Open Source Development Labs Upgrades DCL, Refines CGL

Both developments were announced Wednesday.

DCL focuses on improving Linux capabilities in four chief data center areas: security, hot-plug, clustering, and storage networking. OSDL had established special interest groups (SIGs) for each of the four areas last year and volunteers began contributing through the SIGs. OSDL said the DCL Working Group has expanded in recent months with more international participants joining the effort.

OSDL cited newest participants France's Bull, Japan's NTT and China's Red Flag. "In the past year we have reached out to global enterprise Linux customers and to specialists in the broader Linux community to help us better understand the direction of Linux in the data center," said Steve Geary, chair of the DCL Working Group, in a statement. "Customers told us to focus more work on NFS and the new SIGs really stressed the importance of security to the success of Linux in the data center." Geary is also director of World Wide Linux and Open Source R and D at Hewlett-Packard.

The Carrier Grade Linux (CGL) Definition version 3.0 is available for evaluation by developers, OSDL said, adding that 22 global telecommunications and network equipment providers are producing products based on CGL. The group expects that solutions based on CGL 3.0 should arrive in 2006.

CGL Working Group Chair Andy Wilson, business development manager of the Intel Open Source Technology Center, stated: "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."