Plat'Home Unveils Winners of "Will Linux Work?" Contest
Sep 16, 2008
OpenMicroServers awarded to four community members to put Linux to the test, looking for fifth winner on-site at Interop NY 2008
SAN JOSE, Calif. -September 16, 2008- Plat'Home, Japan's Linux technology pioneer, today announced it has chosen four of its five winners for the "Will Linux Work?" contest. For five weeks, Plat'Home challenged the Linux community to propose interesting and challenging scenarios to run Plat'Home's OpenMicroServer. Participants were asked to push a normal server's limits and suggest ideas that would test and reveal if Linux really could work in any environment.
OpenMicroServers will be awarded to the following four participants who will be given one month to test their scenarios and report their results back to Plat'Home:
- Winner #1 lives aboard a trimaran in New Zealand and needs a small, low power device to record positional data and monitor the engine, fuel reserves
and rate of consumption. The OpenMicroServer will be put to the test against constant motion, vibrations, a sweeping variety of temperature conditions and
the risk of electrolysis from lack of proper grounding and presence of salt water.
- Winner #2 will use the OpenMicroServer as a controller for amateur radio repeaters in an unheated container on a 4200' hilltop. He will also use
Asterisk (open source VOIP solution) and modified USB audio dongles to interface with the radio.
- Winner #3 will use the OpenMicroServer as a home utility automation device to be more efficient with energy usage. The system will monitor heating zones,
hot water and air conditioning system cycle times to allow extracting daily information and plan strategies for fuel and cost savings.
Advanced versions of the system will allow for time-of-day scheduling to take advantage of variable utility rates.
- Winner #4 will use the OpenMicroServer as an irrigation control system. He has developed software to control his 5-acre pasture and orchard ranch's
irrigation system, but needs a server that can deal with the hot California summer heat (104°F and more) and ubiquitous dust.
"To be honest, we were more than a little surprised at the level of excitement and involvement by the community," said Tomoyasu Suzuki, president of Plat'Home. "We received countless submissions ranging from chicken coop protection devices to solar panel driven GPS systems, but the four chosen winners have submitted very hard environments that are within the hardware specs that will really put our little servers to the test. Remember, if they can handle these environments, they can handle whatever you throw at them in a regular office."
The contest will have five winners. Only four winners were announced today, the final winner of an OpenMicroServer will be chosen this week during Interop New York, September 15-19. Conference attendees will be asked to submit potential scenarios onsite at Plat'Home's booth No. 1137. Plat'Home will review submissions throughout the duration of the conference and will announce the final winner following the conference.
The OpenMicroServer is designed for companies with limited IT staff that need to get a low-cost server up and running and then not have to worry much. Power consumption is extremely low, and it has no moving parts, such as cooling fans or a conventional hard disk. It can use Power over Ethernet (PoE), allowing the use of fewer cables, and eliminating the need for a power supply cord.
The OpenMicroServer is perfectly suited for creating small appliance servers. For volume orders from software vendors and OEMs, a branding program is available including custom cover design, packaging and kitting. For detailed specs and case studies: http://www.plathome.com/products/microserver/oms/index.html
To see a complete list of scenarios submitted, please visit Plat'Home's "Will Linux Work?" contest blog: http://www.plathomeus.blogspot.com.
About Plat'Home
Plat'Home Co., Ltd. introduced the fledgling Linux operating system to Japan when it was founded in 1993. Plat'Home introduced the first server line under its own brand in 1996, and went public at the Tokyo Stock Exchange in 2000. Plat'Home is First Partner for SoftEther, developer of the revolutionary VPN software PacketiX VPN. In 2007, Plat'Home established its first U.S. subsidiary, in San Jose, California, to introduce Japanese IT products to new markets. For more information, please contact Plat'Home USA Ltd. at sales@plathome.com.
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Jesse Casman
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