Cyclades and Linux
Marcio Saito - Revision 1.2 April 2000

About this document
This paper focuses on the Cyclades Corporation commitment with the Linux Operating System.

Executive Summary
    Linux is popular. Linux means business. But it has not been always that way. Back in 1993, when we considered investing in this operating system, things were a little bit more difficult. Linux was known only in the, at that time, incipient Internet circles. It certainly was not generating a lot of business. And the free software movement was something alien to the business thinking.
    Cyclades was the first (since 1994) and is still one of the few companies that, besides counting on the contributions of the community, allocates internal R&D resources dedicated to the maintenance and support of the Linux products.
    We think Cyclades has good connectivity solutions for you if you use other Unix, BSD or Windows systems. But, if your Operating System of choice is Linux, Cyclades is your best connectivity provider, and it is not only we who think that.

What is Linux?
    Linux is an Unix-like, POSIX-compliant, full-featured Operating System. It has multi-user and multi-tasking capabilities and runs in a variety of hardware platforms. It is very efficient and has excellent performance.
    The Linux kernel is freely available in source code form and can be copied, altered and re-distributed without fees or royalties. That allows Linux to evolve and incorporate new technologies quickly. The development efforts are not limited to a small group of engineers, but are shared by thousands of scientists, engineers, and users from around the world.
    Initially limited to Internet applications (a considerable portion of the WEB servers in the Internet runs Linux), this Operating System is getting more and more momentum in the corporate market. Most of the major software vendors already support or have plans to support Linux.
    There are several Linux "distributions". Companies get the open source operating system and pack a commercial Linux product. Besides the support you get from the vendor, usually it is very easy and fast to solve any problem getting help in the Internet.

Some History
    In 1993, foreseeing the Internet revolution and betting on the success of Linux, Cyclades contacted the Linux community looking for development partners. We found Randolph Bentson, who has been involved with Linux from the beginning. In collaboration with Cyclades Corporation, he developed the first Cyclom-Y Linux device driver early in 94.
    That was not only the first Cyclades driver for Linux. That was the first Linux driver developed with participation of the hardware manufacturer. In a time when most hardware vendors were reluctant even in providing the basic information to the community, Cyclades actively collaborated in the driver development.
    Always innovating, Cyclades was one of the first companies to announce RISC-based multi-port serial cards in 1992. In 1995 we were the first company to announce a multi-port serial card for the PCI bus. In 1996, we announced the first 32-bit bus-master intelligent multi-port serial card, the Cyclades-Z. In 1997, we were the first company to ship a modular router based on the new Motorola MPC860 PowerPC chip, the PR3000.
    Since 1994, Cyclades actively and officially supports the Linux device drivers, providing free and unlimited technical support for all users. Cyclades dedicates in-house R&D resources to support and maintain the Linux device drivers.
    Unlike other hardware vendors that rely only on voluntary support by individuals, Cyclades Corporation incorporates all the contributions from the community and maintains all Linux device drivers in house. When a new product is introduced, Linux is one of the first operating systems we support.
    Cyclades also supports other FreeOS such as FreeBSD and BSD/OS. We were one of the first organizations to believe in free software and join the Open Hardware and Open Source initiatives.
    The Linux community has acknolowdged our commitment by selecting Cyclades as "the best hardware vendor" and "the best communication board" for Linux every year since the Linux Journal has instituted the poll.

So, Why is Cyclades The Best Connectivity Provider For Linux?
   Commitment. Cyclades was the first and is still one of the few hardware companies completely commited to Linux. Cyclades maintains dedicated in-house R&D and technical resources specifically for Linux development and support.
   Compatibility and Stability. Because there are so many people using the Cyclades products with Linux (we estimate more than 250,000 serial ports), you can rest assured that we have the best-maintained and more stable drivers. That is especially important in an environment as dynamic as Linux. This is valid also for our OS-independent network equipment (routers and terminal servers), which is tested for interoperability and compatibility with Linux in our Labs.
   Service and Support. Cyclades is well known in the market for the service and support we provide. All our products come with free and unlimited technical support for life. Our software upgrades are always free and available at our FTP site. Of course you can post your questions on the newsgroups. But if you call our technical support, there is always someone to help you.
   Cost-effectiveness and Quality. Cyclades' serial cards, routers and terminal servers are available in a wide range of options, from the entry-level to the high-end. In all the segments, Cyclades is a leader in cost/performance. Cyclades has been selling remote connectivity products since 1992 and we provide OEM products for small and large fortune 500 companies.

Conclusion
    Whether you use Linux or not, we invite you to consider our Serial Boards, Routers and Remote Access Servers every time there is the need for remote connectivity product.
    We just repeat what others say: Cyclades, the Leader in Linux Connectivity.

Comments or suggestions to this document can be sent to Marcio Saito marcio@cyclades.com.