WIZnet IoT iOffload Contest

WIZnet is running a contest this summer for IoT designs that use either the W6100 Internet controller chip or WIZ610io Ethernet  module.  They are looking for 'IoT innovation' and will award five $1000 and ten $500 prizes.  For more details see the IoT iOffload Contest.

WIZnet products include chips and modules to enable networking for microcontrollers.  For example, the Arduino Ethernet Shield 2 uses the W5500 Ethernet Controller.

Renesas Offering Free Micruim RTOS

Commercial products using 32-bit RX and 16-bit RL78 MCUs can qualify for a free Micruim RTOS license until March 31, 2013.  This can be uC/OS-II or uC/OS-III and middleware (TCP/IP, USB, File System), plus uC/GUI.  The promotion is called 'The Power of 2' and is available in the Americas.  See the video below for more information, it also mentions how NASA uses uC/OS-II on the Mars Rover.

The Micruim website just completed a major update, they now have free PDF books and example projects with registration.  They are also offering free live training classes in Micrium's office in Florida.

New TI ARM Starter Kit Includes Display

Texas Instruments' new AM335x Starter Kit is now available for $199 featuring a 720MHz AM3358 ARM processor, 4.3 inch touch-screen/LCD, and dual-gigabit Ethernet with integrated switch.  This processor is in the same family as the Beaglebone's AM3359, so it should be easy to port software that is available for that popular platform.  TI already has Linux and Android software development kits for the 3.x kernel and ice cream sandwich respectively.  Here is a list of features from the starter kit's product page:

• AM3358, 720Mhz
• 256MB DDR3
• 4.3” Touch screen LCD
• Dual Gigabit Ethernet Ports with integrated switch
• WiFi WL1271 with Wifi Direct Support’
• Bluetooth®
• USB-UART
• USB-XDS100 emulator
• Android navigation buttons
• User configured LEDs
• Audio Out

UPDATE: There is now an AM335x Starter Kit Page on the Texas Instruments Wiki  for developers with software and development tool downloads and design files.

You can purchase from the TI e-store, Avnet, DigiKey or Mouser, all have it in stock at the time of writing.  The part number is TMDSSK3358.

Introducing the Sitara AM335x Starter Kit

Tiny Serial WiFi Module Includes ARM Cortex M3

The Inventek Systems 802.11 b/g/n Serial to WiFi module makes it easy to add Wi-Fi to your embedded design.  It can be programmed from a host with a choice of serial interfaces using a simple AT command set.

These serial interfaces are provided by an STM32 ARM Cortex M3 processor as shown on the block diagram.  No software development is required for the STM32, the AT command set interface is resident in firmware.  This means your host microcontroller does not need a TCP/IP stack or RTOS.  This simplifies software development for your application - you only need to write serial I/O code to send the AT commands and process data.

An embedded wireless evaluation board is available that make it easy to connect the module to your microcontroller board for development of your WiFi application.  Both the evaluation board and the module are available from the Inventek Systems online store.

For more information on the module and evaluation board watch this video that includes a description of the functional block diagram above.

Altera Starter Kit Available For New Low Cost FPGA Family

Altera Cyclone IV FPGAs are now shipping in volume and are claimed to be lowest in cost and power. The Cyclone IV starter kit can be purchased at the Altera online store for $395. It includes a Gigabit Ethernet and SMA connectors. You can find more specifications and ordering information here.

Lantronix Embedd Linux Networking Contest

To promote the XPort Pro, a tiny self contained network server, Lantronix will give up to $6000US for the winning design. You will need to purchase an evaluation kit for $99 to enter.

Google Wave Changes Personal Communication

Google Wave is the second Google project for the developers of Google Maps. It attempts to combine e-mail and instant messaging into a single system, but doesn't stop there. They also aim to combine documents with conversations and allow networked collaboration to create a new electronic object called a wave. A wave doesn't have a true physical representation but that is part of the design according to the Google Wave post on the Official Google Blog. With an electronic form the wave allows dynamic features like playback and rewind that are hard to navigate with paper documents.

Another interesting part of Wave is that it has an underlying open protocol called the Google Wave Federation Protocol. By opening up the protocol, Google is enabling companies to develop interoperable systems that use waves. That could allow consumer electronic start-ups to invent new web enabled devices. This can also allow some apps to be developed and delivered across mobile platforms. In the video you can also see Wave running on Android and iPhone at the 25:26 mark.

FTP Bounce Attacks in Embedded Servers

A potential security risk in the FTP protocol can complicate embedded systems designs. If your device implements an FTP server that strictly conforms to the FTP protocol (RFC 959), your system could be used to attack other hosts on the network. Strict FTP conformance in your product can also generate a security alert like this one for Canon multifunction printers.

The security vulnerability in FTP is known as the FTP bounce attack. If successful, it allows unauthorized access to a third party host using an intermediate FTP server (by misusing the PORT command). The attack will only occur if the intermediate server is configured to allow anonymous FTP access. There were valid reasons to allow third party access in the FTP protocol, such as sending a file from a server to a printer (FTP print server), or transferring between two servers remotely, so this security vulnerability will be present in any conforming FTP implementation.

The Canon printers in the alert already allowed you to disable anonymous ftp, or disable ftp altogether, but Canon still decided to provide a firmware upgrade through service centers that will implement a safer, but non-conforming FTP implementation. This is similar to what the OS vendors and open-source projects chose to do when the FTP bounce attack was first discovered in 1997. They still allow strict FTP conformance with a change in configuration, but the default is to prevent third party access.