McObject Embedded Database Newsletter - October, 2009
Customer News
Spirent TestCenter - One Device, Hundreds of eXtremeDB Embedded DatabasesTesting a switch or router could require setting up tens of thousands of devices, to accurately test performance under different network scenarios. Fortunately, Spirent Communications offers the TestCenter platform, capable of emulating real-time network conditions to put even the biggest iron, such as a 10GB Ethernet switch, through its paces. McObject's eXtremeDB in-memory database plays a critical role, with a single Spirent TestCenter deployment relying on up 720 distributed embedded database instances! To learn more, read our press release.
BAE Systems Chooses eXtremeDB for Combat Jet Avionics
BAE Systems has chosen the eXtremeDB in-memory embedded database running on Wind River's VxWorks real-time operating system (RTOS) as part of an avionics upgrade for the Panavia Tornado GR4 multi-role combat jet. Within the aircraft, eXtremeDB is part of a new embedded software system that adds Tactical Data Link capability to the Tornado Advanced Radar/Map Display Information System (TARDIS). Use of an off-the-shelf in-memory database enhanced performance and reduced time-to-completion. Get details.
Command & Control for Battle Tanks Relies on eXtremeDB High Availability
The Turkish defense contractor STM Defense Technologies Engineering and Trade is developing a new Tank Command and Control Information System (TCCIS) that relies on the eXtremeDB High Availability (HA) embedded database on VxWorks. Using a commercial, off-the-shelf (COTS) database reduced coding and QA cycles by approximately 4 developer-months, and will yield future savings on support and software updates, STM reports. The TCCIS embedded software also uses McObject's hybrid eXtremeDB Fusion technology to combine in-memory and on-disk storage. Read more.
Product News
New Perst Utility Helps Mobile Application DevelopersMcObject has added a new utility, called DBconv, to its open source Perst for Java and Perst Lite for Java ME object-oriented embedded database systems. This enables developers of applications for Android, BlackBerry and other Java- and Java ME-based devices to compress and/or encrypt software for transfer between the machine used for development and the target mobile device. DBconv is included in the Perst and Perst Lite download package.
New White Paper: "In-Memory Database Systems: Myths and Facts"
In-memory database systems (IMDSs) are a relatively recent technology promising to accelerate data management by storing records in main memory. But is this new? For years, database management systems have employed caching. Vendors offer something called "memory tables." RAM-disks and -- more recently -- Flash-based solid state drives (SSDs), can be used with databases. Are IMDSs really unique? In fact, the distinction between these technologies and true in-memory database systems is significant, and can be critical to project success. Learn more from the free report, "In-Memory Database Systems: Myths and Facts".
Recorded Webinar: "What Makes A Database System 'In Memory'?"
Many developers attended McObject recent live Webinar on different approaches to memory-based data storage, and how the different strategies affect embedded software performance, footprint and durability. A free streaming recording of the event is now available from our Web site - click here to view it, or visit our Webinars page to learn about all our recorded events.
Partner News
McObject - Phaedrus Systems Alliance Targets Fail-Safe Embedded SystemsMcObject announced a reseller and consulting alliance with UK-based Phaedrus Systems Limited, targeting safety-critical systems. In addition to the eXtremeDB embedded database, Phaedrus' product lineup includes requirements capture, real-time operating system (RTOS), compiler validation and other specialized tools for developing fail-safe applications, and its consultants offer deep industry experience.
"With McObject's eXtremeDB, Phaedrus can now offer a real-time embedded database capable of taming the burgeoning data in fault-tolerant applications, while meeting their safety and reliability imperatives," Phaedrus Co-Founder and CTO Chris Hills said. For more details, see the announcement.
White Paper Pairs eXtremeDB With IBM Rational's Rhapsody in C
McObject has teamed with IBM Rational to offer McObject's white paper, "Embedded Software Development: Balancing Process-Centric and Data-Centric Approaches" on the Web site of SD Times. "Process-centric" emphasizes system logic and can prevent unstructured (spaghetti) code; "data-centric" focuses how the system ingests, transforms and stores data, and can reduce redundancy, complexity, and errors. For best results, developers are guided by both outlooks. This white paper uses IBM Rational's Rhapsody in C Unified Modeling Language (UML) tool and McObject's eXtremeDB to illustrate the blended approach. Download it here.
Upcoming Live Webinar
Data Acceleration and Business Continuity with McObject's eXtremeDB CacheAs Web-based financial, commercial, and social applications scale, disk-based storage severely cramps data availability. Traditional object caching solutions provide speed, but they lack means for recovery or ensuring data consistency. Join McObject to explore the 64-bit In-Memory Database System (IMDS) as a solution. IMDSs blend the speed and data availability of caching with the durability, safeguards on data integrity, and sophisticated querying capabilities that are DBMS hallmarks. Register now.
Events
The fall conference and exhibition season is in full swing, and we hope to meet you in person at these events:Set-Top Box 2009
Dates: October 6 - 7, 2009
Location: DoubleTree Hotel, San Jose, CA
Check out the presentation, "What Makes a Set-Top Box Database System 'In-Memory'?", by McObject Co-Founder and CEO Steve Graves!
eXtremeDB runs in real-time set-top box software used in millions of homes. We're a sponsor and exhibitor at Set-Top Box 2009 in order to help move the industry forward, and to interface with colleagues/customers including cable, satellite and telecom providers; hardware manufacturers; content aggregators and distributors, and many others. We'd love to talk to you!
Look for us on the exhibit floor, or click here to set up a meeting in advance. And be sure to attend McObject CEO Steve Graves' presentation.
SUPERCOMM 2009
Dates: October 21 - 23, 2009
Location: McCormick Place, Chicago, IL
Intelligent broadband networks rely on eXtremeDB-based embedded software in the field, on carrier premises, in homes and elsewhere. To help serve this important market, McObject is an exhibitor at SUPERCOMM 2009, the event in Chicago, IL that brings the broadband industry together.
Visit McObject in booth 2420 at SUPERCOMM to learn about the eXtremeDB in-memory/on-disk embedded database and the Perst Java and .NET embedded database in broadband network solutions. We'll provide demos, answer questions, and assist you in creating world-class services and technology. Please contact us to set up an appointment.
In The News
Embedded Database Engine for Silverlight Applications. Architecture + Strategy, MSDN blogs, July 11, 2009. David Chou, a Microsoft architect and evangelist, examines McObject's Perst open source, object-oriented embedded database for Silverlight, concluding that the technology can be very useful in scenarios in which content and data must be stored locally. "Having a database management solution such as Perst can help increase the overall robustness of the user experience, by ensuring work continuity regardless of connection state," he writes.720 Databases Squeeze onto One Test System. LinuxDevices.com, June 29, 2009. This authority on embedded Linux systems reports on Spirent TestCenter's use of the eXtremeDB in-memory embedded database for real-time network device testing. Spirent's CTO states: "eXtremeDB helps us to deliver meaningful results rather than just raw numbers. It was more than twice as fast as the second place database."
Tornado GR4 Goes Extreme. Wind River Aerospace & Defense Blog, September 30, 2009. Paul Parkinson, Wind River Senior Systems Architect for Aerospace & Defense, discusses BAE Systems' selection of eXtremeDB on VxWorks for avionics in the Tornado GR4 combat jet. He notes "how using an in-memory database instead of a traditional file system provides greater flexibility for data access and interrogation which can be exploited by the end application."
TestIndex on Android developer phone (ADP1) with Berkeley DB, Tord's Technology Blog, September 30, 2009. Tord Fauskangar, a computer science master's student in Norway, has benchmarked databases available for the Android mobile operating system, in both the Android emulator and on an actual device. He reports his findings on Twitter (twitter.com/tordf) and in numerous posts on his blog. Perst emerges far ahead of the pack, which includes db4o, SQLite and Berkeley DB.
Real-time embedded databases: For all but the hardest of the hard. Micro Technology Europe, September, 2009. This article asks, "is it any longer sensible to build system-specific data handling for real-time embedded systems, or can an off-the-shelf database management system (DBMS) provide the answer?" It compares embedded DBMSs to real-time operating systems (RTOSs), which used to be developed in-house but are now now usually obtained off-the-shelf.
We are committed to keeping the eXtremeDB and Perst development community as informed as possible. If you have any questions or suggestions for our newsletter, please e-mail info@mcobject.com.
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