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Jan 15

Cross Industry Demands and Collaboration Opportunities in Open Source for Safety Critical Systems (Video)

By Blog, Critical Software Summit

The increasing computation power of embedded CPUs has revolutionized industries such as Automotive, Aerospace, or Industrial by enabling centralized and enhanced use cases, software-defined functionalities, and increased automation. The challenges of this increased complexity are often addressed by incorporating Open Source Software, particularly Linux, virtualization and RTOS. As these industries are heavily regulated by quality and safety-integrity standards, the certification of these highly complex systems becomes crucial.

Starting from the similarities and overlaps in system architecture design across use cases, this video explores the demands imposed by safety integrity standards in various industries. To develop these systems and adhere to required processes, the integration of tools and a high degree of automation is essential.

Philipp Ahmann, Sr. OSS Community Manager at Etas GmbH (BOSCH), and Olivier Charrier,  Principal Technologist – Functional Safety at Wind River, gave a presentation, “Cross Industry Demands and Collaboration Opportunities in Open Source for Safety Critical Systems” at the Critical Software Summit, which took place at Open Source Summit Europe in September. They discuss how open source projects bridge the gap between open source and safety-criticality, introducing tools and processes, and showcasing collaborative efforts in creating reproducible example system architectures. These systems can serve as a foundation for companies and projects adopting Open Source in safety-critical applications.

Check out the slides or watch the video below.

Watch the other sessions from the Critical Software Summit on the ELISA Youtube Channel here.

Stay tuned by subscribing to the ELISA Project newsletter or connect with us on LinkedIn or subscribe to the mailing lists to talk with community and TSC members.

Jan 08

Traceability and Automation With Basil (Video)

By Blog, Critical Software Summit

In Safety Critical applications it is mandatory to ensure Sw Requirements traceability to Sw Specifications, Test Cases, Test Results, Bugs and more. The process leading to this goal is usually complex and time-consuming and it is essential to understand the state step by step and highlight what remains to be done. Moreover, for the intrinsic nature of a software project, we need to ensure traceability and test verification following any evolution in the ecosystem of the project.

BASIL The FuSa Spice, is an open source sw that provides a quality management solution aimed to address the above mentioned challenges for SW developments that are code driven and equally for the ones requirements driven.

We will see how to implement in BASIL Sw Requirements traceability to the source Code and to existing upstream Test Cases, how to execute them, how to navigate Test Results and artifacts and how to link failures to a bug in a bug tracking system.

We will also go into the details of a pipeline implementation based on the BASIL HTTP Api to understand how changes in one or more work items can be managed through automation with the goal of implementing a continuous certification framework.

Red Hat’s Luigi Pellecchia, Principal Quality Software Engineer, and Gabriele Paoloni, Senior Principal Engineer and Open Source Community Technical Leader, gave a presentation, “Traceability and Automation Examples with Basil an Open Source Software for Quality Management ” at the Critical Software Summit, which took place at Open Source Summit Europe in September.  Check out the presentation here or watch the video below.

Watch the other sessions from the Critical Software Summit on the ELISA Youtube Channel here.

Stay tuned by subscribing to the ELISA Project newsletter or connect with us on LinkedIn or subscribe to the mailing lists to talk with community and TSC members.

Dec 17

Safe Systems with Linux (Video)

By Ambassadors, Blog, Industry Conference, Linux Foundation

As Linux is increasingly deployed in systems with varying criticality constraints, distro providers are expected to ensure that security fixes in their offerings do not introduce regressions for customer products that have safety considerations. The key question arises:

  • How can they establish consistent linkage between code, tests, and the requirements that the code satisfies?
  • Which open source tools and specifically for Linux exist to support traceability in order to comply with standards such as ASPICE, ISO26262 or ISO21434?

This video from Open Source Summit Japan – presented by Philipp Ahmann, Sr. OSS Community Manager, Etas GmbH; and Kate Stewart, Vice President of Dependable Embedded Systems at the Linux Foundation – addresses critical challenges in requirements tracking, documentation, testing, and artifact sharing within the Linux kernel ecosystem. Functionality has historically been added to the kernel with requirements explained in the email justifications for adding, but not formalized as “requirements” in the kernel documentation. While tests are contributed for the code, the underlying requirement that the tests satisfies is likewise not documented in a consistent manner. This and further topics will be discussed. Additionally, the results from the “Safe Systems with Linux” micro conference at Linux plumbers will be summarized.

 

You can watch more ELISA-related talks on the Open Source Summit Japan Playlist on the ELISA Youtube Channel.

Nov 20

Application of the Upcoming SPDX Safety Profile (Video)

By Blog, Critical Software Summit

Creating and maintaining a safety critical project comes with a lot of challenges. A central issue is keeping your documentation, starting from planning and guideline documents, down to requirements, safety analysis, reviews and tests, consistent and up to date. These artefacts often have their own lifecycle and are natively managed in different tools, with usually great traceability capabilities regarding dependencies between these artefacts as long as you stay within one tool or within a (usually propriety) tool family of one single tool vendor. Currently the resulting traceability gaps between these tools are handled either by the popular engineering tools like MS Excel or methods like “search for identical names”, depending highly on manual maintenance.

Using SPDX relationships, the upcoming Safety Profile in SPDX 3.1 will provide a model to represent all these dependencies as a knowledge model that can be used both to analyze possible impacts after a change (be it because of a security update or functional variants of your product), provide evidence of completeness and compliance as a Safety SBOM or simply keep track of your product variants.

Nicole Pappler, Senior Safety Expert at AlektoMetis, gave a presentation, “Application of the Upcoming SPDX Safety Profile,” at the Critical Software Summit, which took place at Open Source Summit Europe in September.  Check out the presentation here.

Watch the other sessions from the Critical Software Summit on the ELISA Youtube Channel here.

Stay tuned by subscribing to the ELISA Project newsletter or connect with us on X, LinkedIn or mailing lists to talk with community and TSC members.

Nov 14

Join the in-person ELISA Workshop on December 10-12 at the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center

By Blog, Space Grade Linux, Workshop

The ELISA Project is hosting its next workshop on December 10-12 at the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. This event, which is free to attend and open to any interested participants, will provide more details about the formation of a new Space Grade Linux Special Interest Group (SIG). 

The Space Grade Linux SIG will address the challenges of space, which often includes a long lifespan for robotic or human-based missions. From development to deployment there are multiple considerations that need to be considered. This new SIG is the initial step towards creating an ecosystem of supported platforms and a collaborative community. Hosted under the ELISA Project, the Space Grade Linux SIG is currently seeking feedback about Linux in Space in a survey and recruiting more members. Click here to provide your feedback. 

With NASA’s leadership in this area, the three-day workshop is designed to facilitate an exchange of ideas and hands-on collaboration that will drive the future of Linux systems in space-grade applications. Speakers inlcude representatives from ELISA Project member companies including Boeing, Red Hat and Bosch as well as NASA, CesiumAstro, TelePIX, the Linux Foundation and more. Attendees will engage in a series of panel discussions, and presentations focused on the unique challenges and opportunities of deploying Linux in space environments, including considerations for safety, reliability, and sustainability. 

Workshop Topics and Speakers include:

  • The ELISA Systems Working Group – is it ready for space? – Philipp Ahmann,  ETAS
  • Lessons from Automotive Grade Linux – Walt Miner, The Linux Foundation
  • Linking external test results to test cases in BASIL to support preexisting test infrastructure – Luigi Pellecchia, Red Hat
  • How to use ks-nav for a feasible and meaningful test campaign in the kernel – Alessandro Carminati, Red Hat
  • Space Grade Linux interest survey results – Ramon Roche, Dronecode Foundation, and Kate Stewart, The Linux Foundation
  • Verification and validation of the OS and “certification package” – Scott Tashakkor, NASA
  • Test and assurance of non-volatile memory devices for space – Ted Wilcox,  NASA
  • Addressing security topics for future space systems using Linux – Joshua Krage, NASA
  • Linux Kernel design documentation – Gab Paoloni, Red Hat; Kate Stewart, The Linux Foundation; and Chuck Wolber, Boeing
  • Space ROS – Matt Hansen, Space ROS maintainer
  • cFS overview – Richard Landau, NASA; and Ashok Prajapati, NASA
  • Deploying NASA cFS with Yocto – Mark Senofsky, CesiumAstro
  • Investigating implementation of Linux-based payload computers: a review of in-orbit demonstrations for Edge AI in space missions – Dongshik Won,  TelePIX Co., Ltd.
  • Container and immutable patterns for operating systems and wordloads – Michael Epley, Red Hat
  • Containerization in space: Podman for mission-critical operations and resilience – Douglas Schilling and Dan Wash, Red Hat
  • Real Time Linux update – Steve Rostedt, Google
  • Linux in automotive on safety applications – Naresh Ravuri, Magma Electronics

You can find the complete schedule here. Register for the workshop here.  

This event represents a significant step toward making Linux a trusted, robust platform for safety-critical applications. As part of the ELISA Project’s mission, this workshop aims to foster the development of open source solutions that meet the rigorous demands of aerospace, driving innovation that will ultimately benefit a variety of safety-critical fields. 

If interested participants are unable to join the workshop, ELISA Project encourages participation through joining the mail list or formation calls. Learn more here. 

Oct 30

A recap of Open Source Summit Europe (Vienna)

By Blog, Industry Conference

Written By Will Stonier, Content Marketing Executive at Codethink and Paul Albertella, ELISA Project TSC member, Chair for Open Source Engineering Process Working Group and Consultant at Codethink

This blog originally ran on the Codethink website. For more content like this, click here. 

Vienna hosted this year’s European Open Source Summit (OSSEU). Several team members travelled to the ‘City of Music’ to participate in talks and discussions, eat traditional Austrian food, and discuss the future of open source and Linux. The venue was the Austria Center, located in the city’s North East.

OSSEU is one of the bigger events in the open source calendar, with thousands of attendees and a wide array of talks and vendor stands. Moreover, there is a growing number of micro-conferences focussing on topics and domains under the open source umbrella.

Two Codethings presented at OSSEU. Ben Dook’s talk, ‘Real-time Scheduling Fault Simulation,’ examined some methods Codethink has used for fault injection via both user and kernel space in our client work. As part of our work within critical safety, questions frequently arise on how to test processes that rely on real-time scheduling.

Sudip Mukherjee’s talk, ‘Testing, a Journey from Testing Kernels to Testing Debian and Yocto,’ focused on how Sudip started testing the Linux Kernel in a personal capacity and the status of kernel testing as part of his role at Codet hink. You can watch Sudip’s talk here:

 

However, the conference had something for everyone. For those of the team who focus on open source software in safety and security systems, there was the Critical Software Summit on the first day, and relevant talks on the Embedded Linux track, including one on ‘Linux in Space’ and another on spatial safety in Linux (two very different topics!).

The conference also provided an excellent opportunity for team members to explore Linux kernel topics more deeply. Paul Albertella noted that a talk about power management features was especially helpful, as it drew his attention to the power management of individual devices at runtime as distinct from the system as a whole, helping him navigate tricky nuances of his own laptop!

Here’s what Joshua Zivkovic had to say about Open Source Summit Europe:

“Linux Foundation events, like Open Source Summit EU, provide a way for every corner of the open source world to come together to share innovations, expertise, and experiences amongst the endless number of microcosms of open source.”

Finally, the conference caught the headlines (and caused chatter in the Codethink office) with the announcement that real-time Linux is now officially part of the kernel. This is exciting news, and we’ll be watching how this progresses.

We’ll see you next year!

If you’d like to learn more about the events Codethink attends, please visit our events page.

Related content:

Oct 09

Open Source Summit Europe 2024 Recap

By Blog, Safety-Critical Software Summit

Last month, the ELISA Project members had the exciting opportunity to attend and speak at both the Open Source Summit Europe and the Linux Plumbers Convention. During these events, we engaged with fellow speakers by asking a series of thought-provoking questions to uncover their insights and experiences within the open source community. Here’s what we found out: from the challenges they faced in their projects to the unique ways they foster collaboration and innovation, the responses painted a vibrant picture of the passion and dedication driving our community forward.

ELISA Project member Alessandro Carminati from Red Hat presented his session, “Addressing Duplicated Symbol Names in kallsyms: Introducing kas_alias for Symbol Differentiation,” at the Linux Plumbers Convention for the first time and also attended the Open Source Summit Europe. He shared, “Both conferences were memorable to me as they were my first experiences at such events.” These events provided valuable opportunities for individuals in the open source community to connect and engage with one another. Alessandro noted, “The networking at Plumbers was extraordinary. Suddenly, all the names I had been seeing on mailing lists became real people. While this might be expected for most, it really amazed me.”

To learn more about Alessandro Carminati and the ELISA Project, we invite you to explore our ongoing initiatives and community engagements. The insights gained from the Open Source Summit Europe and the Linux Plumbers Convention will undoubtedly shape our future collaborations and projects. As we continue to foster connections and share knowledge within the open source community, we remain committed to empowering individuals and driving innovation together. Stay tuned for more updates and opportunities to engage with us as we build a stronger, more inclusive ecosystem for everyone involved.

Incase you missed other ELISA Project sessions from OSS Europe, you can watch all of the session here:

Stay tuned by subscribing to the ELISA Project newsletter or connect with us on Twitter, LinkedIn or mailing lists to talk with community and TSC members.

Sep 25

Measuring Code Coverage of the Linux Kernel in Accordance with RTCA DO-178C Considerations

By Blog, Safety-Critical Software Summit

The Embedded Open Source Summit (EOSS) serves as a pivotal event for the open source embedded projects and developer communities. This umbrella event brings together various micro conferences, including the Embedded Linux Conference, Zephyr Developer Summit, and Safety-Critical Software Summit, offering a comprehensive platform for collaboration, discussions, and education. If you missed the Safety-Critical Software Summit, you can watch the videos on the ELISA Project Youtube Channel here. 

This session titled, “Measuring Code Coverage of the Linux Kernel in Accordance with RTCA DO-178C Considerations,” focuses on the code coverage requirements of RTCA DO-178C and how Boeing plans to meet them using the open-source LLVM coverage tools to measure the Linux kernel. Boeing is working to use Linux in numerous safety-critical avionics applications, which involves assuring the software in accordance with DO-178C considerations. Among these considerations are requirements on code coverage, which vary depending on the criticality of the system. These requirements will be discussed, accompanied by code examples to help illustrate what must be measured. Collaborating with the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (UIUC), llvm-cov was selected as the tool to collect coverage data. The speaker, Andrew Oppelt, is a Real-Time Software Engineer at The Boeing Company, focusing on real-time and safety-critical applications.

However, as it stands today, llvm-cov cannot generate the data needed to meet DO-178C requirements. Boeing is working with UIUC and the open-source community to enhance llvm-cov to meet its certification needs. Currently, llvm-cov supports statement and decision coverage, with an open merge request for modified condition/decision coverage (MC/DC). In addition to these existing features, object code coverage and design coupling and control coupling (DCCC) are necessary to fulfill DO-178C objectives.

Find about more about the Linux Kernel here.

Sep 11

Meet the New KernelCI

By Blog, Seminar Series

KernelCI started 10 years ago as a small project to test the kernel on Arm devices. The project grew over the years and today a new architecture is in place. In this video, Don Zickus, Distinguished Engineer at Red Hat  and Gustavo Padovan, Kernel Lead at Collabora will present you the new KernelCI. The KernelCI community put a lot of effort recently to design and implement its new testing architecture with a focus on facilitating the kernel community and industry engagement as much as possible.

Our new KernelCI Architecture (1) allows different services (such as patchwork, b4, etc), multiple CI services, and users to send request to test patches; (2) supports all sorts of testing platforms and hardware labs, not just embedded hardware; (3) focus on quality of test run, rather than quantity; (4) brings common database for all CI systems with automatic post-processing of regressions.

Speakers: Gustavo Padovan, Kernel Lead at Collabora and Don Zickus, Distinguished Engineer at Red Hat    

Don and Gustavol offer the ELISA community an overview of KernelCI and look for potential areas of collaboration between both projects. Watch the video:

The ELISA Seminar Series focuses on hot topics related to ELISA’s mission 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. Speakers are members, contributors and thought leaders from the ELISA Project and surrounding communities. Each seminar comprises a 45-minute presentation and a 15-minute Q&A, and it’s free to attend. You can watch all videos on the ELISA Project Youtube Channel ELISA Seminar Series Playlist here.

If you missed this ELISA Seminar, Don and Gustavo will be presenting about KernelCI at the Linux Plumbers Conference in Vienna, Austria on September 18-20. Learn more about their session in the Linux Kernel Testing Microconference.

Sep 04

BASIL an Open Source Software for Quality Management

By Blog, Safety-Critical Software Summit

The Embedded Open Source Summit (EOSS) serves as a pivotal event for the open source embedded projects and developer communities. This umbrella event brings together various micro conferences, including the Embedded Linux Conference, Zephyr Developer Summit, and Safety-Critical Software Summit, offering a comprehensive platform for collaboration, discussions, and education.

Among these, the Safety-Critical Software Summit stood out with significant attendance. Held under the EOSS, the summit drew more than 860 participants, with 79% holding technical positions. This high level of engagement underscores the importance of safety-critical software in the embedded systems landscape and the ultimate goal of advancing secure and reliable solutions through open source collaboration.

As part of the Safety-Critical Software Summit, Luigi Pellecchia, Senior Software Quality Engineer  & Gabriele Paoloni, Sr SW Principal Engineer from Red Hat presented about “BASIL: The FuSa Spice,” which is an open source tool that facilitates software quality management by supporting traceability and completeness in analysis, including management of requirements and test cases. Developed by Red Hat and introduced to the ELISA Project community in June 2023, it was released as open source on GitHub in October 2023. If you missed this session, you can join them in Vienna on Monday September 16th at 12:15. Luigi and Gabriele will be on sire at OSSummit Europe with an updated version. tune into the updates coming this month for OSSummit Europe. Learn more: https://sched.co/1ejIi

To see all of the videos from the Summit, visit the ELISA Youtube Channel and click on the Safety-Critical Software Summit Playlist. 

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