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Arm unveiled an \u201cMbed Linux OS\u201d distro that mixes Yocto and Mbed code and works with its Pelion IoT Platform. Arm also extended Pelion to support x86 devices that use Intel\u2019s SDO provisioning scheme.<\/p>\nArm unveiled an \u201cMbed Linux OS\u201d distro that mixes Yocto and Mbed code and works with its Pelion IoT Platform. Arm also extended Pelion to support x86 devices that use Intel\u2019s SDO provisioning scheme.<\/p>\n
Politics and international relations may be fraught with acrimony these days, but the tech world seems a bit friendlier of late. Last week Microsoft joined<\/a> the Open Invention Network and agreed to grant a royalty-free, unrestricted license of its 60,000-patent portfolio to other OIN members, thereby enabling Android and Linux device manufacturers to avoid exorbitant patent payments<\/a>. This week, Arm and Intel kept up the happy talk by agreeing to a partnership involving IoT device provisioning.<\/p>\n Arm\u2019s recently announced Pelion IoT Platform<\/a> will align with Intel\u2019s Secure Device Onboard (SDO) provisioning technology to make it easier for IoT vendors and customers to onboard both x86 and Arm-based devices using a common Peleon platform. Arm also announced Pelion related partnerships with myDevices and Arduino (see farther below).<\/p>\n In another nod to Intel, Arm unveiled a new, IoT focused Mbed Linux OS distribution that combines the Linux kernel with tools and recipes from the Intel-backed Yocto Project. The distro also integrates security and IoT connectivity code from its open source Mbed RTOS.<\/p>\n Pelion IoT Platform architecture<\/b> <\/p>\n When Pelion was announced, Arm mentioned cross-platform support, but there were few details. Now with the Intel SDO deal and the launch of Mbed Linux OS, Arm has formally expanded Pelion from an MCU-only IoT data aggregation platform to one that supports more advanced x86 and Cortex-A based systems.<\/p>\n Mbed Linux OS<\/b><\/p>\n The early stage Mbed Linux OS will be released by the end of the year as an invitation-only developer preview. Both the OS source code and related test suites will eventually be open sourced.<\/p>\n In the Mbed Linux OS blog announcement<\/a>, Arm\u2019s Mark Wright pitches the distro as a secure, IoT focused \u201csibling\u201d to the Cortex-M focused Mbed that is designed for Cortex-A processors. Arm will support Mbed Linux with its MCU-oriented Mbed community of 350,000 developers and will offer support for popular Linux development boards and modules. The Softbank-owned company will also supply optional commercial support.<\/p>\n Like Mbed, Mbed Linux will be \u201cdeeply integrated\u201d with the Pelion IoT System in order \u201cto simplify lifecycle management.\u201d The Pelion support provides device provisioning, connectivity, and updates, thereby enabling development teams to update the OS and the applications independently, says Wright. Working with the Pelion Device Management Application, Mbed Linux OS can \u201csimplify in-field provisioning and eradicate the need for legacy serial connections for initial device configuration,\u201d says Arm.<\/p>\n Mbed Linux will support Arm\u2019s Platform Security Architecture and hardware based TrustZone security to enable secure, signed boot and signed updates. It will also enable deployment of applications in secure, OCI-compliant containers.<\/p>\n Arm did not specify which components of the Yocto Project code it would integrate with Mbed. In late August, Arm and Facebook joined<\/a> Intel and TI as Platinum members of the Yocto Project. The Linux Foundation hosted project was launched by Intel but is now widely used on Arm as well as x86 based IoT devices.<\/p>\n Despite common references to \u201cYocto Linux,\u201d Yocto Project is not a distribution, but rather a collection of open source templates, tools, and methods for creating custom embedded Linux-based systems. A Yocto foundation underlies most major commercial Linux distributions such as Wind River Linux and Mentor Embedded Linux and is often spun into custom builds by DIY developers, especially for resource constrained IoT devices.<\/p>\n We saw no mention of a contribution for the Arm-backed Linaro initiative for either Mbed Linux or Pelion. Linaro, which oversees the 96Boards project, develops open source embedded Linux and Android software components. The Yocto and Linaro projects were initially seen as rivals, but they have grown increasingly complementary. Linaro\u2019s Arm toolchain can be used within Yocto Project, as well as with the related OpenEmbedded build environment and Bitbake build engine.<\/p>\n Developers can sign up for the limited number of invites to participate in the upcoming developer preview of Mbed Linux OS here<\/a>.<\/p>\n Arm\u2019s Pelion partnerships<\/b><\/p>\n Arm\u2019s Pelion IoT Platform will soon run on devices with Intel\u2019s recently launched Secure Device Onboard<\/a> (SDO) service, enabling customers to deploy both Arm and x86 based systems controlled by the common Pelion platform. \u201cWe believe this collaboration is a big step forward for greater customer choice, fewer device SKUs, higher volume and velocity through IoT supply chains and lower deployment cost,\u201d says Arm.<\/p>\n Intel\u2019s Secure Device Onboard provisioning used within Pelion IoT Platform<\/b> <\/p>\n The SDO \u201czero-touch onboarding service\u201d depends on Intel Enhanced Privacy ID (EPID) data embedded in chips to validate and provision IoT devices automatically. SDO automatically discovers and provisions compliant devices during installation. This \u201clate binding\u201d approach reduces provisioning times from 20 minutes to an hour to a few minutes, says Intel.<\/p>\n Unlike PKI based authentication methods, \u201cSDO does not insert Intel into the authentication path.\u201d Instead, it brokers a rendezvous URL to the Intel SDO service where Intel EPID opens a private authentication channel between the device and the customer\u2019s IoT platform.<\/p>\n Pelion device management conceptual diagram (from Arm\u2019s Aug. announcement)<\/b> <\/p>\n The Pelion IoT Platform offers its own scheme for provisioning and configuration of devices using cryptographic identities built into Cortex-M MCUs running Mbed. With the new Mbed Linux, Pelion will also be able to accept devices that run on Cortex-A chips with TrustZone security.<\/p>\n Pelion combines Arm\u2019s Mbed Cloud connected Mbed IoT Device Management Platform with technologies it acquired via two 2018 acquisitions. The new Treasure Data unit supplies data management services to Pelion. Meanwhile, Stream Technologies provides Pelion managed gateway services for wireless technologies including cellular, LoRa, and satellite communications.<\/p>\n The partnership with myDevices extends Pelion support to devices that run myDevices\u2019 new IoT in a Box<\/a> turnkey IoT software for LoRa<\/a> gateways and nodes. myDevices, which is known for its Linux- and Arduino-friendly Cayenne<\/a> drag-and-drop IoT development and management platform, launched IoT in a Box to enable easy set up a LoRa gateway and LoRa sensor nodes. Different IoT in a Box versions target specific applications ranging from home and building management to storage lockers to refrigeration systems. Developers can try out Pelion services together with IoT in a Box for a new, $199 IoT Starter Kit<\/a>.<\/p>\n The Arduino partnership is a bit less clear. It appears to extend Arm\u2019s Pelion Connectivity Management stack, based on the Stream Technologies acquisition, to Arduino devices. The partnership gives users the option of selecting \u201ccompetitive global data plans\u201d for cellular service, says Arm.<\/p>\n More details on this and the other Pelion announcements should emerge at Arm TechCon<\/a> in San Jose, Calif. and IoT Solution World Congress<\/a> in Barcelona, both of which run Oct 16-18. Intel also offers a video overview of the Pelion\/SDO mashup<\/a>.<\/p>\n This article is copyright \u00a9 2018 Linux.com and was originally published here<\/a>. It has been reproduced by this site with the permission of its owner. 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