GIOTA

Page Summary

On this page we cover our single-board computer, GIOTA, and the accompanying GIOTA Connect client application which helps Remote Desktop into GIOTA while peer-to-peer connected to your computer.

GIOTA

GIOTA is our single-board computer running JADE. The compact form factor allows JADE to run in various embedded environments.

Specifications

GIOTA is a high-performance single-board computer used in many embedded applications, on land and at sea.

Software

GIOTA comes with JADE pre-installed and runs a custom, thinned-out image of Win IoT Enterprise. This provides the standard Windows OS experience, but without unnecessary background services and other software. You may still install any additional software needed for your application. The goal is to provide the familiarity and support of Windows OS while running lighter and more efficiently on the embedded target.

  • JADE (latest version, maybe be updated to other versions)
  • Win IoT Enterprise OS (custom, thin build)

Processors

GIOTA uses 3rd, 4th, or 5th generation Intel processors with 1-4 cores running at 1.2 to 2.5 GHz, and Intel industry standard GPUs.

  • Intel Atom | Pentium | Xeon | Celeron
  • 1 to 4 cores
  • 1.2 to 2.5 GHz
  • Intel industry standard GPUs

Storage

GIOTA memory options include up to 8 GB of RAM (DRAM), up to 2TB of solid state drive (SSD) space, and up to 16 GB of onboard flash memory. Space may be extended with the SATA port or external USB drives.

  • 1-8 GB RAM (DRAM)
  • Up to 2 TB solid state drive (SSD)
  • Up to 16 GB flash memory
  • Available SATA port
  • Supports external USB drives (USB 3.0 and USB 2.0)

Connectivity

GIOTA has 7 USB ports (2 x USB 3.0, 5 USB 2.0), a gigabit Ethernet port, a SATA port (in addition to the built-in SSD), an HDMI port, an LVDS port, a built-in RS-232 serial (3.3 V) port, and I2C port available. You can quickly Remote Desktop (RDP) directly into GIOTA with a peer-to-peer ethernet connection using GIOTA Connect (discussed below).

  • 2 x USB 3.0
  • 5 x USB 2.0
  • 1 x 10/100/1000 Ethernet
  • 1 x SATA
  • 1 x HDMI
  • 1 x LVDS
  • 1 x RS-232 serial
  • 1 x I2C

Electrical, Mechanical, & Enironmental

GIOTA is approximately the size of a human hand, and runs at industrial temperatures on relatively low power with a fanless cooling system.

  • 55mm x 130mm x 27mm
  • 4 to 12 W consumption
  • 10 to 24 V power supply
  • -40 to 85 °C
  • Fanless cooling

GIOTA Connect

GIOTA Connect is a client application used to Remote Desktop (RDP) into GIOTA from a peer-to-peer connected computer. Install GIOTA Connect on any peer-connected Windows machine to quickly access GIOTA without needing to connect peripherals such as a keyboard or mouse.

Install GIOTA Connecct

Download GIOTA Connect under login from the My JADE page and then run the installer.

Remote Desktop (RDP) into GIOTA

Remotely connecting to GIOTA via Remote Desktop (RDP) is easy with GIOTA Connect.

  1. Connect GIOTA to your computer directly via ethernet.

  2. Launch GIOTA Connect on your computer:

  • While loading you’ll see:
  • If prompted to allow access (required to query ethernet adapter list), choose ‘Yes’:
  • When launched you’ll see something like:

  1. Click the Refresh List to get a fresh list of available ethernet adapters on your computer. If you connected GIOTA via ethernet after opening GIOTA Connect, you may see new, active ethernet adapters appear.

  2. Select the ethernet adapter to which GIOTA is connected via ethernet from the list. When selected, the item / row will be highlighted in green and the Discover GIOTA button will be enabled.

  1. Click the Discover GIOTA button:
  • While discovering GIOTA you’ll see something like:
  • When GIOTA is discovered, you’ll see something like:
  1. Click the Open RDP Session button to open a Remote Desktop Session:
  • If asked to connect, click Connect:
  • If asked to confirm, click Yes:
  • You’ll then see the GIOTA desktop:
  1. Over on GIOTA, you should find that you already have shared drive access with the host computer. Open a Windows Explorer window, select “This PC” on the left pane, and observe the “Redirected drives and folders” section in the center / main pane as shown below:

Drives are shared because of an RDP setting that GIOTA Connect sets by default when connecting to the RDP session. If you wish to change with drives or folders are shared, instructions are provided below.

Saving an RDP File

You can also save an RDP file by clicking the Save RDP File button. This will save an RDP file configured to connect to GIOTA. Notably, RDP files are human-readable text files containing simple key-value pairs. You may open and further configure an RDP file, either manually in a text editor (more on this below) or in any Windows Remote Desktop client (such client interfaces usually explose at least a subset of the configuration options).

Editing the RDP Template GIOTA Connect Uses to Save RDP Files

The RDP files saved when using the Save RDP File button are derived from a template which has settings for how the remote session is opened (ex. initial viewport size). You may edit this template directly using File >> Edit RDP Template... which will open the template in Notepad. Here’s an example of the template file contents:

full address:s:@VAR{ipAddress}
username:s:giota
screen mode id:i:1
use multimon:i:0
desktopwidth:i:1440
desktopheight:i:900
session bpp:i:32
winposstr:s:0,1,1253,167,2053,767
compression:i:1
keyboardhook:i:2
audiocapturemode:i:0
videoplaybackmode:i:1
connection type:i:7
networkautodetect:i:1
bandwidthautodetect:i:1
displayconnectionbar:i:1
enableworkspacereconnect:i:0
disable wallpaper:i:0
allow font smoothing:i:0
allow desktop composition:i:0
disable full window drag:i:1
disable menu anims:i:1
disable themes:i:0
disable cursor setting:i:0
bitmapcachepersistenable:i:1
audiomode:i:0
redirectprinters:i:1
redirectcomports:i:0
redirectsmartcards:i:1
redirectwebauthn:i:1
redirectclipboard:i:1
redirectposdevices:i:0
drivestoredirect:s:*
autoreconnection enabled:i:1
authentication level:i:2
prompt for credentials:i:0
negotiate security layer:i:1
remoteapplicationmode:i:0
alternate shell:s:
shell working directory:s:
gatewayhostname:s:
gatewayusagemethod:i:4
gatewaycredentialssource:i:4
gatewayprofileusagemethod:i:0
promptcredentialonce:i:0
gatewaybrokeringtype:i:0
use redirection server name:i:0
rdgiskdcproxy:i:0
kdcproxyname:s:
enablerdsaadauth:i:0

Connect to GIOTA from Mac and Linux Machines

You can connect to GIOTA from any computer, including MAC and Linux machines, by using a saved RDP file as described above. To do this, simply install a Windows Remote Desktop client for your operating system and open the saved RPD file in that client. Such clients allow you to connect and even further customize settings, such as restricting file sharing for selected drives or folders (discussed further below).

Configure File Sharing Between GIOTA and Your Computer

The Remote Desktop protocol allows for sharing files between the host computer (ex. your computer) and a remote computer (ex. GIOTA).

All Drives Shared by Default

All drives should be shared by default because we set the following setting in our RDP template (which is used to connect):

drivestoredirect:s:*

Restricting Certain Drives from Sharing

As noted above, all drives are shared by default given how we configure the RDP settings. If you wish to restrict some drives from sharing, use the Save RDP File button to save and RDP file. There are two ways to do this:

  1. Update your RDP file by either directly editing the drivestoredirect:s:* setting (or other settings) in your saved RDP file.

  2. Open the RDP file in a Remote Desktop client and reconfigure the share settings. We show how to do this below on both Windows and Mac host machines.

Customize File Sharing with RDP Client on Windows

  1. Open the Windows Remote Desktop application:
  1. Click the Show Options button:
  1. Select the Local Resources tab and click the More... button:
  1. Place a checkmark in the Drives checkbox and check/uncheck shareable drives thereunder as desired:

  1. Click the OK button to accept changes.

  2. Now click Connect to establish your connection with drives selected.

Customize File Sharing with RDP Client on Mac

  1. Install, if necessary, and open the Microsoft Remote Desktop application:

  1. Right-click on your saved RDP file in Finder and choose Open With >> Microsoft Remote Desktop.

  2. Click the Folders tab, then put a checkmark in the Redirect folders checkbox, and + button to share drive or folder locations from your Mac:

Moving Large Amounts of Data (~TB)

Transferring files over RDP connections can be a bit slower than other protocols. If you need to move lots of data between your host computer and GIOTA (for example, terabytes of data in either direction), you may consider using an application such as Filezilla. It’s important to note that this really only becomes an issue if you’re moving large amounts of data at once. For example, your JADE application on GIOTA may acquire large amounts of data, such as video or other sensor data, and you may need to offload that data to other computers for long term storage or post-processing.