uCLinux Processor-Platforms (MMU-less)

Blackfin Processors

The Blackfin processor is a mixture between microcontroller and signal processor in one core. It allows easy glue-less integration with many peripherals, also because it contains a controller for the switching power supply to generate the core voltage.

As Analog Devices supports the port of uCLinux, the status of the kernel and the libraries is good.

Dual Core: uCLinux-DSP

By using the BF56x series with a symmetric dual core architecture, a interesting system approach can be realized. On one hand it contains Linux which offers all the interfaces like the TCP/I family of protocols, on the other hand a "raw" DSP core with a simple shared memory interface to Linux is available for number crunching.

ARM Processors

ARM processors can be found in many consumer products and have emerged as a quasi-standard in industrial applications, too. Therefore the support for Linux and different libraries is very good.

The following properties make ARM-based systems attractive for use in industrial applications:

many manufacturers (but beware: there are almost no real second-sources)
SoC chips available (ARM core, RAM, flash, programable logic, various interfaces)
low power consumption
small footprint
JTAG and on-chip debug hardware
good tool support (GNU, ARM etc.)