Close
  • Latest News
  • Artificial Intelligence
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
Read Down
Sign in
Close
Welcome!Log into your account
Forgot your password?
Read Down
Password recovery
Recover your password
Close
Search
Logo
Logo
  • Latest News
  • Artificial Intelligence
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
More
    Home Latest News
    • Servers

    Carrier-Grade Linux in Works

    By
    Peter Galli
    -
    January 30, 2002
    Share
    Facebook
    Twitter
    Linkedin

      NEW YORK — A group of hardware and software vendors will announce late Wednesday morning here at the LinuxWorld Conference and Expo that they are working together to develop a new version of the Linux operating system that is optimized for the telecommunications industry.

      A working group for the carrier-grade version of the open-source operating system was established this month and currently includes Alcatel, Cisco Systems Inc., Hewlett-Packard Co., IBM, Intel Corp., MontaVista Software, Nokia, Red Hat and SuSE.

      The working group is a forum designed to guide carrier-grade Linux development and encourage the development of commercial open-standard components on top of Linux to implement the required platform functionality.

      The vision for this version is that it will allow the “next generation and multimedia communication services to be delivered using Linux-based open-standard platforms for carrier-grade infrastructure equipment,” Hannu Vainio-Mattila, senior network manager of network systems for Nokia, told eWEEK in an interview ahead of the announcement.

      The Open Source Development Lab, an independent, nonprofit lab initially designed for developers adding enterprise capabilities to the Linux operating system and that opened its doors last January, will be providing the forum to guide the development and adoption of Linux in both the carrier-grade and data center market segments.

      The OSDL is also in the process of implementing a comprehensive patch testing and delivery system for the Linux kernel. “The Lab has moved beyond its initial focus on hardware support for enterprise Linux projects so as to better position Linux for carrier-grade and data center usage.

      “The Carrier Grade working group is already in place, and we are now also calling for parties interested in joining the Data Center working group,” OSDL Lab Director Tim Witham told eWEEK in a briefing.

      The OSDL will appoint a road map coordinator for the carrier-grade work, who would oversee the architecture, requirements, validation and other sub-working groups. Members of these groups would not have to be Lab members, Witham said.

      The road map coordinator would, in turn, report to the Carrier Grade advisory committee, whose members will ultimately approve all projects and have to be Lab members. One “at large” member will be appointed to the advisory committee for each nine regular members, he said.

      “We are simply going to act as the channel that funnels all the projects and technologies from the various working groups. Many projects that will form part of this carrier-grade Linux operating system are already under way in the open-source community; some that have been shelved will be resurrected and new ones started.

      “Any new technology the Lab develops will use the GNU General Public License, while the other projects will be licensed as agreed when they were begun,” Witham said.

      Asked why a carrier-grade version of Linux is necessary, Nokias Vainio-Mattila said there are many reasons, including the need for more bandwidth and new architectures as networks converge for multimedia communication services.

      “Open-standards-based commercial off-the-shelf software components are also needed to improve the time to market of new services. An open-standards approach reduces development cost and product risk for the new architecture. Linux is also the fastest-growing general-purpose server operating system,” he said.

      But he cautioned that this could result in the fragmentation of the Linux kernel, which have to be avoided for both the communications and data center market segments going forward.

      The working group process will facilitate the improved planning of product features that depended on carrier grade Linux through a commonly agreed road map and functionality and will drive critical mass for the ecosystem, “making it possible for platforms and components that are compatible with carrier-grade Linux to be used in innovative products,” Vainio-Mattila said.

      The working group plans to have a draft of the requirement specifications in place by March, with the architecture and road map for each component of the Linux platform expected in May. Proposals for new open source software projects are hoped to be ready by August, along with the publication of Version 1.0 of the specifications. “This means that the first compliant products could be available from ISVs by December,” Vainio-Mattila said.

      The working group will further strive to achieve consistency across the Linux distributions, support the Linux Standards Base and work with the various carriers to incorporate carrier-grade Linux functionality into their products, he said.

      Work on the Linux operating system with carrier-grade enhancements will concentrate on areas like standard interfaces, high-availability interfaces, service interfaces, hardened device drivers, hardware configuration and management interfaces, co-processor interfaces, and software development tools.

      Earlier this week HP. announced the availability of two new carrier-grade servers, the CGS 2300 and 3300. They will initially support Red Hat 7.1 and later this year will support Debian Linux, SuSE Linux and Windows, officials said.

      The news of these servers follows IBMs announcement at LinuxWorld in San Francisco last August of two new xSeries servers, the x300 DC Power server and x330 DC Power server. These two thin 1U servers are specifically targeted toward the high-end telecommunications industry and include new features like easier cabling and self-management.

      The OSDLs Witham said the Data Center working group will hopefully be assembled in a few months and will be broken down into three subgroups: scalability, clustering and other technology working groups. The structure will be the same as that of the Carrier Grade working group, he concluded.

      Peter Galli
      Peter Galli has been a financial/technology reporter for 12 years at leading publications in South Africa, the UK and the US. He has been Investment Editor of South Africa's Business Day Newspaper, the sister publication of the Financial Times of London.He was also Group Financial Communications Manager for First National Bank, the second largest banking group in South Africa before moving on to become Executive News Editor of Business Report, the largest daily financial newspaper in South Africa, owned by the global Independent Newspapers group.He was responsible for a national reporting team of 20 based in four bureaus. He also edited and contributed to its weekly technology page, and launched a financial and technology radio service supplying daily news bulletins to the national broadcaster, the South African Broadcasting Corporation, which were then distributed to some 50 radio stations across the country.He was then transferred to San Francisco as Business Report's U.S. Correspondent to cover Silicon Valley, trade and finance between the US, Europe and emerging markets like South Africa. After serving that role for more than two years, he joined eWeek as a Senior Editor, covering software platforms in August 2000.He has comprehensively covered Microsoft and its Windows and .Net platforms, as well as the many legal challenges it has faced. He has also focused on Sun Microsystems and its Solaris operating environment, Java and Unix offerings. He covers developments in the open source community, particularly around the Linux kernel and the effects it will have on the enterprise.He has written extensively about new products for the Linux and Unix platforms, the development of open standards and critically looked at the potential Linux has to offer an alternative operating system and platform to Windows, .Net and Unix-based solutions like Solaris.His interviews with senior industry executives include Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer, Linus Torvalds, the original developer of the Linux operating system, Sun CEO Scot McNealy, and Bill Zeitler, a senior vice president at IBM.For numerous examples of his writing you can search under his name at the eWEEK Website at www.eweek.com.
      Get the Free Newsletter!
      Subscribe to Daily Tech Insider for top news, trends & analysis
      This email address is invalid.
      Get the Free Newsletter!
      Subscribe to Daily Tech Insider for top news, trends & analysis
      This email address is invalid.

      MOST POPULAR ARTICLES

      Latest News

      Zeus Kerravala on Networking: Multicloud, 5G, and...

      James Maguire - December 16, 2022 0
      I spoke with Zeus Kerravala, industry analyst at ZK Research, about the rapid changes in enterprise networking, as tech advances and digital transformation prompt...
      Read more
      Applications

      Datadog President Amit Agarwal on Trends in...

      James Maguire - November 11, 2022 0
      I spoke with Amit Agarwal, President of Datadog, about infrastructure observability, from current trends to key challenges to the future of this rapidly growing...
      Read more
      IT Management

      Intuit’s Nhung Ho on AI for the...

      James Maguire - May 13, 2022 0
      I spoke with Nhung Ho, Vice President of AI at Intuit, about adoption of AI in the small and medium-sized business market, and how...
      Read more
      Applications

      Kyndryl’s Nicolas Sekkaki on Handling AI and...

      James Maguire - November 9, 2022 0
      I spoke with Nicolas Sekkaki, Group Practice Leader for Applications, Data and AI at Kyndryl, about how companies can boost both their AI and...
      Read more
      Cloud

      IGEL CEO Jed Ayres on Edge and...

      James Maguire - June 14, 2022 0
      I spoke with Jed Ayres, CEO of IGEL, about the endpoint sector, and an open source OS for the cloud; we also spoke about...
      Read more
      Logo

      eWeek has the latest technology news and analysis, buying guides, and product reviews for IT professionals and technology buyers. The site’s focus is on innovative solutions and covering in-depth technical content. eWeek stays on the cutting edge of technology news and IT trends through interviews and expert analysis. Gain insight from top innovators and thought leaders in the fields of IT, business, enterprise software, startups, and more.

      Facebook
      Linkedin
      RSS
      Twitter
      Youtube

      Advertisers

      Advertise with TechnologyAdvice on eWeek and our other IT-focused platforms.

      Advertise with Us

      Menu

      • About eWeek
      • Subscribe to our Newsletter
      • Latest News

      Our Brands

      • Privacy Policy
      • Terms
      • About
      • Contact
      • Advertise
      • Sitemap
      • California – Do Not Sell My Information

      Property of TechnologyAdvice.
      © 2022 TechnologyAdvice. All Rights Reserved

      Advertiser Disclosure: Some of the products that appear on this site are from companies from which TechnologyAdvice receives compensation. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site including, for example, the order in which they appear. TechnologyAdvice does not include all companies or all types of products available in the marketplace.

      ×