[Speakers] SVLUG Wed Oct 2: Linux on Programmable Hardware

[stevegt@svlug.org]

We're pleased to announce the next meeting of the Silicon Valley Linux
Users Group!  

WHAT:

  Linux on Programmable Hardware

WHEN:

  Wednesday, October 2, 2002, 7PM-9PM or so
	
WHO:

  Peter Ryser, Xilinx Inc

ABOUT:

  Loadable modules have made Linux configurable at run-time a few
  years ago. Now, the hardware and, especially, the on-chip
  peripherals are following. The Virtex-II Pro FPGAs have up to four
  IBM 405 processor cores and up to 24 multi-gigabit transceivers
  integrated within their user-programmable logic fabric.  This allows
  for very high flexibility for system architects to integrate the
  on-chip peripherals they need in the most optimal way.  
    
  Peter is responsible for the embedded Linux project on the Virtex-II
  Pro FPGAs.  Together with MontaVista, he integrates the device
  drivers for the custom on-chip peripherals into the Linux kernel
  source tree.  The main focus of his work is to bring together the
  high flexibility of the Linux operating system with the high
  versatility of the Virtex-II Pro architecture.  As part of his talk,
  Peter will explain how the hardware inside the FPGA device can be
  upgraded even after deployment and how hardware functionality,
  similar to the Linux kernel modules, can be loaded or replaced at
  system run-time.  
      
  Peter will bring a ML300 Reference Platform running MontaVista Linux
  natively on the Virtex-II Pro FPGA.  All the peripherals like
  Ethernet, UARTs, PS/2 for mouse and keyboard, TFT display and
  touchscreen are implemented as soft peripherals within the FPGA.  As
  a fun application Quake can be played on top of X11.  The ML300
  board serves both as a reference design but also as a development
  platform.

MORE ABOUT THE SPEAKER:

  After graduating in 1994 from Swiss Federal Institute of Technology
  (ETH Zurich), Peter spent a few years at the Institute of Computer
  Systems of the same university in researching and prototyping
  Switcherland, an interconnected computing infrastructure based on
  switches and serial high-speed links offering scalability,
  guaranteed bandwidth, and QoS characteristics.  After a short
  intermezzo at Elektrobit AG in Switzerland, he moved to the USA and
  joined Xilinx in late 2000.  He is responsible for embedded software
  within the Systems Engineering Group with a focus on embedded Linux
  and software tools for different platforms.  
  
  Peter got into Linux at a time when you needed a large pile of
  floppy disks to install a distribution and kernel version numbers
  started with a zero.  Being merely a user and administrator of his
  own Linux systems, he always liked the idea of having source code
  available for pure interest and also as a source for adding
  additional device drivers to the Oberon operating system.  Aside
  from work, Peter likes to explore California together with his
  family.  He plans to visit all the US states in the next few years -
  that means only 44 more to go.

WHERE:

Cisco Building 9.  The land of NUMBERS. The VINEYARDS conference
center.  The side we are on is the Silver Oak/Jordan conference rooms,
where a large Cisco fountain is usually not turned on.  Directions on
how to get there are listed at:

        http://www.svlug.org/directions/cisco-9.shtml 

It's best if you arrive close to on time, as otherwise there may not
be someone posted at the door to let you in.  After the speakers end
their presentation there is usually a Q&A session, time for job
seekers and employers to meet, and often a few door prizes.  When the
meeting is over people are encouraged to chat a bit, but also to exit
the building so Cisco can lock up. Don't worry, a lot of us go to
dinner afterward so there's plenty of time to chat outdoors or
offsite.

We've tried our very best for these directions to be accurate.  If you
have any improvements to make, please let our Web Team know!
web-team at svlug.org


CALL FOR SPEAKERS:

To propose an SVLUG talk, see http://www.svlug.org/call4speakers.shtml.


We look forward to seeing you there!