Cloud-based computing applications need high processing power and management, stable connectivity, and reliable data backup and storage to fulfill 365/24/7 non-stop operations. To meet these requirements, Advantech's new generation of industrial motherboard products come embedded with iManager, an intelligent self-management firmware agent, which gives applications smart self control, resource management, and auto-protection features to enhance security and system reliability, and simplify integration and configuration.
Features
iManager 2.0 for Operating System Independent Hardware Control/Monitoring
To fulfill the everchanging, specialized demands of a variety of industrial applications, Advantech designed iManager, an intelligent self management agent with software control functions and stand alone hardware design. iManager, a built-in solution chip, is a perfect solution that provides a standardized API, integrating several unique platform consolidating functions needed by embedded system integrators to help improve consistency, lighten the development effort and speed up a product’s time-to-market. With iManager built in, the hardware platform operates continuously without being affected by the status of the operating system.
- Multi-Level Watchdog Timer (WDT) provides ultimate hardware protection by monitoring and minimizing code execution errors and resetting the system if any occur. iManager 2.0 offers an enhanced watchdog timer to detect multi-level error events, preventing your application or system from sudden crashes. iManager 2.0's WDT will automatically restart an application, soft-start the OS, or completely reboot the system by sending an IRQ & SCI/SMI reboot signal to the platform. Advantech Industrial Motherboards’s advanced watchdog provides advanced multilevel protection that is able to respond to many different types of events.
- Brightness Control – iManager 2.0 provides brightness and backlight control for integrated flat panel displays (LVDS interface). With iManager 2.0 integrated into the system, it is possible with a special hotkey to detect when a display is not under bright sunlit environments.
- Thermal protection – A typical Smart Fan can protect a system from overheating and minimize fan noise. It starts running when temperatures
reach preset values and stops when temperatures drop below safety values. However, in many cases when an OS has crashed, such applications (running outside the OS) lose their thermal protection. In contrast with traditional Smart Fans, iManager 2.0 runs on the controller
chip embedded on Advantech Industrial Motherboards and can work independently to keep the Smart Fan functional to provide the best thermal protection for the system.
SUSIAccess for Remote Management
SUSIAccess is valueadded software which shapes new business models, helping them migrate from traditional embedded systems to Intelligent Systems, and bringing greater business opportunity to the existing embedded market. Preloaded with all Advantech embedded solutions is SUSIAccess, software which allows efficient monitoring, quick recovery & backup, and realtime remote configuration. SUSIAccess addresses the needs for creating more intelligent and interconnected embedded computing solutions.
- Active Control: Intel Active Management Technology (AMT), Schedule On/Off, Remote KVM
- Complete Protection: System Protection, System Recovery, Standalone Management
- Remote Monitoring: System Monitoring, Alerts via SMS Gateway, Event Logging
- Multi Platform Support: Windows and Linux
Multiple OS & Customized SW APIs Integration
Advantech provides Embedded Software Services to integrators of Advantech hardware products. Advantech Embedded Software Services include Embedded BIOS services, OS services and an API Library. Embedded Software Services help decrease design effort and project complexity, and accelerate product development.
- Windows Embedded OS: Customization Services, BSP Services, Boot Manager, EWF/FWBF Manager
- Embedded Linux: Suitability Services, Driver Modification & Configuration Services
- Software API: GPIO, Watchdog, SMBus, Hardware Monitor, Brightness, etc.
McAfee Embedded Security
Security is one of the key elements of applications such that operate at ATMs and Kiosks. With McAfee Embedded Security built-in, Advantech Industrial Motherboards come with the following features:
- Banking level system protection software with dynamic whitelisting techniques that differentiate it from regular antivirus software, and internet security management software with annual updates included to spare users the cost of having to buy a new version year after year.
- Antivirus and internet security “blacklisting” defined in McAfee Embedded Security software. The blacklist of applications during device or platform API planning allows McAfee Embedded Security to continuously provide seamless system protection.
- Keeps ATMs safe from all types of attack with no continuous updates required.
Acronis Device Recovery
Enterprises need to manage more and more complicated data. Efficient, cost-saving data maintenance, as well as backup/recovery software is a significant requirement in today's IOT era. Regular and simple backup & recovery operations that support device recovery techniques are available in Acronis TrueImage.
You might also be interested in:
iManager inside
Intel® Core™ i7/i5/i3 processor + QM77
Intel® Core™ i7/i5/i3 processor + QM77
Mini-ITX AIMB-230
Future 4th gen Intel® Core™
processors w/Intel 8 series chipset
Intel® Core™ i7/i5/i3 processors + Q87