The WHBA Project: Experiences "deeply embedding" NetBSD

Traditionally, use of BSD in an embedded application has been limited to "stand-alone" environments such as server appliances, wireless access points, and the control plane of routing equipment. Recently, Wasabi Systems was given the opportunity to use NetBSD in a more "deeply embedded" application, as the software on a PCI storage adapter card. This paper will introduce our specific application and describe the requirements of the storage adapter environment, the challenges presented by this type of environment, and the solutions we have developed to address these challenges, along with the results of our effort and some outstanding issues that warrant further study.