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Microsoft will soon release version 2.5 of its .NET Micro Framework platform for low-end embedded processors. The new release adds support for networking via a native TCP/IP stack, and for Web Services on Devices (WSD), according to postings on the .NET Micro Framework Team's blog.
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Microsoft first released .NET Micro Framework (.NET MF) in 2006, aiming it at wireless remote controls, watches, and other cost-sensitive devices with constrained processor and memory resources. The .NET MF grew out of Microsoft's Smart Personal Objects Technology (SPOT) initiative, with embryonic versions variously dubbed .NET Embedded and TinyCLR.
According to Microsoft, .NET MF supports low-end embedded processors and doesn't require an MMU (memory management unit). A typical runtime image is only about 300 KB in size, the company says.
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.NET MF grew out of Microsoft's work with SPOT Watches
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Microsoft released .NET MF version 2.0 in February 2007, and .NET MF 2.0, Service Pack 1 in September. However, these releases still did not include a native TCP/IP stack, which was listed as "coming soon." Therefore, networking a .NET MF device has required calling through to an underlying operating system with sockets support, according to the company.
Version 2.5 of .NET MF will now offer a stack that is available even when running directly on the hardware. Device makers need only provide a driver for the network interface. This will result in a wider selection of network-capable hardware development platforms for developers to choose from, Microsoft says.
The company adds that the new version of .NET MF will also include client and server support for Web Services on Devices, also known as Device Profile for Web Services (DPWS). Already part of Windows Vista and Windows CE 6.0 Release 2, this "enables a USB-like level of plug-and-play for networked devices," in the company's words. DPWS-enabled devices on a network can discover one another, then invoke the functionality each device provides.
Further specifics of .NET MF, version 2.5, were not provided, nor has a release date been announced. However, according to the .NET MF team, the new version should appear in "early 2008."
For further information, see the blog posting, here.