Malvik to support OpenSolaris

EDINBURGH, UK: Phoronix Media has announced the release of Phoronix Test Suite 1.2 (codenamed "Malvik"), an update to its Phoronix Test Suite 1.0.software, during the 2008 X Developers' Summit.

This update incorporates support for new operating systems and features to better aid ISVs, IHVs, ODMs, and OEMs in profiling their hardware and software for optimal performance and compatibility.

The Phoronix Test Suite 1.2 update adds support for OpenSolaris and BSD operating systems, improved hardware and software detection, a new test installation framework, a module-based plug-in architecture, test analysis options, and other enhanced functionality.

The Phoronix Test Suite ships with 75 test profiles and 38 test suites, with additional tests are being added frequently through its unique testing architecture. This architecture automates the processes from test installation to execution and result analysis in a completely repeatable and standardized protocol that allows for turnkey deployment capabilities.

"We have been very pleased with the adoption of the Phoronix Test Suite thus far from independent users to Fortune 500 companies. There's been tremendous growth in all areas of the Phoronix Test Suite over the past several months and we believe it's well on its way to becoming the de facto platform for system benchmarking," said Michael Larabel, founder, Phoronix Media.

He added: "With the Malvik release our test coverage has expanded significantly and we continue to work with new hardware and software vendors to incorporate additional test profiles and deliver unparalleled functionality. We expect this momentum to continue inveterately through next year with the next release known as Orkdal already in planning. With Orkdal we seek to set a new precedence for quantitative benchmarking through a number of unrivaled innovations and the ratification of the Phoronix Certification & Qualification Suite."

The Phoronix Test Suite has experienced wide adoption by companies and organizations looking to automate the process of Linux performance testing. Improvements in the Phoronix Test Suite 1.2 update lower the barrier to entry for new vendors while providing feature-rich capabilities such as system resource monitoring, batch mode support, an integrated results viewer, and system management on this highly extensible platform.

"I like PTS because it fulfills my need to quantify performance in comparable terms. That it does so without any sort of learning curve makes it wonderfully convenient and accessible to even the newest of Linux users," said Mayank Sharma, a contributing technology editor for Linux.com and writer for IBM DeveloperWorks. "PTS is a useful, easy-to-use, and well-documented application for all types of Linux users. As a reviewer it will help me back up my results with numbers."

Test profiles currently in this test suite span across graphics, memory, disk, and processor sub-systems. Modules in the Phoronix Test Suite allow new features to be introduced without requiring any pervasive changes. Additionally, Phoronix Media released an updated project website and has begun rolling out Phoronix Global, the Internet-based repository for viewing and comparing results generated by the Phoronix Test Suite.