Avnet Design Services Announces DevelopOnline Joins Avalon Reference Design System Alliance as a Founding Member

Business Wire, Jan 30, 2002

Business Editors/High-Tech Writers

TEMPE, Ariz.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan. 30, 2002

DevelopOnline to Host Reference Design Platforms Over the Web

Avnet Design Services (ADS), the technical arm of Avnet Electronics Marketing, Wednesday announced DevelopOnline(a), the world leader in Web-hosted embedded processor and system evaluation, has joined the new ADS Avalon(TM) Reference Design System Alliance as a founding member.

DevelopOnline will provide Web-hosted access to selected reference designs developed by Avnet Design Services or other Avalon Alliance members. Online access makes it much easier to use hardware reference platforms, because multiple users can "timeshare" the platform. The hardware need not reside in the engineers cubicle, it can be accessed over the Web instead.

The Avnet Design Services Avalon(TM) Reference Design System is a set of modular and compatible hardware, firmware, IP cores, applications programs, device drivers, development tools and test equipment used by designers to create reference designs and development platforms that dramatically speed time to market.

The Design Challenge

Today's design challenges are breaking the back of current design methodologies. In the headlong rush to market, the serial approach to design -- where architecture selection, hardware prototype, IP selection and integration, firmware design, applications code development, test and debug occur in succession over time -- takes too long and seldom hits the target on the first pass through.

Designers need a short cut that allows parallel development activity, using off-the-shelf hardware, easily integrated IP cores, and a development environment with existing firmware and applications hooks targeted for particular applications.

Reference designs give designers a complete working environment in which they can easily create additional features and capabilities. This parallel approach can provide the shortcut required. Yet traditional approaches to the reference design philosophy have been disappointing, due to their inherent inflexibility.

The designer has little choice in selecting the processor, peripheral sub-system or IP core that would be best, or even to easily experiment with a variety of system building blocks. What is required is the electronic equivalent of movable type -- making it possible for a designer to quickly and easily create the exact reference design platform they require.

A successful reference design system requires an alliance of a variety of industry-leading semiconductor suppliers, IP core providers, firmware developers, applications program developers, design tool providers and test and debug tool vendors. The Avalon(TM) Reference Design System Alliance was formed with the goal of creating this new design environment.

"Access to robust reference design platforms early has always been a problem for developers. Initial hardware can be limited to a small number of engineers, making it hard to build the critical mass needed for a successful product introduction," said Warren Miller, vice president of marketing for Avnet Design Services.

"DevelopOnline's Web hosting technology can give access to limited platforms to a much larger number of developers. As a member of the Avalon Alliance, DevelopOnline can provide early access to embedded processing reference design platforms.

"This will allow a wide range of IP, driver, applications software and tool providers to quickly develop the infrastructure needed to provide designers with a robust development environment. Once the development is complete, designers can also benefit from the DevelopOnline environment by getting early and instant access to the hardware via the Web for evaluation and development.

"ADS is pleased to have DevelopOnline as an Avalon Alliance founding member."

"The Avalon Reference Design System is the first comprehensive system solution to today's time-to-market challenges and DevelopOnline is pleased to be a founding member," said President/Chief Executive Officer Alan Steinberg of DevelopOnline.

"Speeding development time is what we are all about. Other alliance members will use our tools to accelerate the development of their software and firmware products. Designers using the online reference design platforms we host will have earlier access to a robust and stable development environment and will get their products to market faster. It is a big win all around."

Avalon Description

The foundation of the Avalon Reference Design System is the set of hardware modules on which all reference design platforms are based. The hardware begins with the selection of the most appropriate BaseBoard for the target application. The BaseBoard is the starting module of a design from which all other hardware, firmware and software is overlaid.

Once the hardware is established the designer selects the add-on hardware cards and IP cores used to enable the hardware functions required for the application. Drivers specific to the functions are then selected to enable access to the hardware resources by the applications code and firmware.