Linux group releases enterprise guidelines

Open Source Development Labs, one of the main groups promoting the business use of open-source software, released its standards for using Linux in enterprise applications.

OSDL on Thursday said the document, named Data Center Linux (DCL) Technical Capabilities version 1.0, aims to establish guidelines for using Linux, an open-source operating system, in corporate data centers. The group hopes that the standards will help encourage businesses to consider Linux for large-scale information technology initiatives. The enterprise Linux blueprint is the result of input from a number of OSDL's members, which include IBM, Hewlett-Packard, Dell, Sun Microsystems and Red Hat.

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The document defines some 300 capabilities for Linux usage, which OSDL has arranged into a number of categories: scalability, performance, reliability/availability/scalability, manageability, clusters, standards, security and usability. OSDL said it plans to create a DCL requirements document based on the guidelines to be used in developing a public reference for Linux distributions, business users, and developers of the Linux kernel--the heart of the operating system.

OSDL "defined Linux capabilities and assigned priorities based on what companies need in Linux to support demanding, enterprise-class applications such as high-end online transaction processing and decision support," Steve Geary, chair of the DCL Working Group, said in a statement.

Geary, who is also director of Linux Engineering at HP, said OSDL wants to gather feedback on the standard before drawing up its document for data center requirements. The group is making the DCL Technical Capabilities guidelines available at its Web site.

In addition to testing and developing the Linux kernel, OSDL's lab directs a number of projects aimed at creating enterprise-focused Linux applications, including database software and a specialized version of Linux for the telecommunications industry. The OSDL also employs and provides legal representation for Linux founder and leader Linus Torvalds.