Thales upgrades car park system to MontaVista Linux.

This new system has been operating successfully at Paris Orly airport since May 2003 and at Paris Charles de Gaulle airport since November 2003.

According to Thales, the new high-performance embedded system significantly increases data processing speed, offers better resistance to vandalism and environmental conditions, and the user display is more intuitive, combining simplicity, precision and reliability.

"We were using an in-house proprietary RTOS, based on DOS, and wanted to scale to a smaller-sized embedded operating system while retaining all existing functionalities," says Jean-Louis Olie, Chairman of Thales e-Transactions CGA S.A., the Thales Group's Transport & Services business. "With MontaVista Linux, we were able to have a modern OS and integrate new functions, without requiring memory extensions or a larger processor."

The Thales Largo WiLi secure car park system relies on embedded PC structures, which are Intel x86-based embedded platforms, each with a National Geode processor and Compact Flash. The embedded PC structures can communicate with one another and with a central server across an Ethernet network. electronic fare collection system can be integrated into an existing centralised computer system and can process several different payment options. It can also help to supervise the various car parks remotely.