From: deb@freebsdfoundation.org   
      
   The FreeBSD Foundation is pleased to announce that Semihalf, an   
   embedded solutions company, has been awarded a grant to bring their   
   comprehensive NAND Flash file system and storage stack to FreeBSD.   
   This technology enables FreeBSD to natively manage NAND Flash   
   devices, satisfying a crucial requirement for many applications   
   needing access to fast, reliable, non-volatile storage.   
      
   FreeBSD is widely used as the OS foundation of embedded appliances   
   both small and large.  Semihalf's NAND Flash stack opens new   
   opportunities for FreeBSD in this space, where size, cost, or   
   performance, mandate the use of direct attached NAND Flash.   
      
   Made possible by matching funds from Juniper Networks, this FreeBSD   
   Foundation grant covers the costs of transferring technology   
   developed for Juniper Networks by Semihalf to the FreeBSD   
   project.  This will ensure that the NAND framework meets   
   community standards and can be easily maintained and enhanced.   
      
   Highlighting the return on investment offered by this kind of   
   technology transfer, FreeBSD Foundation president Justin T. Gibbs,   
   noted:   
      
   "Open sourcing enhancements that do not expose 'business critical   
   intellectual property' reduces the cost of managing a FreeBSD   
   distribution that has been customized for a product.  The NAND   
   subsystem is a perfect example of how technology transfer   
   benefits both the FreeBSD community and its commercial users.   
   We'd like to thank Semihalf and Juniper for partnering with us   
   to make the code available under a BSD license"   
      
   The NAND Flash subsystem consists of a driver framework for NAND   
   controllers and memory chips, a NAND device simulator and a fault   
   tolerant, log-structured file system, tailored to meet the unique   
   challenges of NAND flash storage.  The package includes all the   
   tools, utilities and documentation needed to deploy this technology   
   in custom applications.   
      
   "A reliable file system that supports NAND Flash is critical for   
   Juniper's ongoing success," said Marcel Moolenaar, Distinguished   
   Engineer, Juniper Networks.  "But since storage isn't Juniper's core   
   business, we were eager to find a solution that would put the   
   implementation and support of the file system in the most   
   capable hands. We reached out to Semihalf and ultimately the   
   Foundation to help us achieve our goals. Juniper cannot be more   
   pleased to have the NAND Flash file system and NAND Flash   
   framework present in the next major FreeBSD version as a   
   standard feature and under the care of the community."   
      
   "We are very glad to have the NAND framework made available   
   for the general FreeBSD audience, reaffirming the system as a   
   versatile platform for appliances and other embedded and   
   industrial designs," said Rafal Jaworowski of Semihalf.   
      
   The Foundation is pleased to be working with Semihalf again. They   
   were previously awarded a grant to bring "Flattened Device Tree"   
   support to FreeBSD.  This new feature in FreeBSD 9.0 has been   
   well received by the FreeBSD community.   
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