Embedded Systems applications they will need for their appliance

Embedded Systems

Windows Embedded Systems Standard 7 will have a "bare minimum" code footprint size of about 400 MB to 500 MB, Kulkarni said, in a phone interview. He said it is difficult for Microsoft to tell OEMs what they will require. The total package required to run the embedded OS is determined by a static analyzer, which will indicate the run-time dependencies of the various Windows components and what needs to be added to the software image created by the OEM. On top of that, OEMs can use Visual Studio to build any embedded applications they will need for their appliance.

A tool to customize run-time images using Embedded Systems components selected from the database and to assemble the actual run-time image. If you have a common or standard library that reads a lot of static information from XML files or text files, consider packaging those files as an embedded resource within the DLL.  This way when a user adds your DLL to their project they don't have to even think about where it is getting its data.  It is already in the DLL.  Let's look at an example of how this is done

Target Designer is the tool you use to customize and produce the run-time image that is deployed on the embedded device. An image is customized using a configuration. A configuration is essentially a bill-of-materials that defines the exact contents of a custom run-time image. When a configuration is completed, it can be built into a run-time image. The build process does not actually compile any source files; it creates the directory structure in a specified location and copies the exact binary files needed for the run-time image. The contents of the directory structure can then be moved to the Embedded Systems target device and booted.

A configuration is customized by selecting components from the database and then resolving any dependencies on other components. Target Designer can automate most of the dependency resolution and will only require manual intervention to resolve ambiguities. For example, you may be prompted to choose one of several Embedded Systems available display drivers. Some components also allow setting parameters to determine their exact feature set in the run-time image.

Microsoft provides details on Windows Embedded Standard 7 requirements in its white papers, which can be accessed here. Microsoft renamed its embedded OS product line to reflect Windows 7 branding back in February. In April, the company announced some organizational restructuring. Industrial-strength handsets using Windows Embedded Systems Compact 7 (formerly known as Windows Embedded CE) now fall under the purview of the Windows Embedded Business group. This reorganization simplifies matters for OEMs since some of these devices had been managed under Microsoft's Mobile Embedded Systems Communications Business group.