What is Padarn?
Simply put, Padarn is a very small-footprint ASP.NET web server designed for Windows Embedded systems. Padarn will run under Windows CE 5.0 (including Windows Mobile 5.0 and later)and 6.0 as well as Windows XP Embedded.
What can Padarn do for me?
Padarn by itself doesn't do a whole lot, just as IIS on a server by itself doesn't do a whole lot. However Padarn, just like IIS, provides a lot of power and value by enabling you to run web-based interfaces on your device.
Padarn provides a subset of the Microsoft's ASP.NET which allows OEMs to leverage existing ASP.NET code and ASP.NET developer resources to get their embedded product to market faster. Using Padarn also helps facilitate sharing code bases across platforms.
Padarn can be used to create web-based front ends for almost any embedded system. From test and measurement devices and networking appliances to telematics and industrial automation, if your device has network connectivity, you can leverage Padarn to create a front end that any browser on any platform can reach.
Padarn web pages have full access to device resources, so they can inspect and affect hardware, they can use databases or write files or just about anything that any other application can do, but they have the advantage of being accessible from any browser on the network. If you have a device that you would like to remotely configure, update, query data from or reports on then Padarn is the solution for you.
How much does Padarn cost?
Padarn is licensed per device, so the actual cost depends on how many devices you ship. You can purchase device licenses in quantities as small as 1,000 devices for $3,000US. If you plan to ship more than 1,000 devices we have larger license blocks for lower per-device fees. Basically the larger the block you purchase, the smaller the cost per device gets. We don't currently offer any blocks smaller than 1,000 devices but we encourage you to think optimistically about your product. You just might ship 1,000 devices.
You can also purchase a 1-year maintenance agreement for 20% of the license price (so $600 for a 1,000 device block). This gets you access to all Padarn updates, enhancements and releases for one year.
How can I evaluate Padarn?
This one is simple. Register a user account on this site by clicking the "Register" link in the upper right of this page. Ensure you are logged in, then browse to the Padarn Downloads page. You will find download links for the evaluation binaries, several hands-on labs, documentation and samples.
Can I see Padarn in action?
Since Padarn is used in embedded applications, there aren't currently (that we know of anyway) public-facing Padarn applications. We do host a Sample Site at www.padarn.net (the source for which is available for download with the evaluation materials) that is running on a simple 200MHz x86 iCOP eBox 2300. The idea behind this is to show you that your pages can, indeed, directly access device resources and do it with very good performance.