PEcloud was developed by PEmicro, a renowned leader in the embedded systems industry for over 40 years. Originally created to address PEmicro's own flash programming production challenges, we soon realized its potential as an invaluable resource for our customers. With a focus on security, we built the PEcloud platform from scratch, tailoring it to meet the specific needs of our clients.

A Job in the PEcloud Virtual Factory is the metadata for a specific production programming image that's generated using the Image Creation Utility. The Job record, which includes information such as the image's programming count and date restrictions, the name of the encryption ImageKey used to encrypt it, the virtual factory number, job description, and more, is automatically stored in the Virtual Factory when the image is created.

On the other hand, a cloud-connected Programming Image contains not only the metadata but also the actual binary data and algorithms required for programming. It is fully encrypted with customer-generated encryption keys and can be stored directly to the virtual factory with the Job record for automatic delivery to authorized Cyclones that are part of the Virtual Factory.

Alternatively, it can be saved locally on disk for customer-initiated delivery to Cyclones with the automated control SDK, in which case the cloud only holds the metadata. Regardless of how it is delivery to a Cyclone, the image will only operate in conjunction with the associated Job in the Virtual Factory.

A Virtual Factory (VF) is a powerful feature of the PEcloud platform that allows you to group multiple resources together for a shared purpose. These resources include Cyclones, Jobs (with associated programming images), and Users. By grouping these resources into a logical space, it allows you simply specify which pieces work together.

For example, you can create a VF for each remote physical factory and assign specific Cyclones and Jobs to each VF. This enables you to manage the programming jobs which are available to Cyclones in each factory independently. Alternatively, you might want to create a new VF for each customer, so that you can invite customers into their respective VFs to view the progress of their programming runs. You could also create separate VFs for testing and production, or combine the two.

Cyclones don't need to be physically located in the same place to work together. You can have Cyclones in different locations all working on the same Programming Job under the same VF. Additionally, one VF can be set up to work with multiple Programming Jobs simultaneously. The Cyclones can select from a list of available jobs.

The possibilities of how to utilize VFs are endless, but the most important thing is that a VF is a great tool for organizing and optimizing your programming processes.

The PEcloud works with PEmicro's Cyclone LC and Cyclone FX production programmers. These are extremely powerful and easy to use in-circuit programmers. They also have the appropriate level of cryptography support to keep your data safe. Cyclone Programmer details can be found here.