking software, demonstrated its ipModule embedded family of software running on its group of Internet processors. The IP2000 system-on-chip (SoC) is optimized for network connectivity applications such as Internet access devices and communication gateways.

One of the software's major components is its ipOS operating system, a module written in C and designed to scale from 8- to 32-bit processors. ipOS supports both single-tasking and preemptive multitasking. Its task handler is designed for eliminating priority inversion, offering real-time and round-robin scheduling, with an option for alternative scheduling policies if necessary.

The ipStack module implements an industry standard TCP/IP (Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol). Also written entirely in C, the ipStack supports the following protocols:

• Internet Protocol (IP)
• Internet Control Message Protocol (ICMP)
• User Datagram Protocol (UDP)
• Transmission Control Protocol (TCP)
• Point-to-Point Protocol (PPP)
• Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP)
• Address Resolution Protocol (ARP)
• Serial Line Internet Protocol (SLIP)

In the future, ipStack support is planned for Domain Name Service (DNS) and Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP).

The ipEthernet module provides software for a 10BaseT (IEEE 802.3) Ethernet interface. Over an ipEthernet Ubicom demonstrated its ipWeb module, a basic Web server with support for HTTP GET, POST, and HEAD methods.

Rounding out the family is the ipIO module, which provides a selection of physical interfaces such as UARTs, LCD drivers, SPI, and I2C. Its Ethernet drivers include RTL8019, 3c509, and ne2000.

The software suite with the Ubicom Unity IDE (Integrated Development Environment) allows developers to use GNUPro tools, C compiler, assembler, linker, utilities, GNU debugger, and an instruction set simulator to create applications. Ubicom has packaged the Unity IDE with an intuitive user interface that makes it easy to edit code and manage projects.