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May 18, 2019 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 4 Comments

Embedded Linux Conference & Open Source Summit 2019 Schedule

In the last few years, I covered the Embedded Linux Conference and IoT Summit schedules since both were happening at the same time and in the same location. But the Linux Foundation have recently announced the Embedded Linux Conference will combine with the Open Source Summit, so the IoT Summit appears to have been phased out. The full schedule for the events taking place on August 21 – 23, 2019 at the Hilton San Diego Bayfront, USA, has also been released, so I’ll create a virtual schedule with some of the sessions most relevant to this blog. Wednesday August 21, 2019 11:30 – 12:05 – What’s New with U-Boot? by Simon Glass, Google LLC U-Boot is a widely used bootloader in embedded systems. Many users are unaware of the wide feature-set of U-Boot, particularly features added in the last few years. This talk aims to bring users (and prospective users) […]

May 16, 2019May 16, 2019 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 38 Comments

Blueendless X3 Networked “HDD NAS Case” Runs Ubuntu on Marvell ARMADA 3720 SoC

We’ve previously covered inexpensive Kimax’ Ethernet & WiFi HDD enclosures for 2.5″ SATA drives, powered by MediaTek processor and running OpenWrt. If you need something more powerful and versatile yet still affordable, the easiest way is now likely to go with SBC based solutions such as ODROID-HC1/HC2 or dual SATA NAS enclosure for RockPro64. There may be another interesting option, as I’ve just been informed about another model of those networked HDD enclosure called Blueendless X3 “HDD NAS case” with Ethernet only (no WiFi), and that is equipped with the same Marvel ARMADA 3720 dual core Cortex-A53 processor as found in Marvell ESPRESSOBin board. Blueendless X3 specifications: SoC – Marvell ARMADA 3720 (88F3720) dual core Cortex-A53 processor @ up to 1.1 GHz System Memory – 512 MB DDR3 Storage – 16GB eMMC flash for OS, SATA 3.0 interface for 2.5″ drives based on ASMedia ASM1092R port multiplier Networking – 1x […]

May 3, 2018 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 7 Comments

NXP QorIQ LayerScape LX2160A is a 16-core Arm Cortex A72 Communication Processor with 100 Gbit/s Ethernet

NXP Semiconductors has been working on a high-end communication processor with their QorIQ LayerScape LX2160A SoC equipped with 16 Arm Cortex A72 cores, 16 Ethernet ports supporting 1 to 100 Gbit/s, as well as 24 PCIe Gen4 lanes, and four SATA 3.0 ports. NXP LX2160A key specifications / features: Processor – 16x Arm Cortex-A72 CPU cores, running up to 2.2GHz with 8MB L2 cache, 8MB platform cache Memory I/F – 2 x DDR4 72b including ECC, up to 3200 MT/s, maximum capacity of 256 GB Storage – 4 x SATA3.0 Ethernet Up to 16 Ethernet ports Supported Ethernet speeds include 1, 2.5, 10, 25, 40, 50, and 100 gigabits per second 130Gbps Layer 2 Ethernet switch PCIe – Up to 24 PCIe Gen4 lanes, supporting ports as wide as x8 24 SerDes lanes, operating up to 28GHz Acceleration Engines – 50Gbps security accelerator, 100Gbps data compression/decompression engine Security – Secure […]

January 18, 2018 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 12 Comments

ORICO 1088USJ3 Multi-Bay SATA to USB3.0 Enclosure Supports up to Ten 3.5″ Hard Drives

USB expansion drives and multi-bay NAS devices are both very common form of storage which have different applications, but I had never thought or seen multi-bay USB expansion drivers until I came across ORICO NS200U3 “2-bay USB 3.0 hard drive dock” on GearBest (~$82) that can handle two 3.5″ hard drives. This piqued my interest, so I went to ORICO website looking for models supporting more hard drives, and found ORICO 1088USJ3, a 10-bay USB 3.0 to SATA enclosure that can provide up to 80TB of local storage with 8TB drives. ORICO 1088USJ3 specifications: Storage – 10x SATA III slots up to 6 Gbps for 3.5″ HDD / SSD drive (up to 8TB per drive) Output Interface – USB 3.0 device port up to 5 Gbps Power Supply – 100-240V AC 50-60Hz Protection – Over-current, over-voltage, short circuit, overheat, and power leakage. Dimensions – 389(L) x 203(W) x 501(H)mm (aluminum […]

September 10, 2017September 11, 2017 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 3 Comments

UFS 3.0 Embedded Flash to Support Full-Duplex 2.4GB/s Transfer Speeds

All my devices still rely on eMMC flash for storage, but premium smartphones, for example, make use of UFS 2.0/UFS 2.1 flash storage with performance similar to SSD, with Samsung UFS 2.0 storage achieving up to 850MB/s read speed, 260 MB/s write speed, and 50K/30K R/W IOPS. UFS 3.0 promises to roughly double the performance of UFS 2.0/2.1 with transfer rates of up to 2.4 GB/s, and separately, the UFS Card v2.0 standard should deliver UFS 2.1 performance on removable storage. Several Chinese and Taiwanese websites, including CTimes and Benchlife, have reported that companies have started getting UFS 3.0 & UFS Card v2.0 licenses from JEDEC, and Phison is working on a controller to support both new standards, and scheduled to launch in 2018. Premium smartphone SoC are only expect to support UFS 3.0 in 2019 and beyond, and hopefully by that time eMMC will have been replaced by UFS 2.0/2.1 […]

August 23, 2017August 23, 2017 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 10 Comments

Kingston Adds 4 GB & 8 GB Capacities to DataTraveler 2000 Encrypted USB Flash Drives with Keypad

Kingston DataTraveler 2000 is a USB 3.0 flash drive that stores files with hardware based AES-256 encryption, and to make sure nobody can access those, it’s also protected with a pin code thanks to a keypad on the flash drive itself. That’s news to me, but the devices have been selling since early 2016 with 16 to 64GB capacities, and you’ll find them on Amazon for $127 and up. However, since such high security USB flash drives are mostly used for confidential information by enterprises and governments (it’s FIPS-197 compliant), some company’s customers may have complained that 16 to 64GB storage is a bit too much for confidential data, with recent top secret documents leaks or IP thefts, so Kingston has just announced smaller 4GB and 8GB versions of the drives. Those drives are OS agnostic with encryption occurring inside the drive, and seen buy your computer or other hardware […]

July 29, 2017 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 4 Comments

Silicon Power C50 3-in-1 USB Flash Drive Comes with micro USB, USB Type C, and USB Type A Ports

USB flash drives are convenient ways to carry data around, and load on other computers. They are usually based on USB type A found on computers, laptops and even TVs, , but if you plan to connect it to your smartphone or tablet, which may only comes with micro USB or USB type C port, you’ll need an OTG adapter to connect the USB flash drive. It works, but if you don’t like to look for the adapter each time you can want to connect, Silicon Power C50 USB flash drive offers a solution as it includes all three types of connectors. Sorry no mini USB port 🙂 Specifications of Silicon Power OTG Mobile C50 flash drive: Capacity – 32GB, 64GB, or 128GB Interfaces – USB Type-A (USB3.1 Gen 1), Micro-B (USB 2.0), Type-C (USB3.1 Gen 1) Dimensions – 41.7 x 7.0 x 15.0mm Weight – 5.2g Operating Temperature – […]

April 19, 2016 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 6 Comments

Mini Review of NextDrive Plug for Private Cloud Storage and Home Security

NextDrive Plug is an ARM based plug computer that’s used to store your photos or music, and/or as a security system using a webcam combined with Pixi motion sensor. They had a successful crowdfunding campaign, and now that they’ve sent rewards to backers, I’ve also received NextDrive Plug and Pixi for evaluation. The courier was not particularly gentle with the packages, but the devices themselves were not damaged. NextDrive Plus package included the box, a US plug, and a user’s manual in English. Pixi comes with two 3M stickers, and a user’s manual. There’s also a plastic film to avoid depleting the battery, that you’ll need to remove before using the sensor. The interfaces on the plug are minimal with a USB port for a USB mass storage device (HDD, flash drive…) and/or a UVC webcam, and the socket for the power plug adapter on the back.You can then plug […]