DeviceScape extends embedded software to infrastructure

Loring Wirbel

June 28, 2005

Loring Wirbel

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — DeviceScape Software Inc., the embedded 802.11 middleware company formerly known as Instant802, has introduced a software environment for Wi-Fi enterprise infrastructure called the Wireless Infrastructure Platform 2.0.

WIP includes functions not traditionally considered a part of embedded middleware, including load-balancing, Radius authentication servers and channel-planning for Wi-Fi RF channel assignments.

David Fraser, who joined DeviceScape as chief executive six months ago after leaving Wind River Systems Inc., said the infrastructure suite can leverage OEM customers based on the success of its Universal Wireless Platform 2.0 suite, launched in February and aimed at the capabilities of Wi-Fi clients and access points.

Infrastructure capabilities can be implemented in access points or in more integrated systems such as residential gateways and multiprotocol routers. For now, DeviceScape is limiting its plans to the 802.11 environment, though Fraser noted that 80 percent of the software is agnostic to the physical radio environment, and hence might be applicable in future iterations to WiMax, Bluetooth, ZigBee or other environments.

In addition to Layer 3 traffic-management functions such as load balancing, the WIP 2.0 package includes support for automatic configuration and management of devices. That means new access points can be deployed and self-managed. WIP access points also can support multiple virtual private networks for segmented enterprise environments.

The software is based on an embedded Java virtual machine, so that most customization of the software platform can be implemented via simple Java scripts. Management functions in the software are compatible with the Simple Network Management Protocol, and with common system management environments such as IBM Tivoli and Hewlett-Packard OpenView.