Embedded Java - JavaTech: An Introduction to Scientific and Technical Computing with Java - page 663

Table 24.1 SNAP vs. TINI timing comparison [15].

Operation (10000 times) SNAP TINI

integer multiplications 32 ms 800 ms

integer division 82 ms 890 ms

float additions 52 ms 3390 ms

float multiplications 50 ms 3290 ms

float division 120 ms 69990 ms

double additions 78 ms 3550 ms

double multiplications 76 ms 3180 ms

double divisions 284 ms 49790 ms

By embedding Java and a network connection in a remote system, a TINI card
opens up a wide range of new capabilities. As discussed in Chapters 14-15, a
server can provide monitoring and control to a distant client. Potentially every
device in a complex industrial facility or in a large scientific experiment could
“go online” and provide access and control at a very fine-grained level.
In Section 24.10 we give an example of a customized server running on a TINI
type system (with the SNAP card described next). The topic by Loomis gives more
examples of TINI applications including a remote data logger running on a TINI
platform [31]. The code runs TCP/IP with either Ethernet or dial-up networking
using a PPP network interface via serial I/O. This allows a remote sensor, for
example, to contact a home base periodically by telephone to upload data, report
on the status of the sensor, and so forth.

24.8.2 SNAP - Simple Network Application Platform
The SNAP card from Imsys Technologies comes as a TINI compatible SIMM
card but instead of a conventional microcontroller running a JVM, it uses the
company's Cjip Java hardware processor (see Section 24.7). This provides a
significant improvement in processing speed (see Table 24.1). Figure 24.2(a)
shows a photograph of the SNAP and Figure 24.2(b) shows a block diagram of
the main components on the card.
The card provides expanded capabilities compared to the standard TINI ref-
erence system. It holds 2 MB of flash memory and 8 MB of DRAM. The system
supports the J2ME CLDC 1.0 configuration. Figure 24.3(a) shows a development
board from Systronix that is holding a SNAP in the SIMM connector. The card
includes a serial port and an Ethernet connector [32].

24.8.3 aJile aJ-PC104 single board computer
The aJ-PC104 board from aJile Systems follows the popular PC/104 format and
includes the company's aJ-100 Java processor (see Section 24.7). It can act as