Mentor Embedded continues to simplify Linux and open source development with support of Yocto project

DESIGN West 2012, SAN JOSE, USA: Mentor Graphics Corp. is again simplifying Linux and open source development with the release of its next generation Mentor Embedded Linux platform. The Mentor Embedded Linux platform includes support for the Yocto Project, an open source collaborative project established by The Linux Foundation.

By leveraging the Yocto Project, the Mentor Embedded Linux platform helps developers easily build Linux-based embedded systems, independent of hardware architecture. With the new Mentor Embedded Linux platform, developers also gain the ability to easily select the best Linux kernel for their needs, whether that kernel was developed by Mentor Graphics, by a semiconductor company, or by any third party.

“Mentor Graphics is a key contributor to the Yocto Project and OpenEmbedded community by providing open source tools and expertise,” said Jim Zemlin, executive director of The Linux Foundation. “Their support for the Yocto Project, and creation of free PandaBoard and BeagleBoard development kits based on the project, validates their ongoing commitment to open source.”

Linux usage has experienced significant growth beyond traditional networking applications. The Yocto Project was created to provide open source, standardized tools, and resources to support embedded development. As an advisory board member of the Yocto Project, Mentor Graphics is a key driver of this open source technology. Building on its previous acquisitions of CodeSourcery and Embedded Alley, Mentor Graphics continues its leadership of, and contribution to, open source by participating in the Yocto Project.

“Intel continues to invest in the Yocto Project to help advance Linux in embedded devices and we believe the Mentor Embedded Linux release is a significant milestone and strong validation of the project,” said David Stewart, senior manager of the Embedded Linux Team at Intel. “Mentor Graphics is a leading supplier of embedded solutions and software engineers will benefit tremendously by the company’s decision to embrace the Yocto Project.”

Mentor Graphics holds over 50 leadership positions including steering committee members, open source reviewers, and developers in open source software development projects, including important leadership roles in the GCC and GDB communities. In addition, Mentor holds premium membership positions in the open source GENIVI Alliance and AUTOSAR automotive standards for embedded software.

“Our announcement today re-affirms Mentor’s commitment to open source, not only by actively participating in projects such as the Yocto Project, but also by continuing to serve the unique needs of the broader open source embedded development community,” said Mark Mitchell, product line director for tools and open source, Mentor Graphics Embedded Software Division. “As experts in this area, we are helping customers make maximum use of open source by developing semi-custom solutions that meet their needs. We work with our customers to leverage the standard Mentor Embedded Linux product to develop Linux-based systems that meet the unique needs of each end-product.”

The Mentor Embedded Linux platform supporting the Yocto Project is integrated with the Mentor Sourcery CodeBench and Sourcery System Analyzer tools. Mentor’s Sourcery CodeBench professional-quality GNU toolchain is a complete development environment for embedded C/C++ development on the leading hardware architectures. The Sourcery System Analyzer tool is a comprehensive system and application performance analysis tool that speeds performance analysis on multi-core systems with visualization of multiple data sources in synchronized timeline views.

The Mentor Embedded Linux platform includes reference board support packages (BSPs) for leading hardware platforms, including those from Broadcom, Freescale, Intel, and Texas Instruments. The Mentor Embedded Linux platform also supports QEMU, allowing users to develop Linux systems in simulation without using actual hardware.

The Mentor Graphics Embedded Software Division comprises the Mentor Embedded family of products and services, including embedded software intellectual property (IP), tools, and professional consultant services to help embedded developers and silicon partners optimize their products for design and cost efficiency. The Mentor Embedded team continues to lead the industry with involvement in the open source community, with Inflexion 2D and 3D UI development, Sourcery open source tools, and Nucleus RTOS solutions.