CGL 3.1 specifications are an upward-compatible superset of the CGL 2.0.2
specification. In 2003 and 2004, member companies produced communications
products based on the 1.1 version of the CGL specifications. In the latter
half of 2004, Linux distributors began to announce Linux offerings based on
the CGL 2.0.2 specification. As the writing of this article, five Linux
distributions have registered against the CGL 2.0: FSMLabs, Montavista, SuSE,
TimeSys, and WindRiver. In addition, more than 20 platform providers offer CGL-based platforms and products. We expect that products based on the CGL 3.1 spec will begin to appear in 2006. We also expect a smooth transition for
carriers and equipment providers as Linux distribution suppliers incorporate
CGL 3.1 capabilities in 2006 and 2007.
As for beyond 3.1, the priorities of the CGL working group, as identified
based on the market input and the feedback received from companies participating in the CGL initiative, are: real-time capabilities, testing CGL
workloads, device driver hardening and availability, and Linux performance and
scalability--in addition to further enhancements to security and manageability.
In addition, much of the efforts in 2005 and 2006 will concentrate on promoting
quality implementations of the CGL 3.1.
Figure 3: CGL
initiative road map
Development is under way on many of the CGL capabilities that do not appear
in mainline distributions. While the CGL requirements address Linux-based
platforms in the communications industry, a high-availability, high-performance, scalable system is beneficial to the entire Linux user
community.
Linux with Carrier Grade characteristics provides an essential building
block that will let us build open communications platforms. CGL is a
community effort: TEMs, NEPs, and carriers supply requirements; OSDL members
gather requirements and create specifications; OSDL members, community, and Independent Software Vendors (ISVs) implement projects; distribution suppliers build and register CGL
platforms; TEMs, NEPs, and carriers deploy. The initiative is based on
cooperation between companies and individuals, and participation is open to
everyone. Please consider this an invitation to get involved in this effort
and contribute to the making of Linux as an alternative operating system for
communications platforms.
Figure 4: CGL
plans for 2005
Data Center Linux Initiative--Promoting Linux Enterprise Servers
This gives a brief introduction to the Data Center Linux initiative.
It describes the goals, shows how OSDL achieves those goals though committees
and working groups, and provides some examples of DCL-driven activities and
challenges.
The DCL initiative goal
The OSDL Data Center Linux initiative was formed with the intent of promoting
the adoption of Linux-based servers in the enterprise across its many tiers: edge, infrastructure, application, and database. It brings together interested
parties to accelerate the availability of stable, fully featured, integrated,
customer-available solutions that run on Linux. The initiative addresses both
mid- and high-end multiprocessor servers as platforms for mission-critical
enterprise applications and databases.
DCL has a three committees, composed of OSDL members and dedicated OSDL
staff: Steering, Marketing Working Group (MWG), and Technical Working Group
(TWG). The DCL
Goals and Capabilities Document 1.1 documents the categories, marketing goals, and technical capabilities that MWG and TWG identify.
DCL Steering Committee Activities
The scope of issues related to an Enterprise Data Center is extremely broad.
Steering focuses the efforts of the initiative. For example, Steering directed
that DCL identify the most important applications used in data centers today.
From that, DCL can identify the marketing and technical inhibitors to running
that application on Linux in the enterprise.
DCL Marketing Working Group Activities
DCL has a marketing working group because many of the inhibitors to Linux
adoption are not technical. In fact, the Linux operating system has improved so
much that this is an increasingly common situation. MWG sets goals for nontechnical
issues such as Linux awareness and confidence, global enterprise services and
support, software availability for priority applications, training and
education, care and feeding of the development community, stability, and total
cost of ownership.
DCL Technical Working Group Activities
DCL's technical working group is responsible for identifying and removing
the technical inhibitors to Linux adoption. When the initiative formed in
2002, the focus was on the Linux kernel. As the kernel has matured, TWG's scope
has expanded to the whole software stack including and above the kernel.
TWG identified eight categories of data center concerns: scalability,
performance, manageability, RAS (Reliability, Availability, and Serviceability),
standards, security, clusters, and usability. To set the priorities of the
effort, the group describes and maps the required capabilities in these categories according to the application workloads that marketing identifies (data warehousing for CRM, for example). For the highest-priority
capabilities, the group identifies gaps in maturity and works to close
those gaps.
DCL members want to be good open source citizens. Moving from a closed to an
open source world requires a shift in culture for those making the transition.
TWG assists those members' assimilation into the community. One DCL effort
under way is to create an environment wherein more storage drivers exist
exclusively in the mainline kernel. There is much good documentation on
formatting style and coding rules for open source drivers. However, the
knowledge about the right way to interact with the kernel community was missing
and is under development.
