Coining the term “machine-to-mainstream” from “machine-to-machine,” Chris Humphrey, vice president of marketing for Irvine, Calif., networking company Lantronix Inc., recently announced new technology designed to bring data-center grade information exchange capabilities to embedded devices arrayed throughout private networks and the Internet. Device networking has been dominated by serial-to-Ethernet converters that link devices and machines to each other. “Machine-to-mainstream” networking is designed to take the next step—integrating machines to mainstream information technology (IT) applications.
The new XPort Architect (AR) embedded processor module is the first product to take advantage of Lantronix’s Evolution Network Operating System (ENOS). Designed to connect devices with secure business and control applications, the XPort AR takes advantage of the same high-level data transport and security mechanisms adopted worldwide by IT professionals. These products extend the company’s product line with more memory, processing power and data-center protocols for applications requiring higher levels of on-module intelligence and customization.
The XPort AR module includes a complete embedded computer with an Ethernet 10/100 Megabits per second interface, along with an on-board network operating system and Web server—in a miniaturized RJ45 package that is about the size of two sugar cubes. The fully integrated XPort AR can be used as a device’s central processing unit (CPU), allowing developers to add their own device-specific intelligence through an Application Programming Interface (API). The Power over Ethernet (PoE) pass-through feature eliminates the need for power cables to the device, making the XPort AR a fully Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers PoE standards-compliant embedded device server module.
Additional product features include a Lantronix DSTni 120 megahertz (MHz) processor, up to three serial ports, 11 General Purpose Input/Output (GPIO) control pins, 4 Megabytes of flash memory and 1.25 Mbytes of static random access memory (SRAM).
On the software side, the XPort AR incorporates a hardened, real-time operating system (RTOS) kernel with a full Layer 3 TCP/IP (transmission control protocol/Internet protocol) networking stack and a Common Gateway Interface (CGI)-based dynamic Web server. Capabilities include a suite of enterprise-grade, open standards-based security such as Secure Socket Layer (SSL) 3.0 and SSH2 (a version of Secure Shell) encryption protocols. It also supports XML (Extensible Markup Language) and RSS (Really Simple Syndication) feeds for configuration and information transport. An additional capability is a “Cisco-like” Command Line Interface (CLI) allows IT professionals to rapidly integrate device-based machine assets into existing datacom networks.
