SnapGear Announces Embedded Linux Distribution for Secure Network Appliance Development

New embedded Linux distribution brings together big developer wishlist for free. SnapGear Inc., a leading supplier of Internet security products and OEMable solutions, has unveiled the world's first free commercial-grade embedded Linux distribution for development of secure Internet-ready products.

The distribution brings together embedded Linux support for deeply embedded microprocessors that lack a memory management unit (MMU) such as Motorola ColdFire®, ARM and LEON SPARC together with MMUful cores such as Hitachi SuperH®, Intel XScale IXP425®, Intel x86, and other ARM cores. The distribution includes toolchains and library support providing a "one-stop" executable and source collection. A hermit crab was selected as the distribution mascot to represent the link with "SnapGear" while portraying the embedded essence of a hardened yet compact embedded product solution.

CEO of SnapGear, Rick Stevenson, said: "In the past, building embedded Linux software without the cost of a commercial toolkit required the collection and integration of a tool-chain, kernel, applications and many patches. This was a difficult and time-consuming process. We've been through this exercise many times and built up a sophisticated multi-platform build environment including tool-chains, kernels and many applications useful in embedded devices, especially those with advanced networking and communications requirements. In the true spirit of open source we are making this freely available so that others can benefit. Where SnapGear adds value is that we design, manufacture and provide fulfillment services for turn-key embedded products world-wide. This distribution represents just a piece of that puzzle.".

Core maintainers Greg Ungerer and David McCullough were excited by the release. Mr Ungerer said: "This distribution represents the state-of-the-art in embedded Linux development in the true open source spirit.". Mr McCullough added: "We've had the opportunity to put together our entire box of tricks including so many different processor architectures, toolchains, and library support."

Pricing and Availability
The distribution is available for immediate free download from www.snapgear.org and can be purchased on CD for a nominal postage and handling charge.

About SnapGear, Inc.
SnapGear Inc. produces SnapGear VPN Firewall Appliances designed to provide Internet security and privacy of communications for business use. SnapGear Inc. also does complete custom engineering and provides turnkey development, design, manufacturing, and fulfillment services for a variety of customers around the globe. For more information on SnapGear products and services please visit www.snapgear.com

"SnapGear" is a trademark of SnapGear Inc. All other products, services, companies and publications are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective owners.