Renesas recently announced its RZ/G Linux Platform, which is designed with an industrial-grade version of Linux, namely the Civil Infrastructure Platform (CIP) Super Long-Term Support (SLTS) kernel. As a result, Linux-based embedded systems can be maintained for more than 10 years using a verified Linux package with cloud-maintenance and development options. Hence, it becomes easy (well, relatively easy) for embedded developers to leverage Linux for high-performance industrial equipment, thereby reducing maintenance costs as well as development time and set-up costs.

Maintaining Linux in industrial and social infrastructure applications presents unique challenges for equipment manufacturers, especially because the maximum Long-Term Support (LTS) Linux maintenance period only runs about two years. In addition, industrial-grade software requires high reliability, safety and security, and real- or near real-time performance.

The RZ/G Linux Platform provides a validated Linux package, which lets users immediately begin development in a stable operating environment. The package incorporates several software components, including the CIP Linux kernel, a board support package (BSP), multimedia functionality (H.264 codec, 3D graphics), graphical user interface (GUI) framework (Qt, HTML 5), and security. Renesas manages maintenance and version management of the Linux distribution, reducing the tech-support requirements, as all issues are handled by Renesas. BSP package support is available for the RZ/G1M MPU, and Renesas plans to introduce support for additional members of the RZ/G1 MPU Series.

The RZ/G Linux Platform is designed for new users who are migrating from an RTOS or bare-metal environment, as well as for seasoned embedded Linux users. It provides a cloud development environment within Renesas’ e² studio integrated software development tool. Here, embedded programmers have the option to write and compile their code on cloud servers, where the Linux distribution and BSP are actively maintained. The RZ/G Linux Platform also minimizes development iterations and improves overall user productivity across the board. The platform provides comprehensive code validation and analysis tools, which leverage a proprietary and extensive online database, helping users to identify potential error sources and recommend specific corrective actions during debug.