News
Venturcom Unveils Bootable NIC for XP Embedded
- By Scott Bekker
- 11/29/2001
Venturcom Inc. launched a bootable NIC supporting Windows XP Embedded that gives device makers an option for creating thin client, point-of-sale and other devices that don't require hard disks.
Venturcom was one of several Microsoft partners announcing products and services complementing the formal launch of Windows XP Embedded on Wednesday.
Venturcom also announced Windows XP Embedded support in its extension software that makes Microsoft operating systems into real-time operating systems -- RTX 5.1 for Windows XP Embedded.
The bootable NIC product, Boot-NIC for Windows XP, is available for OEMs. Myron Zimmerman, CTO of Venturcom, expects OEMs to begin rolling out products using the bootable NIC in North America in the second quarter of 2002.
The approach competes with other methods for creating diskless devices, including storing the contents of a virtual C: drive in RAM.
The RAM approach works for operating systems with extremely small footprints such as DOS and early Windows versions, but not for Windows NT family operating systems, Zimmerman says.
"The approach we have gets rid of all those constraints," Zimmerman says.
Other Windows XP Embedded products for the enterprise unveiled this week included thin clients from Compaq Computer Corp., Neoware Systems Inc. and Wyse Technology Inc. and retail and point-of-sale devices from Olivetti Tecnost Spa, Retalix Inc. and Wincor Nixdorf.
About the Author
Scott Bekker is editor in chief of Redmond Channel Partner magazine.