Date: Wed, 09 Oct 2002 14:03:32 -0400 From: Steve Kudlak <chromexa@ovis.net> To: Craig Rodrigues <rodrigc@attbi.com> Cc: "Nelson, Trent ." <tnelson@switch.com>, "'hackers@freebsd.org'" <hackers@freebsd.org> Subject: Re: FreeBSD usage in safety-critical environments Message-ID: <3DA46F74.461FEB85@ovis.net> References: <8F329FEDF58BD411BE5200508B10DA7607D71A12@exchptc1.switch.com> <20021009134001.A7815@attbi.com>
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Craig Rodrigues wrote: > On Wed, Oct 09, 2002 at 01:08:46PM -0400, Nelson, Trent . wrote: > > > > The report 'identifies' that it would be possible to certify Linux to > > > SIL 1 > > > > and SIL 2 quite easily, and SIL 3 with a little work. > > I've seen this game before with other certification efforts, > ie. U.S. Federal Aviation Administration's DO-178B for certification > of software used in airborne systems and equipment. > > Certification is usually an expensive undertaking, so it usually requires > a company with enough $$$ to jump through all the hoops > of the certification process (ie. submitting to special tests, fixing the > bugs, etc.). No one would go through this > stuff unless there was an anticipated reward, ie. $$$. > WindRiver has done this kind of stuff for VxWorks. > > Now, if the UK govt. is looking to certify Linux, what version and > what vendor would they certify? Linux has a lot of buzz these days, > and there are a number of vendors who are trying to pitch it in > real-time and embedded systems markets, and many companies who are > providing Linux-based services. > > I'm sure that any FreeBSD could be certified, but the questions would be: > - which companies have the resources to submit to such an SIL certification > and jump through all the hoops? > - is there enough of a financial incentive to do so? > - has the UK govt heard of BSD, and would they even care if someone wanted to > certify it? > > Unfortunately marketing and mindshare plays a lot in these kinds of things. > > -- > Craig Rodrigues > http://www.gis.net/~craigr > rodrigc@attbi.com Is there a place for *BSD security freaks to go and discuss systems? I get lots of security questions, usually these are broad level questions and nothing like the "government authority certification body" sorts of things. Usually they are the usual user questions that come to systems people. The folks that faint when they see me reading FreeBSD hackers and go: "How can you read that..." As an aside right now my big thing is convincing people in remote areas that *nix, FreeBSD et al provide a clear and better alternative to windows. Have Fun, Sends Steve To Unsubscribe: send mail to majordomo@FreeBSD.org with "unsubscribe freebsd-hackers" in the body of the message
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