MIPS Linux Summit

Date: October 27, 2009
Time: 9:00 AM - 4:00 PM
(Continental breakfast will be served at 8 a.m.)
(Cocktail reception will start immediately after the conference)
Location: Santa Clara Hyatt Hotel
5101 Great American Parkway, Santa Clara, CA.

Come join MIPS Technologies and members of the MIPS Linux ecosystem and developer community for the second MIPS Linux Summit. This mini-conference will feature presentations, panels and bird-of-a-feather sessions to inform you about the evolution of MIPS Linux, the MIPS Architecture and the ecosystem that supports it.

At the MIPS Linux Summit you will

Learn how & why Linux and open source will dominate device software
Learn about the trends in Embedded Linux for MIPS
Hear about the key challenges in developing & deploying devices using MIPS Linux
Learn how to submit patches and work with MIPS kernel developers
Hear about new ideas from MIPS Technologies on the Linux Kernel, Threading, Performance and Android

There will be a registration / information desk in the hotel lobby.

Please join us for a continental breakfast at 8 a.m.

Agenda

9:00 - 9:15 MIPS Technologies Corporate Vision – Plans and Directions
MIPS Presentation
Art Swift, Vice President of Marketing, MIPS Technologies

Art will deliver an update on MIPS' corporate vision, sharing with you all of the excitement we are experiencing at the company—days of challenge, inspiration and transformation.

9:15 - 10:00 A Decade of Embedded Linux - Vibrant, Relevant and Growing Strong
Guest Speaker
Jim Zemlin, CEO the Linux Foundation

In 1999, the first embedded Linux distributions, suppliers and applications exploded onto the market, starting with TiVo and the Kerbengo Internet radio and today spanning the gamut of intelligent devices. Zemlin will share his views on how and why Linux and open source today dominate device software, and what the future holds for OSS and ubiquitous computing.

10:00 - 10:30 What's Next? Trends in Embedded Linux & Opportunities for MIPS Linux
Guest Speaker
David VomLehn, Sr. Staff O/S Software Engineer, Scientific Atlanta, A Cisco Company

Cisco's current line of settop boxes is based on MIPS Linux. The system, which has over 120 interrupt levels, up to 1 GB of memory, a cloud of a dozen processors assisting the Linux processor, and runs 400+ threads, is on the high end of complexity for an embedded systems. This talk will discuss features required to support the box, including the use of high memory, sparse memory, the device tree, and various enhancements for remote diagnostics.

10:30 - 10:45 Break

10:45 - 11:30 Report from the Trenches—Meeting MIPS Linux Development and Deployment Challenges
Guest Speaker
Hieu Tran, CTO, Viosoft

MIPS and Linux today form the foundation for applications in networking, home entertainment, multimedia and beyond. The pervasiveness of the MIPS architecture and the MIPS Linux platform make it even more critical to help developers meet challenges in developing and deploying devices and applications utilizing MIPS Linux. This presentation will detail key challenges facing MIPS Linux and highlight paths to resolution and benefits from doing so.

11:30 - 12:15 Adding Value to MIPS Linux—Commercial Development Solutions
Panel
Moderator Bill Weinberg

This panel discussion will feature representatives from the leading commercial embedded Linux solutions providers, with a focus on how these suppliers add value to open source MIPS Linux. A guaranteed lively discussion will compare embedded Linux distribution strategies, the need for professional quality development tools, and accommodating OEM's real-world build AND buy decision processes.

12:15 - 13:15 Lunch

13:15 - 13:45 What's Next? Trends in Embedded Linux and Opportunities for MIPS Linux
Guest Speaker
Bill Weinberg, Analyst/Consultant at Linux Pundit and Olliance Group

Today Linux commands the imaginations and development stations of a majority of embedded systems developers. It powers applications in every market served by MIPS and its licensees and beyond. Community-developed and maintained Linux, even more than other technologies, is dynamic and ever-evolving. Industry analyst and consultant Bill Weinberg will highlight current trends in developing with and deploying embedded Linux and share his vision of opportunities for the MIPS Linux ecosystem.

13:45 - 14:15 Light-weight, co-operative threading
MIPS Presentation
David Lau, Director of Architecture, MIPS Technologies

The Linux kernel treats kernel threads as processes, so the light-weight threading model is not supported. This mismatch of capabilities between software and hardware forces application writers to use green threads when they want use the light-weight threading model. The use of green threads blocks future software migration to multi-processor or multi-threaded hardware implementations. This presentation will talk about one way the Linux kernel could be modified to support light-weight threading as available on the 34K core.

14:15 - 14:30 Break

14:30 - 14:50 TLB choices for performance
MIPS Presentation
James Hakewill, Staff Architect, MIPS Technologies

System performance can be affected by TLB choices. This session will discuss the available options for SoC design and kernel configuration, and the associated performance effects.

14:50 - 15:10 Spin Locks Usage on MIPS 34K and 1004K Cores
MIPS Presentation
Ilie Garbacea, Staff Architect, MIPS Technologies

Spin locks are ideal on multicores because they can be even more efficient than Linux mutexes. The latest MIPS 34K and 1004K cores have a new PAUSE instruction which reduces considerably the overhead of using spin locks on 1004K cores and enables minimum overhead spinning even on 34K cores. This presentation discusses the PAUSE instructions and its benefits for spin locks.

15:10 - 15:30 Android and the Linux Kernel
MIPS Presentation
Dan Hazon & Kevin Kitagawa, MIPS Technologies

This presentation will provide an overview of the Android software platform and the changes necessary for the Linux Kernel.

15:30 - 16:00 MIPS Linux Community Group Discussion
Panel
Moderator Udi Kalekin, VP Software Engineering, MIPS Technologies

Join the team from MIPS Technologies, MIPS Linux developers and other MIPS ecosystem participants for an open and frank discussion of the state of MIPS Linux, best development practices and how to nourish the MIPS developer community. Topics will include MIPS Linux kernel life-cycle, bug fixes and patch submission, developer resources and how MIPS ecosystem participants can work together to deliver the best developer and user experience.

We expect this session to be lively and highly interactive - we've scheduled it so that ongoing discussion can continue into the Cocktail Reception immediately following.