Open Source Foundation Eyes Government's Goal for Linux-Based Machines

The Linux Foundation’s IPv6 Workgroup reportedly has enabled the major so-called Linux “distros,” according to the group.

 

IPv4 was the first Internet protocol version that received widespread usage from companies all over the world. The introduction of the IPv6 is designed to bring in advantages such as larger address space and flexibility in allocating addresses and routing traffic.

 

It’s also meant get rid of address exhaustion and simplify aspects of address assignment and renumbering when changing Internet connectivity providers.

 

The distros enabled by the Linux Foundation will help the foundation in meeting the U.S. Department of Defense mandate and certification requirements for IPv6.

 

The U.S. government has put forward a mandate for all agencies to meet IPv6 for any computing and networking equipment they acquire.

 

The Linux Foundation believed that the Linux-based machines all over the world should be ready to embrace the change when it comes. So, the foundation formed a Linux IPv6 Workgroup to address this major undertaking collaboratively, under the leadership of Venkata Jagana. Jagana is a Senior Technical Staff Member and Chief Architect of Networking within IBM’s Linux Technology Center. This collaboration is expected to enable Linux-based machines to be next-generation Internet ready out of the box.

 

“The IPv6 mandate and ensuing requirements are such major undertakings that it makes it difficult for any one company to deal with it all on its own,” said Jim Zemlin (News - Alert), executive director at The Linux Foundation. “This is exactly the kind of work and collaboration that the Linux Foundation can facilitate, and which results in real technology advancements for the Linux operating system.”

 

To make sure that Linux adapted to the changes fast, the Linux Foundation IPv6 Workgroup has reviewed the mandate requirements and performed a detailed IPv6 gap analysis. The company says existing Linux features, such as ICMPv6, DHCPv6, MIB support and IPSec for IPv6 as a result of this analysis.

 

The Linux Foundation has many supporters who are joining the group on a regular basis. Recently, Untangle, developers of an Open Source Network Gateway (News - Alert) has joined The Linux Foundation. By joining The Linux Foundation, Untangle plans to take advantage of the exclusive Linux Foundation events and to collaborate with the foundation on outreach to Linux User Groups throughout the globe.