There is no question that the internet of things (IoT) has opened a new world in terms of connecting machines and devices and making a realm of new possibilities available in many sectors. The sophistication brought to the connected world comes with a significant increase in the complexity of technology deployments.
Many IoT edge-based solutions run on Windows IoT Enterprise operating systems, offering several advantages in terms of security, support, and lock-down capabilities. At the same time, Linux provides an extensive portfolio of pre-validated modules needed for next-generation AI virtual machine processes. The coming together of these two technology approaches means that practitioners increasingly require mixed environments that support both Windows IoT and Linux operating systems.
Enter EFLOW - Azure IoT Edge for Linux on Windows. A single hardware device with one management system supporting Windows IoT and Linux operating systems in parallel. Designers no longer must choose between Windows or Linux; instead, designers can leverage the best of both platforms through a single piece of hardware.
EFLOW was developed for organizations with Windows expertise that also need to use Linux processes for IoT operations. Without needing to set up a separate Linux server, EFLOW enables these organizations to host a Linux virtual machine on edge hardware using Windows IoT. EFLOW works with Azure IoT Edge, Microsoft’s solution that connects devices running the Windows IoT operating systems to Azure services for data analytics or anomaly detection for external devices in the field. The curated Linux virtual machine (VM) based on CBL Mariner Linux, a Microsoft maintained Linux distribution, is optimized for hosting Azure IoT Edge workloads, opening the way for a range of capabilities for commercial IoT and AI/ML with the availability of pre-built modules.
The EFLOW system was built with a series of considerations for Windows and Linux customers in mind:
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With EFLOW, practitioners can retain their existing assets and benefit from the power of Windows IoT for applications that need an interactive UX and high-performance hardware interaction. Developers can also choose to deploy their custom modules using Linux to address specific business requirements or take advantage of pre-built modules available via the Azure Marketplace, making for a seamless solution.
EFLOW delivers additional benefits, including:
- Efficiently distribute workloads between Windows and Linux
- Build new solutions faster and transform your offerings
- Reduce complexity by minimizing hardware SKUs
- Maximize return on investment with leading technologies
- Future-proof systems and build scalable solutions
Arrow works closely with Microsoft and Intel® to provide comprehensive hardware and software solutions, further expanding the EFLOW offering to increase value via the Arrow Edge AI Solution Accelerator: Powered by EFLOW and Intel® OpenVINO™. The solution uses Microsoft EFLOW and Intel® OpenVINO™ technologies to run modern AI workloads in Linux on Windows with integrated graphics acceleration, lowering the total cost of ownership. It is an integrated edge-to-cloud reference solution incorporating a vision AI-based demo and code, scalable AI models, a step-by-step developer training guide, and GitHub. Arrow’s technical know-how, design expertise, and technology affiliations allow you to accelerate time to market by reducing hundreds of hours of development time.
Learn more about EFLOW and the Arrow Edge AI Solution Accelerator: Powered by EFLOW and Intel OpenVINO™.
