OSDL Rallies Industry Behind Linux in Telecommunications -- Updates Carrier Grade Linux (CGL) Definition for Developers

BEAVERTON, Ore., Feb. 9 /PRNewswire/ -- The Open Source Development Labs (OSDL), a global consortium of companies dedicated to accelerating the adoption of Linux, today announced that OSDL Carrier Grade Linux Requirements Definition, version 3.0 (CGL 3.0) is now available as a technology release for evaluation by developers. Currently there are 22 companies producing products based on CGL -- six Linux distributions and 16 of the industry's leading telecommunications equipment manufacturers (TEMs) and network equipment providers (NEPs).

"Linux is making huge advances in telecommunications," said Stuart Cohen, CEO of OSDL. "The Lab serves an important role as a catalyst for customers, vendors and developers where they can work together on Linux to meet the exacting demands of carrier-grade networks."

"Carriers and network equipment providers are both increasingly looking at Linux solutions to reduce infrastructure costs and to rapidly deliver new applications in their telecommunications infrastructure," said Lee Doyle group vice president of Network Infrastructure for research firm IDC.

Products based on CGL are being developed by some of the world's largest equipment manufacturers and Linux software developers as the market for Linux-based telecommunication products continues to grow. CGL 3.0 is a forward-looking document; solutions based on CGL 3.0 requirements definition are expected to arrive sometime in 2006.

Carriers and equipment makers producing CGL-based products include: Agilent UK, Alcatel, Cisco, Datang, Deutsch Telecom, Ericsson, Fujitsu, Huawei, Iskratel, Lucent, NEC, NTT, Nokia Networks, Samsung, and Siemens.

Companies shipping Linux distributions that implement CGL requirements include: Connectiva, MontaVista Software, Red Hat, Novell, TimeSys, Turbolinux, and Wind River.

"Linux is a critical element of emerging modular telecommunications platforms, offering faster time to market and reduced cost," said Andy Wilson, business development manager of the Intel Open Source Technology Center and the chair of the OSDL Carrier Grade Linux Working Group. "Carrier Grade Linux 3.0 sets a technology direction for Linux developers, equipment designers and distributors to collaborate on improved availability, performance and serviceability in future products."

OSDL is currently registering products that meet the CGL requirements specifications. For more information on OSDL CGL registration visit: http://www.osdl.org/lab_activities/carrier_grade_linux/registration.html/docum ent_view

CGL 3.0 is divided into six functional areas: -- Availability -- aiming for 99.999% availability with no downtime for system maintenance and system expansion. Includes on-line operations, redundancy, monitoring, and robust software;

-- Serviceability -- enables remote management and monitoring. Supports management standards including: SNMP, CIM, WBEM, IPMI, HPI;

-- Performance -- systems must meet service deadlines, support SMP, hyper-threading, large memory systems, and provide efficient, low latency communication;

-- Clusters -- defined scope as high availability cluster (HAC), removes single point of failure for both hardware and software;

-- Standards -- specifies need for compliance with other standards such as the Linux Standard Base (LSB), SA Forum interface specification, POSIX, and other standards that promote interoperability;

-- Hardware -- focuses on standards-based, modular, commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) hardware components. Includes support for hot swap components, including hot swap blades and high throughput interconnections. The OSDL CGL Requirements Definition, available free online from OSDL at http://www.osdl.org/lab_activities/carrier_grade_linux/ , is a public reference blueprint for Linux distributions, major end users or Linux kernel developers to build Linux kernel features and associated libraries that are required by telecommunication carriers in their next-generation network infrastructure. The definition does not cover carrier applications, which are under development by commercial vendors and open source project members. About Open Source Development Labs (OSDL)

OSDL -- home to Linus Torvalds, the creator of Linux -- is dedicated to accelerating the growth and adoption of Linux. Founded in 2000 by CA, Fujitsu, Hitachi, HP, IBM, Intel and NEC, OSDL is a non-profit organization at the center of Linux supported by a global consortium of more than 60 of the world's largest Linux customers and IT industry leaders. OSDL sponsors industry-wide initiatives around Linux in telecommunications, in the enterprise data center and on corporate desktops. The Lab also provides Linux expertise and computing and test facilities in the United States and Japan available to developers around the world. Visit OSDL on the Web at http://www.osdl.org/ . NOTE: OSDL is a registered trademark of Open Source Development Labs, Inc. Linux is a registered trademark of Linus Torvalds. Third party marks and brands are the property of their respective holders.