Getting Started with the ELISA Project: What You Need to Know

What Is Enabling Linux In Safety Applications (ELISA) Project?

The Enabling Linux In Safety Applications (ELISA) Project aims to make it easier for companies to build and certify Linux-based safety-critical applications, systems whose failure could result in loss of human life, significant property damage or environmental damage. ELISA members are working together to define and maintain a common set of tools and processes that can help companies demonstrate that a specific Linux-based system meets the necessary safety requirements for certification. ELISA is also working with certification authorities and standardization bodies in multiple industries to establish how Linux can be used as a component in safety-critical systems.

The Project participants are in close collaboration with other open source projects with a safety-critical analysis focus such as the Xen Project and the Zephyr Project. In addition, the ELISA community members also interact with open source projects with safety-critical relevance and comparable system architecture consideration such as Automotive Grade Linux, SOAFEE, and the SDV Working Group. Beyond those, there have been outreach and interactions with the Yocto Project, SPDX, Real-Time Linux and the Linaro communities.

Working Groups and Technical Structure

The Project is made up of horizontal Working Groups such as Safety Architecture, Linux Features, Tool Investigation, Open Source Engineering Process, and Systems, as well as vertical use case based Working Groups in Aerospace, Automotive, and Medical Devices domains. These Working Groups collaborate to produce an exemplary reference system. Linux Features, Architecture and Code Improvements should be integrated into the reference system directly. Tools and Engineering Process should serve the reproducible product creation. Medical, Automotive, Aerospace and additional future WG use cases should be able to strip down the reference system to their use case demands.

The Project’s Technical Steering Committee (TSC) oversees the Working Group activities and coordinates cross Working Group collaboration to drive the technical direction of the Project. You can interact with the TSC by subscribing to its public forum and attending its biweekly meeting that’s open to the public by default. The mission of the Project is to define and maintain a common set of elements, processes and tools that can be incorporated into Linux-based, safety-critical systems amenable to safety certification.

Ways to Participate in the ELISA Project

There are many ways to connect with the key participants of the Project. You can join the regularly scheduled meetings, such as the bi-weekly Technical Forum meeting, the public Technical Steering Committee meeting, or the public meetings of any Working Group. Another way to connect is to subscribe to the mailing list and introduce yourself on the mailing list forum. To facilitate closer interaction, you can also attend upcoming events, such as the bi-annual in-person ELISA Workshop when members and contributors gather to collaborate and plan for future goals.

Participation is open to anyone – individuals, employees of non-member companies, and members of the ELISA Project. The project offers access to public meetings, mailing lists, events, GitHub and many other public resources.

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Ambassadors and Community Support

ELISA Ambassadors are technical leaders who are passionate about the mission of the ELISA Project, recognized for their expertise in functional safety and Linux kernel development, and willing to help others learn about the community and how to contribute. The Ambassador Program brings together technical leaders to educate others on the mission and goals of the ELISA Project, raise awareness, promote Working Group analysis results, engage with the safety and Linux kernel community, and onboard new contributors. Ambassadors are qualified to speak on behalf of the ELISA Project at conferences and meetups, contribute tutorials and blogs, and help mentor new contributors.

ELISA Ambassadors are positioned as thought leaders through ELISA Project and Linux Foundation channels and gain visibility in the open source community. Would like to know more? Check here.

Membership and Collaboration

As with all open source collaborative projects hosted by The Linux Foundation, participation is open to individuals, non-members, and member companies. Companies join the ELISA Project to demonstrate thought leadership, build alliances, define processes and best practices, and support services such as governance, project management, infrastructure, tooling, events, and marketing.

Non-profit organizations, open source projects and government entities are welcome to join the Project as Associate Members. Associate Members contribute research, code development, documentation, and collaboration with Working Groups. A prospective Associate Member will be asked to provide evidence or plans for contribution before approval by the Governing Board.

If you are interested in membership, visit the Join ELISA page or contact: membership@elisa.tech

Next Steps

The ELISA Project brings together a diverse community of contributors who share a common goal: enabling the use of Linux in safety-critical applications through open collaboration, shared processes, and industry engagement. Whether you join meetings, participate in Working Groups, contribute code and documentation, follow events, or connect through the mailing lists and Ambassador Program, there are many accessible ways to get involved. By engaging with the community, you can help advance the tools, practices, and understanding needed to support Linux in safety-critical systems and contribute to the ongoing progress of the Project.