Kozio Closes the GAP in the Hardware Design Chain with the Introduction of a User Configurable Verification and Test OS

LONGMONT, Colo., Sept. 12, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Kozio, Inc. (www.kozio.com), the leading provider of software solutions for embedded hardware design verification and production test, today announced the addition of VTOS™ Builder to its VTOS Suite 2.0 release. This closes the GAP in the hardware design chain with the industry's first user configurable special purpose Verification and Test OS (VTOS™). Today's embedded hardware design tools do not address the hardware prototype test and verification process, creating a tool gap between design creation and production test. With this latest product release, a cost effective alternative to internally developed test programs is now available. When the first prototype arrives, VTOS provides the test platform to quickly verify a new design and debug problems. With VTOS, a new prototype can be tested for design correctness and production readiness in less than one week. The design can confidently be handed over to the software team for application development.  With VTOS Builder, hardware engineers can easily configure VTOS for new prototype hardware. Companies now have a commercially available tool that can be used across multiple embedded design projects and become part of their design chain. 

"Leveraging Kozio's VTOS solution has enabled us to ship our last product in record time," stated Ron Murphy, the senior hardware engineer at Sunhillo Corporation. "VTOS has helped us diagnose real issues during the prototype test phase, such as an elusive Ethernet clocking issue.  We are now in the process of expanding Kozio test coverage to both our manufacturing and board burn-in processes. We are seeing significant cost savings from the reduction in our final test failure rate at our contract manufacturer."

VTOS is user configurable and can be loaded and running on custom hardware in minutes. VTOS Builder allows VTOS to be easily configured utilizing the power of a device tree without compilation. No OS porting is required. New components can easily be added and device parameters can be configured by editing the device tree. VTOS Builder then configures a new VTOS ready to boot utilizing U-Boot or JTAG. VTOS can be up and running on custom hardware in 30 minutes.

"As embedded hardware complexity grows, so do the test challenges. Companies must build in-house test solutions, requiring staff years of effort to provide the necessary test coverage and debug tools, stated Bob Potock, the vice president of marketing at Kozio, Inc. "With this release, hardware engineers now have a significant amount of power at their fingertips and can confidently hand off the prototype to software development.  Companies now have a viable "buy" option when making the build vs. buy decision for test development.  Companies can also benefit by using VTOS for production test."

About VTOS Technology

VTOS is the industry's first special purpose OS developed exclusively for embedded hardware design verification and production test. VTOS is fundamentally different than an application OS (e.g. Linux, Android ) in that it provides direct hardware access and a functional test suite. An application OS strives for hardware abstraction while VTOS eliminates the software stacks that complicate hardware testing. VTOS is built to span the hardware lifecycle from design to production to field-based power-on self-test.

VTOS technology is licensed by processor family.  Each professor family package includes a functional test library for the purpose of design verification and test.

About VTOS Suite 2.0

VTOS Suite leverages the power of VTOS technology to provide an out-of-the-box solution that can save up to 75% of test program development costs. The suite includes:

• VTOS Builder^™ – A PC based application that allows a user to configure VTOS by modifying a device tree and adding device drivers for custom board requirements
• Integration Workbench^™ – a PC based GUI application that communicates with VTOS running on a Device Under Test (DUT)
• vLink^™ – IP-based middleware that provides the communications link  between VTOS and host applications
• SequenceRunner^™ –  Production test operator's interface for automated testing and configuration of embedded systems
• SequenceReporter^™ – Remote test reporting and tracking used to report the status of board testing by a variety of criteria

VTOS Suite Test Drive

Kozio has made available a 30-day free trial of its VTOS Suite. This free trial is available now, and can be downloaded directly from the Kozio website http://www.kozio.com/evaluate-vtos

Pricing and Availability

Annual Floating License for VTOS Builder starts at $5,000 and is available immediately. VTOS Builder requires a processor family package starting at $5,000.  Annual floating licenses are available per seat for: Integration Workbench ($2,000), vLink ($7,500), SequenceRunner ($2,000), and SequenceReporter ( $1,500). For more information, please contact us at 303-776-1356 or [email protected].

About Kozio, Inc.

Kozio is the leading provider of software solutions for embedded hardware design verification and production test.  Kozio's technology includes a Verification and Test OS (VTOS) - a packaged solution that combines a special purpose OS with a comprehensive peripheral and processor functional test library. VTOS provides a powerful, user configurable verification environment for boot, functional test execution, file transfer and interactive debug. VTOS is designed specifically for the purpose of embedded hardware design verification to ensure design correctness, performance and reliability. VTOS replaces the traditional methods of creating one-off test programs or using the application OS as the hardware test platform. VTOS can also be utilized in production test and field power-on self-test, making the technology transferable within an organization.

For more information, please contact:
Debra Layton
Director of Marketing Communications
Kozio, Inc.
303.776.1356, ext 117
[email protected]

Kozio, and the Kozio logo are registered trademarks of Kozio, Inc. Integration Workbench, VTOS, VTOS Builder, VTOS-POST, SequenceRunner, and SequenceReporter are trademarks of Kozio, Inc. All other trademarks and products are the property of their respective owners.

SOURCE Kozio, Inc.