Plat'Home unveils winners of "Will Linux Work?" contest

Plat'Home Unveils Winners of ?Will Linux Work?? Contest
 
OpenMicroServers awarded to four community members to put Linux to the test, looking for fifth
winner on-site at Interop NY 2008
 
SAN JOSE, Calif. ?September 16, 2008?Plat'Home, Japan? Linux technology pioneer, today announced it
has chosen four of its five winners for the ?Will Linux Work?? contest.  For five weeks, Plat?ome
challenged the Linux community to propose interesting and challenging scenarios to run Plat?ome?
OpenMicroServer.  Participants were asked to push a normal server? limits and suggest ideas that
would test and reveal if Linux really could work in any environment. 
 
OpenMicroServers will be awarded to the following four participants who will be given one month to
test their scenarios and report their results back to Plat?ome:
 
	* Winner #1 lives aboard a trimaran in New Zealand and needs a small, low power device to record
positional data and monitor the engine, fuel reserves and rate of consumption.  The OpenMicroServer
will be put to the test against constant motion, vibrations, a sweeping variety of temperature
conditions and the risk of electrolysis from lack of proper grounding and presence of salt water. 
 
	* Winner #2 will use the OpenMicroServer as a controller for amateur radio repeaters in an
unheated container on a 4200?hilltop.  He will also use Asterisk (open source VOIP solution) and
modified USB audio dongles to interface with the radio. 
 
	* Winner #3 will use the OpenMicroServer as a home utility automation device to be more efficient
with energy usage.  The system will monitor heating zones, hot water and air conditioning system
cycle times to allow extracting daily information and plan strategies for fuel and cost savings. 
Advanced versions of the system will allow for time-of-day scheduling to take advantage of variable
utility rates. 
 
	* Winner #4 will use the OpenMicroServer as an irrigation control system.  He has developed
software to control his 5-acre pasture and orchard ranch? irrigation system, but needs a server
that can deal with the hot California summer heat (104°F and more) and ubiquitous dust. 
 
"To be honest, we were more than a little surprised at the level of excitement and involvement by
the community,? said Tomoyasu Suzuki, president of Plat'Home. ?We received countless submissions
ranging from chicken coop protection devices to solar panel driven GPS systems, but the four chosen
winners have submitted very hard environments  that are within the hardware specs that will really
put our little servers to the test.  Remember, if they can handle these environments, they can
handle whatever you throw at them in a regular office.?  
 
The contest will have five winners. Only four winners were announced today, the final winner of an
OpenMicroServer will be chosenthis week during Interop New York, September 15-19.  Conference
attendees will be asked to submit potential scenarios onsite at Plat?ome? booth No. 1137.  Plat?ome
will review submissions throughout the duration of the conference and will announce the final
winner following the conference.   
 
 
The OpenMicroServer is designed for companies with limited IT staff that need to get a low-cost
server up and running and then not have to worry much. Power consumption is extremely low, and it
has no moving parts, such as cooling fans or a conventional hard disk.  It can use Power over
Ethernet (PoE), allowing the use of fewer cables, and eliminating the need for a power supply cord.
 
The OpenMicroServer is perfectly suited for creating small appliance servers. For volume orders
from software vendors and OEMs, a branding program is available including custom cover design,
packaging and kitting. For detailed specs and case studies:
http://www.plathome.com/products/microserver/oms/index.html
 
To see a complete list of scenarios submitted, please visit Plat?ome? ?Will Linux Work?? contest
blog: http://www.plathomeus.blogspot.com.  
 
About Plat'Home 
Plat'Home Co.,Ltd. introduced the fledgling Linux operating system to Japan when it was founded in
1993. Plat'Home began the first server line under its own brand in 1996, and went public at the
Tokyo Stock Exchange in 2000. Plat'Home is First Partner for SoftEther, developer of the
revolutionary VPN software PacketiX VPN.  In 2007, Plat'Home established its first U.S. subsidiary,
in San Jose, California, to introduce Japanese IT products to new markets. For more information,
please contact Plat'Home USA Ltd. at sales@plathome.com. 
 
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Media contact
 
Jesse Casman
Page One PR for Plat?ome
jesse@pageonepr.com
415-321-2347