The Linux Foundation Projects
Skip to main content
search
Category

Blog

Mar 19

Containerization in Space Podman for Mission Critical Operations and Resilience (Video)

By Blog, Space Grade Linux, Workshop

In the last ELISA Project Workshop, hosted at the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, from December 10 to 12, 2024, speaker Dan Walsh, Senior Distinguished Engineer, and Douglas Schilling Landgraf, Senior Software Engineer, at Red Hat, gave a presentation, “Containerization in Space Podman for Mission Critical Operations and Resilience.”

 

Watch the video below or check out the presentation here.

 

The ELISA Workshop, which had than 30 in-person and 40 virtual attendees, brought together experts from various organizations, including ELISA Project member companies such as Red Hat, and Bosch, as well as representatives from NASA, Wind River, TelePIX, the Linux Foundation and more. This diverse group of professionals engaged in discussions and presentations on advancing Linux systems for space-grade applications.

Check out the ELISA Workshop @ NASA Youtube playlist to watch other videos or access the materials on the ELISA Project’s directory.

Additional Resources:

Mar 12

Space Grade Linux Survey Results

By Blog, Space Grade Linux

The Space Grade Linux Special Interest Group addresses 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. Hosted under the ELISA Project, the new SIG is a step towards creating an ecosystem of supported platforms and a collaborative community.  Kate Stewart, Vice President of Dependable Embedded Systems, and Ramon Roche, General Manager of Dronecode Foundation, at the Linux Foundation presented survey results in the last ELISA Workshop, hosted at the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, from December 10-12, 2024.  The survey showcased feedback about Linux in Space with the target of recruiting more members.

 

Watch the video below or check out the presentation here.

The ELISA Workshop, which had than 30 in-person and 40 virtual attendees, brought together experts from various organizations, including ELISA Project member companies such as Red Hat, and Bosch, as well as representatives from NASA, Wind River, TelePIX, the Linux Foundation and more. This diverse group of professionals engaged in discussions and presentations on advancing Linux systems for space-grade applications.

Check out the ELISA Workshop @ NASA Youtube playlist to watch other videos or access the materials on the ELISA Project’s directory.

Additional Resources:

Mar 05

ELISA Project Achievements and Updates

By Blog, Working Group

Written by Gabriele Paoloni, ELISA Project Governing Board Chair, and Philipp Ahmann, ELISA Project TSC Chair

The ELISA community held its annual project updates virtually on February 12 – 13, 2025, bringing together members and newcomers. Working group leaders shared their 2024 accomplishments, challenges, and collaborative opportunities for 2025. All videos can be found on the ELISA Project Youtube Channel in the Annual Update Playlist.

2024: A Year of Significant Progress

There was substantial progress for ELISA including: 

  • The Aerospace Working Group significantly advanced the adoption of Linux in safety-critical aerospace applications, presenting successful sessions at the Linux Plumbers Conference that led to the formation of the Space Grade Linux initiative at a NASA-hosted ELISA workshop. 
  • Meanwhile, the System Working Group impressed at Embedded World with a demo of reproducible heterogeneous software composition. 
  • The Medical Device Working Group completed its STPA analysis for the Open APS use case and is now searching for a new project. 
  • The Tool Working Group released initial versions of several key tools (Basil, KS-Nav, llvm-cov, and DeltaKernel).
  • The Safety Architecture Working Group improved Linux Kernel documentation based on safety standards, presenting their findings at Linux Plumbers 2024 and subsequently developing a template for Linux Kernel Requirements. 
  • The Linux Features for Safety-Critical Systems working group completed investigations about the minimal Linux Kernel configuration and focused on the minimal set Kernel features required to support a safety application (the main goal being to figure out the Kernel subsystems and drivers to prioritize for safety activities).
  • The Open Source Engineering Process Working Group focused on best practices for safety-critical FOSS contributions, analyzing the factors that could impact the safety strategy associated with the use of Linux and finally it defined an approach for publishing peer-review material developed by the different working groups.

2025: Collaborative Goals and Technical Advancements

The ELISA Project 2025 vision centers on coordinating working groups towards shared technical and community goals including: 

  • The Automotive Working Group will define a use case and collaborate with the Eclipse SDV project. 
  • The Aerospace Working Group will partner with the Architecture Working Group on Kernel requirements for a Cabin Lighting use case.
  • The Architecture Working Group will upstream initial requirements and a management framework to the Linux Kernel, establishing a community baseline before collaborating on further requirements definition. 
  • The Linux Features for Safety-Critical Systems Working Group will define requirements and analyze key drivers and subsystems for safety applications. 
  • The Open Source Engineering Process Working Group will continue defining best methodologies, including developing processes for documentation review and publishing, and a supply chain responsibilities model. 
  • The Tool Working Group will experiment with its tools across software lifecycle phases. 
  • The System Working Group will launch the “Good Practices in Open Source” specification/standard and extend its development platform to new ARM-based hardware. Collaboration with the Kernel-CI project will also allow for the evaluation of existing Kernel tests and their mapping to Kernel specifications and requirements.

Looking Ahead and Invitation to Participate

The achievements of 2024 provide a strong foundation for the ambitious goals set for 2025. We are excited about the collaborative opportunities ahead and the potential impact of the work on the safety and reliability of open-source systems in critical sectors. We encourage anyone interested in contributing to these efforts to join the ELISA community. Your expertise and dedication can significantly advance our progress toward a safer and more reliable open-source ecosystem. Visit https://elisa.tech/ to learn more and get involved.

Finally ELISA should also consider the evaluation of the currently available Kernel tests, in collaboration with the Kernel-CI project, and the respective mapping to the Kernel specifications and requirements.

ELISA Project Resources:

Feb 25

Building an OSS Ecosystem for Space (Video)

By Blog, Space Grade Linux, Workshop

In the last ELISA Project Workshop, hosted at the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, from December 10 to 12, 2024, speaker Tim Bird, Principal Software Engineer at Sony Electronics, gave a presentation, “Building an Open Source Software Ecosystem for Space.”

In this presentation, Tim presents real-time requirements for Linux in space operation. Watch the video below or check out the presentation here.

The ELISA Workshop, which had than 30 in-person and 40 virtual attendees, brought together experts from various organizations, including ELISA Project member companies such as Red Hat, and Bosch, as well as representatives from NASA, Wind River, TelePIX, the Linux Foundation and more. This diverse group of professionals engaged in discussions and presentations on advancing Linux systems for space-grade applications.

Check out the ELISA Workshop @ NASA Youtube playlist to watch other videos or access the materials on the ELISA Project’s directory.

Additional Resources:

Feb 19

Space ROS (Video)

By Blog, Workshop

In the last ELISA Project Workshop, hosted at the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, from December 10 to 12, 2024, speaker Ivan Perez, Principal Research Scientist at NASA Ames Research Center, gave a presentation, “Space ROS.” In this presentation, he offered an overview of Space ROS, an open source framework for developing flight-quality robotic and autonomous space systems. Watch the video below or check out the presentation here.

 

The ELISA Workshop, which had than 30 in-person and 40 virtual attendees, brought together experts from various organizations, including ELISA Project member companies such as Red Hat, and Bosch, as well as representatives from NASA, Wind River, TelePIX, the Linux Foundation and more. This diverse group of professionals engaged in discussions and presentations on advancing Linux systems for space-grade applications.

Check out the ELISA Workshop @ NASA Youtube playlist to watch other videos or access the materials on the ELISA Project’s directory.

Additional Resources:

Feb 13

ELISA Project and Linux Foundation Community Shine at FOSDEM 2025

By Ambassadors, Blog, Critical Software Summit, Industry Conference

Written by Ramon Roche, Dronecode Foundation General Manager and member of Space Grade Linux

Members and collaborators from the ELISA Project and the broader Linux Foundation community were excited to participate in FOSDEM 2025, joining thousands of open source enthusiasts in Brussels for a weekend dedicated to advancing open technology. For those who haven’t yet experienced FOSDEM, it’s difficult to put into words the vibrant, inclusive atmosphere of this registration-free event—it’s something you genuinely have to see and feel for yourself. Imagine developers buzzing between the historic buildings of the Université libre de Bruxelles, eagerly attending talks, sharing ideas, and forging connections over their shared passion for innovation. FOSDEM is more than just a conference; it’s a celebration of open-source collaboration and a testament to the power of community-driven technology.

“FOSDEM is more than just a conference—it’s a cornerstone of the open source world. From discovering new projects in various fields like open source scorecards and NGO-focused CRMs to engaging in critical discussions around the EU’s Cyber Resilience Act, FOSDEM offers unmatched opportunities for learning and collaboration. The hallway track, packed sessions, and the growing interest in AI and open hardware all underscore its role as a vital hub for innovation and community building. It’s where the open source ecosystem thrives, connects, and evolves.”

— Philipp Ahmann, Sr. OSS Community Manager at ETAS GmbH

Exhibits from Sponsors

One of the highlights of FOSDEM 2025 was the lively exhibit area, where attendees flocked to engage with some of the most influential projects and foundations in the open-source ecosystem. The halls were abuzz with energy, making it nearly impossible to walk through without getting swept up in the excitement! Zephyr RTOS had a standout presence among the many exhibits, drawing attention with its innovative real-time operating system solutions. Members of the ELISA community were also actively involved throughout the exhibits, connecting with attendees and sharing insights on safety-critical systems and open-source collaboration.

The FOSDEM community’s love for swag was on full display, with attendees proudly sporting T-shirts, stickers, and other goodies collected from various booths. A major crowd favorite was the Linux Foundation Europe booth, which attracted a steady stream of visitors with its impressive lineup of CNCF project merchandise and exclusive discounts on Linux Foundation training and certifications available only to FOSDEM attendees. The vibrant atmosphere and enthusiasm around the exhibits perfectly captured the spirit of innovation and community that defines FOSDEM.

 

 

Kate Stewart’s Zephyr Open Source Project Best Practices Over Time Presentation

Another highlight of FOSDEM 2025 was Kate Stewart’s talk titled Zephyr: Open Source Project Best Practices Over Time, where she shared insights into how Zephyr RTOS has evolved into a robust and widely adopted platform, now surpassing 100,000 commits in its main repository. Drawing on lessons from the Linux Kernel Community, she emphasized the importance of embedding best practices early on to ensure long-term sustainability and scalability. A key focus of her leadership has been security, which was integrated from the start rather than treated as an afterthought. With Zephyr advancing toward formal safety certification, Stewart’s vision continues to drive the project forward, solidifying its position as a trusted solution for embedded systems and safety-critical applications. Her meticulous attention to governance, security, and collaboration has been instrumental in taking Zephyr to new heights.

Software Bill of Materials (SBOM) devroom

The SBOM devroom at FOSDEM 2025 was a focal point for discussions on the growing importance of Software Bill of Materials (SBOM) in ensuring transparency and security across the open-source ecosystem. A standout session was Luigi Pellecchia’s talk on BASIL, an innovative open-source tool designed to simplify the creation and maintenance of traceability matrices for safety-critical applications. Pellecchia demonstrated how BASIL leverages the Software Package Data Exchange (SPDX) standard to integrate quality-related work items into SBOMs, enhancing consistency and reliability across complex toolchains. His presentation highlighted the critical role of SBOMs in fostering trust and compliance, making it clear that tools like BASIL are essential for modern software development workflows. The devroom’s sessions collectively underscored the value of SBOMs in building secure and sustainable software supply chains.

Embedded, Mobile, and Automotive devroom

The Embedded, Mobile, and Automotive devroom at FOSDEM 2025 was a hub of innovation, bringing together a vibrant community of developers and enthusiasts to explore the latest in open-source technologies. The program was packed with engaging talks, covering everything from CubeSat communication systems and general-purpose humanoid robotics with dora-rs to dual A/B update solutions for embedded Linux. Standout sessions included Thibault Poncelet’s deep dive into automotive communication systems with Reverse Engineering CAN Communication and Building ECUs Using Elixir and the BEAM, and Florian Limberger’s exploration of Bluetooth Low Energy applications in Developing BLE Host Applications with Zephyr. Attendees also got a closer look at the integration of MicroPython in embedded systems and enjoyed a lively update on the Zephyr RTOS during its dedicated roasting party. With a full house for nearly every session, the devroom highlighted the rapid advancements in embedded technologies and the critical role of open-source collaboration in shaping the future of the industry.

“FOSDEM is one of the most important open-source gatherings in the world, and this year was no exception,” said Walt Miner, AGL Community Manager at the Linux Foundation, devroom co-chair.  “I came to host the Embedded, Mobile, and Automotive devroom, as well as the Automotive BoF, but it’s also the best place to connect with a wide variety of experts across countless projects. What makes FOSDEM so special is its diversity—it’s not tied to a single project or technology, and every year brings new devrooms and discoveries. This year, I was excited to learn more about OpenPilot and meet some of the people using it.”

Miner continued, “In the Embedded, Mobile, and Automotive devroom, Zephyr was a recurring theme, with so many great talks that we could easily justify a dedicated Zephyr devroom next year. The devroom was a huge success—our 210-seat room was packed for every session, and we had three times more talk submissions than we could accommodate. It’s inspiring to see such enthusiasm and expertise in the community, and I’m already looking forward to next year!”

“Expect the unexpected. At FOSDEM, you have the opportunity to see new topics and trends.”

– Jan-Simon Moeller

Featured Talks you should check out:

BASIL an open source tool that supports requirements traceability with design sBOM

Zephyr: Open Source Project Best Practices Over Time

Feb 05

Test and Assurance of Non-Volatile Memory Devices for Space (Video)

By Blog, Space Grade Linux

In the last ELISA Project Workshop, hosted at the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, from December 10 to 12, 2024, speaker Ted Wilcox, Radiation Effects Engineer at NASA, gave a presentation, “Test and Assurance of Non-Volatile Memory Devices for Space.”

In this presentation, Ted shard recent results from non-volatile memory device testing will be presented, along with assurance guidance, recommendations, and lessons learned that may provide context for the Space Grade Linux community.

The ELISA Workshop, which had than 30 in-person and 40 virtual attendees, brought together experts from various organizations, including ELISA Project member companies such as Red Hat, and Bosch, as well as representatives from NASA, Wind River, TelePIX, the Linux Foundation and more. This diverse group of professionals engaged in discussions and presentations on advancing Linux systems for space-grade applications.

Check out the ELISA Workshop @ NASA Youtube playlist to watch other videos or access the materials on the ELISA Project’s directory.

Additional Resources:

 

Jan 29

Linux Kernel Design Documentation (Video)

By Blog, Workshop

Kernel design documentation is not just an administrative task—it is essential for ensuring reliability, safety, and compliance in mission-critical systems. It serves as a foundation for certification, debugging, maintenance, and future improvements, ultimately reducing risk and increasing system dependability.

In the last ELISA Project Workshop, hosted at the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, from December 10 to 12, 2024, speakers Gabriele Paoloni, Sr Principal Engineer and Open Source Community Technical Leader at Red Hat; Chuck Wolber and Kate Stewart, Vice President of Dependable Embedded Systems at the Linux Foundation, gave a presentation, “Linux Kernel Design Documentation.”

The goals for this session were to:
A) Share the latest findings and ideas from the Safety Architecture WG towards the high level next steps discussed at Linux Plumbers Conference
B) Create more detailed next steps and respective forums

View the video below:

The ELISA Workshop, which had than 30 in-person and 40 virtual attendees, brought together experts from various organizations in person and virtual, including ELISA Project member companies such as Red Hat, and Bosch, as well as representatives from NASA, Wind River, TelePIX, the Linux Foundation and more. This diverse group of professionals engaged in discussions and presentations on advancing Linux systems for space-grade applications.

Check out the ELISA Workshop @ NASA Youtube playlist to watch other videos or access the materials on the ELISA Project’s directory.

Additional Resources:

Jan 22

Recap of the ELISA Workshop at NASA Goddard: Advancing Space Grade Linux

By Blog, Space Grade Linux, Workshop

Written by Ramon Roche, Dronecode Foundation General Manager and member of Space Grade Linux

The ELISA Project hosted an in-person workshop at the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, from December 10 to 12, 2024. This event marked the launch of Space Grade Linux, a Special Interest Group (SIG) aiming to address the unique challenges of deploying Linux in space environments. We are happy to share we had a very successful workshop with more than 30 in-person and 40 virtual attendees, with the majority finding the workshop highly educational and relevant.

The workshop brought together experts from various organizations in person and virtual, including ELISA Project member companies such as Red Hat, and Bosch, as well as representatives from NASA, Wind River, TelePIX, the Linux Foundation and more. This diverse group of professionals engaged in discussions and presentations on advancing Linux systems for space-grade applications. We want to extend our gratitude to the 20 speakers responsible for the 18 sessions in total during the two days of the event.

The workshop featured a series of sessions including:

  • Space Grade Linux Introduction: Michael Monaghan from NASA provided an overview of the Space Grade Linux initiative, outlining its objectives and significance.
  • Lessons from Automotive Grade Linux: Walt Miner of the Linux Foundation shared experiences from the automotive industry that could be applied to space-grade Linux development.
  • Verification and Validation of the OS and Certification Package: Scott Tashakkor from NASA discussed methods for ensuring the reliability and safety of operating systems in space applications.
  • Containerization in Space: Douglas Schilling Landgraf and Dan Walsh of Red Hat demonstrated the use of Podman for mission-critical operations, emphasizing resilience and efficiency. 

Notes from TSC Chair

Philipp Ahmann, Sr. OSS Community Manager at ETAS GmbH and Chair of the ELISA Project Technical Steering Committee, offers insight:

A recurring theme throughout the workshop was the importance of collaboration and open-source principles in addressing the complexities of space-grade software. The round table discussions were especially enlightening, revealing key takeaways from the participants:

  • Requirement Management: The volume of NASA software requirements presents a significant challenge in the usage of Open Source Software. The community emphasized the need for clear, concise, and easily accessible best practices and requirements for space applications. New, open-source processes for demonstrating compliance with these requirements were also discussed and will be a major topic for ELISA in 2025.
  • Long-Term Sustainability: Maintaining systems over extended periods, sometimes spanning decades, is a critical challenge in space. Creative solutions for software updates and long-term support are essential, especially in light of missions that outlive their initial planned lifespan.
  • Leveraging Existing Tools and Hardware: The workshop highlighted the value of utilizing readily available emulation like QEMU and hardware like Raspberry Pi for development and testing. This approach lowers the barrier to entry for academia and other organizations interested in contributing to SGL.
  • Collaboration and Community Building: Bringing together space vendors and fostering a strong community around SGL is crucial for its continued development. The workshop itself served as a testament to the power of collaboration, with experts from various backgrounds sharing their knowledge and insights.
  • Demonstrating Value and Addressing Concerns: While the potential of Linux in space is evident, there’s a need to convincingly demonstrate its capabilities, especially in areas like real-time performance. Building a strong evidence base through research papers and practical demonstrations is key to wider adoption.

Testimonials from the Community

  • 37% of attendees are ready to roll up their sleeves and help define the project.
  • 57% think the content was exceptional and would recommend our next events to a friend or colleague.

“I attended the SGL Workshop at NASA Goddard Space Center, and was quite happy to exchange information between Space professionals and Linux professionals. NASA was a great host, giving us a tour of facilities, with a particular focus on the ongoing Hubble Space Telescope hardware, and the upcoming Roman space telescope project.  Learning about the hardware NASA uses, and plans to use, the challenges imposed by the space environment, and the constraints and requirements placed on hardware and software for space vehicles and missions, was extremely useful.  I look forward to continuing productive discussions and work as Linux and other open source is adapted and utilized in the space sector.               — Tim Bird, Principal Software Engineer, Sony

Access to Materials

For those interested in the workshop’s content, video recordings of the talks are available at the ELISA Project’s YouTube channel as a playlist:

Presentation materials and further details about the sessions can be found on the ELISA Project’s directory:

We hope you can join us on the next one!

Meanwhile, be sure to subscribe to the SGL SIG mailing list and to join the public calls. The successful collaboration between ELISA and Space community members at this workshop signifies a significant step forward in developing robust, reliable Linux systems for space exploration.

The formation of the Space Grade Linux SIG is expected to foster an ecosystem of supported platforms and a collaborative community dedicated to advancing Linux in space-grade applications.

Want to know more about SGL?

Make sure you browse through the ELISA website. There, you can find information on all the project initiatives and how to contribute to the wider adoption of open source for safety-critical systems. Click here for more details about SGL.

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 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.

Close Menu