Virtual Server Management

OpenSynergy Works with Google and Qualcomm to Deliver Virtualized Android Automotive OS Reference Platform

OpenSynergy introduced today the company's new automotive reference platform for virtual Android™ 11 (based on Trout). With technology from Google and Qualcomm Technologies, Inc., the reference platform features the integration of the Virtual I/O (VIRTIO) framework into Android Automotive OS, which allows Android to run on any hypervisor supporting the upcoming VIRTIO devices and any system on chip (SoC). The reference platform contains Android 11, a board support package (BSP) from Qualcomm Technologies, Inc., and the VIRTIO-based COQOS Hypervisor SDK, all of which are running on a Snapdragon® Automotive Development Platform (ADP).

VIRTIO is an established virtualization standard maintained by the OASIS Open consortium that provides a device sharing framework for devices such as Block, Network, Console, graphics processing unit (GPU), Input, etc. As active members of the consortium, OpenSynergy and Google have worked to expand the scope of the open standards in the automotive domain. As there are missing automotive-specific VIRTIO devices, the two companies are working within the OASIS consortium to close the gap. Furthermore, the collaboration between OpenSynergy and Google aims to allow flexibility to automakers and Tier-1 suppliers to switch between SoCs and hypervisors to best match their needs.

The reference platform showcases an Android Automotive OS-based Cockpit Domain Controller (CDC) architecture. Similar to other CDCs, the underlying hypervisor guarantees the secure coexistence of Android (typically a QM system) with systems of higher criticality, such as the real-time OS displaying the telltales on an Instrument Cluster (typically ASIL B).

The novelty lies in deploying a fully virtualized Android Automotive OS (Trout), i.e., an Android version with no dependencies on the hardware. Instead of directly accessing the hardware devices, Android accesses these devices using the standardized VIRTIO framework provided by the underlying virtual platform.

A fully virtualized Android Automotive OS can easily be ported onto any hardware supported by the underlying virtual platform. In the case of the COQOS Hypervisor SDK, the hardware is any automotive relevant ARMv8-A-based SoC. The clean architectural separation introduced by VIRTIO makes updating Android and the BSP easy.

The reference platform and the usage of virtualized Android Automotive OS were showcased over the last year in several promotional events. Now, customers can access it and develop their specific applications on it.  The released reference platform is intended only for research and pre-development purposes and not for series production. Customers can acquire the Snapdragon ADP through Qualcomm Technologies' distribution channels. The reference platform software is now available at OpenSynergy.

Jonathan Siegel, Portfolio Manager of OpenSynergy: "It has been an honor to work with Google and Qualcomm Technologies on such a game-changing project for the automotive industry. After intense years of development, the day has come in which we at OpenSynergy are finally releasing the virtual Android Automotive OS reference platform to the community. We are confident that this will ignite a new dynamic features we did not think of will be developed; easier deployment processes will be implemented. And we look forward to what comes next for VIRTIO-based Android. The community will guide us!"

Spotlight

Spotlight

Related News

Backup and Disaster Recovery

GRAX Introduces Free Data Backup and Recovery Service for Salesforce

businesswire | September 12, 2023

GRAX, Inc., a leading innovator in Salesforce data management and protection, announces the general availability of GRAX Lite for free Salesforce backup and recovery. GRAX Lite is a game-changing free solution that enables businesses to prevent data loss by safeguarding their Salesforce data. GRAX Lite addresses a critical need in the SaaS data protection market by offering comprehensive free backup software. In an era marked by escalating cyber threats and stringent compliance regulations, GRAX Lite arms businesses with a powerful tool to shield their vital Salesforce data. Built on the principle of data ownership, GRAX Lite gives Salesforce users the power to take back that ownership and control of their valuable Salesforce data with a couple of clicks. "At GRAX, we have always believed that data protection is an unassailable right," said Joe Gaska, Head of Product at GRAX. "With the launch of GRAX Lite, we are breaking down barriers and providing businesses with the tools they need to secure their mission-critical Salesforce data so that they can focus on growing their business." Key capabilities of GRAX Lite for Salesforce Backup and Recovery Effortless Backup and Recovery: GRAX Lite simplifies the backup process allowing users to protect and easily restore their Salesforce data with just a couple of clicks. 100% Data Ownership: GRAX Lite empowers users to retain full ownership of their data by enabling backups into the customer-owned storage service – Amazon Web Services (AWS) or Azure cloud storage environments. Maintain Your Digital Chain of Custody: With GRAX, users retain full control over their data’s Digital Chain of Custody – GRAX runs entirely in the customer-owned cloud. Unlimited backup storage: GRAX Lite enables users to capture all of their data into their cloud of choice, where users can leverage their existing cloud agreements. Daily Automated Backups: Users gain peace of mind with automated incremental backups of Salesforce data, including files and attachments, ensuring no critical information is lost. Granular Control: Swiftly restore individual records, making it simple to bring back data quickly when you need it. User-Friendly Interface: The user-centric design of GRAX ensures that any user can navigate and deploy free Salesforce data protection from the GRAX Platform with ease. GRAX Lite is a testament to GRAX's commitment to data sovereignty and data governance. By providing a free and user-friendly solution for Salesforce backup and recovery, GRAX Lite empowers organizations to take back ownership of their data assets, create a comprehensive backup strategy, and focus on driving business growth. About GRAX GRAX helps organizations adapt faster by making it easier to get strategic value out of their historical SaaS application data. Customers can fully own, access, and reuse all versions of their cloud application data anywhere, anytime by simply backing up or archiving it to their own cloud environment and seamlessly pushing it into their data ecosystem. GRAX delivers unparalleled SaaS data backup, archive, recovery, and reuse functionality in a fully integrated solution, helping leading organizations improve business continuity, regulatory compliance, customer retention, and revenue growth.

Read More

VPN

Automox Announces Immediate and Secure Actions at Scale to Keep IT Fast and Compliant

globenewswire | September 21, 2023

Automox, the leader in AI-powered IT automation, is proud to announce two new capabilities, FixNow and PowerShell Signing. Combined, these new features further extend Automox’s industry-leading automation, speed, and security to enable organizations to act immediately to enforce and audit configuration, remediate vulnerabilities, install or remove software, query devices, and more. According to a 2019 IT Outage Impact Study, human error was the #1 cause of IT outages in the United States and Canada, and the #3 cause globally. Using FixNow for immediate testing and validation enables IT professionals to confidently automate configuration changes at scale and to minimize the potential for human error. FixNow runs Automox WorkletsTM immediately at scale across IT environments without a VPN or servers. With a catalog of over 300 automations that span Windows, macOS, and Linux systems, FixNow runs securely in real-time on the devices you choose. Early-access Automox customers are already confirming the value of FixNow. Matthew Rehm, Director of Information Systems at Methodist Theological School in Ohio said, “[FixNow] made updating some machines so much easier than having to schedule.” And David Thomson, IT Manager, St Andrew's First Aid in the UK said, “I use FixNow when evaluating new Worklets. The capability to execute instantly allows me to see instant results without cluttering up my existing policies.” “The value of immediate and secure action at scale cannot be overstated. We know time is of the essence, and FixNow lets our users remediate fast,” said Tim Lucas, CEO of Automox. “FixNow is the fastest and most secure way to audit and fix hundreds or even thousands of devices immediately.” According to a 2020 study by Cisco, PowerShell accounted for more than 33% of critical threats detected on endpoints. Automox PowerShell Signing will ensure script integrity and adherence to security best practices by enabling remote or all script signing to further reduce potential attack surfaces. Whether you automate or immediately execute PowerShell with FixNow, tasks like configuration, software deployment, and patching will be signed. To ensure the integrity of scripts from Automox and enable IT teams to adhere to security best practices, all PowerShell commands and automations will be self-signed by Automox. Once enabled, organizations can enhance their security posture by disallowing unsigned and potentially malicious PowerShell from running in their environment. “All Automox customers will be able to opt-in to sign every PowerShell command sent through Automox, so they can be confident that critical endpoint management tasks like configuration updates were unchanged in transit to managed devices,” said Jason Kikta, Automox CISO. “This is a major advance in security for IT teams. Dual-use and fileless PowerShell scripts comprise nearly half of the critical security threats on endpoints.” FixNow is available to Automox customers today as a free preview, Secure Signing will be made available to all Automox customers shortly. About Automox Automox is the IT automation platform for modern organizations. It makes it easy to keep Windows, macOS, and Linux endpoints patched, configured, controlled, and secured – without servers or VPNs. Using AI-powered automation, IT professionals can fix critical vulnerabilities faster, slash cost and complexity, and win back hours in their days. Join thousands of companies transforming IT operations into a strategic business driver with Automox.

Read More

Server Virtualization, VMware

StorMagic Introduces Edge Control Software to Simplify SvSAN Monitoring and Management

Business Wire | October 18, 2023

StorMagic®, solving the world’s edge data problems, today announced the immediate availability of a new Software as a Service (SaaS) tool that allows users to easily monitor and manage all of their SvSAN clusters around the world. StorMagic Edge Control simplifies the process and tools required for day-to-day SvSAN cluster administration. SvSAN customers with multiple locations can significantly reduce the time spent managing their edge sites, whether they are using VMware, Microsoft or KVM hypervisors. “ESG research shows increasing demand for data storage at the edge which fuels an increased need for monitoring solutions that can help address the complexity of storage at the edge,” said Scott Sinclair, practice director at Enterprise Strategy Group. “SvSAN customers can greatly benefit by adding StorMagic Edge Control into their toolkits; the dashboard views and list formats will make centralized data management much easier and more accessible.” Edge Control delivers centralized administration for SvSAN environments of all sizes. Customers can now manage all SvSAN deployments in any location from a single pane of glass. Dashboard and system views provide a fast but comprehensive status of all of their virtual storage appliances (VSAs), allowing them to keep their environment up-to-date more easily and react faster as needed. “StorMagic customers of any size can now manage their entire SvSAN estate, whether it’s one site or thousands of sites around the world,” said Bruce Kornfeld, chief marketing and product officer, StorMagic. “Edge Control is particularly interesting for customers who are considering switching from VMware to Microsoft or Linux KVM because SvSAN and Edge Control are both hypervisor agnostic.” Pricing and Availability Edge Control version 1.0 is available today from StorMagic. SvSAN customers can download and begin using the software immediately, free of charge. About StorMagic StorMagic is solving the world’s edge data problems. We help organizations store, protect and use data at and from the edge. StorMagic’s solutions ensure data is always protected and available, no matter the type or location, to provide value anytime, anywhere. StorMagic’s storage and security products are flexible, robust, easy to use and cost-effective, without sacrificing enterprise-class features, for organizations with one to thousands of sites.

Read More