Today, the ELISA (Enabling Linux in Safety Applications) Project, an open source initiative that aims to create a shared set of tools and processes to help companies build and certify Linux-based safety-critical applications and systems, announced that Codethink, Horizon Robotics, Huawei Technologies, NVIDIA and Red Hat has joined its global ecosystem.
Linux is used in safety-critical applications with all major industries because it can enable faster time to market for new features and take advantage of the quality of the code development processes which decreases the issues that could result in loss of human life, significant property damage, or environmental damage. Launched in February 2019 by the Linux Foundation, ELISA will work with certification authorities and standardization bodies across industries to document how Linux can be used in safety-critical systems.
“Open source software has become a significant part of the technology strategy to accelerate innovation for companies worldwide,” said Kate Stewart, Vice President of Dependable Embedded Systems at The Linux Foundation. “We want to reduce the barriers to be able to use Linux in safety-critical applications and welcome the collaboration of new members to help build specific use cases for automotive, medical and industrial sectors.”
Milestones
After a little more than two years, ELISA has continued to see momentum in project and technical milestones. Examples include:
- Successful Workshops: In February, ELISA hosted its 6th workshop with more than 120 registered participants. During the workshop, members and external speakers discussed cybersecurity expectations in the automotive world, code coverage of glibc and Intel’s Linux test robot. The next workshop is scheduled for May 18-20 and is free to attend.
- New Ambassador Program: In October 2020, ELISA launched a program with thought leaders with expertise in functional safety and Linux kernel development. These ambassadors are willing to speak at events, write articles and work directly with the community on mentorships or onboarding new contributors.
- Mentorship Opportunities: The Linux Foundation offers a Mentorship Program with projects that are designed to help developers with the necessary skills to contribute effectively to open source communities. A recent program, ELISA participated in the Fall 2020 session with Code coverage metrics for GLibC and a Linux Kernel mentorship focused on CodeChecker. This project supports ELISA’s goals to gain experience in using various status analysis methods and tools available in the Linux kernel.
- Working Groups: Since launch, the project has created several working groups that collaborate and work towards providing resources for System integrators to apply and use to analyze qualitatively and quantitatively on their systems. Current groups include an Automotive Working Group, Medical Devices Working Group, Safety Architecture Working Group, Kernel Development Process Working Group and Tool Investigation and Code Improvement Sub-Working Group to focus on specific activities and goals.
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“The primary challenge is selecting Linux components and features that can be evaluated for safety and identifying gaps where more work is needed to evaluate safety sufficiently,” said Shuah Khan, Chair of the ELISA Project Technical Steering Committee and Linux Fellow at the Linux Foundation. “We’ve taken on this challenge to make it easier for companies to build and certify Linux-based safety-critical applications by exploring potential methods to enable engineers to answer that question for their specific system.”
