How to draw upon Mentor-Microsoft integration for embedded IoT

A collaboration between Mentor and Microsoft simplifies the delivery of edge Internet of Things (IoT) applications through integration of the companies Embedded Linux (MEL) and Azure cloud products.

Linux in its embedded form has now established itself as the operating system (OS) of choice for edge applications because of its feature set, performance and low image footprint, as well as its low cost and broad support.

A new technical article describes the extent of the Mentor-Microsoft integration, how it speeds product delivery and deployment, and how teams can settle upon the right configuration. Lightweight versus more feature-rich options are discussed.

For Mentor, a Siemens business, the paper walks readers through the initial process of choosing the right flavor of Linux. Mentor offers both the Yocto Project-based MEL Flex OS and the Debian-based MEL Omni OS. It also discusses considerations around device security and five out-of-the-box steps for cloud integration (device management and configuration; firmware; device health monitoring; application management; and remote profiling).

Microsoft offers two key services for end-to-end cloud integration to supplement its main Azure platform, the IoT Hub and IoT Edge. The paper describes various benefits, including how it provides turnkey capability for processes such as machine learning and stream analytics.