At Fairbanks and 42on, we believe in the power of open source technology to drive progress and innovation. By being member of various foundations, we contribute to the development and sustainability of key open source projects. Our involvement in these foundations allows us to collaborate with a diverse community of professionals, helping to shape the future of technology. Here’s a detailed look at the foundations we are proud to be a part of.
Linux Foundation
The Linux Foundation began in 2000 as the Open Source Development Labs, aiming to standardize and promote the Linux open source operating system kernel. In 2007, it merged with the Free Standards Group. Since then, the foundation has expanded its focus to support a wide range of open source projects beyond the Linux OS, acting as a “foundation of foundations” for initiatives in areas such as cloud computing, networking, blockchain, and hardware.
The Linux Foundation is a nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting, protecting, and standardizing Linux and other open source software projects like ‘Automotive Grade Linux’, ‘Cloud Foundry’, ‘Linux Standard Base’ and ‘Xen Project’. It provides support to a wide range of open source projects, fostering collaboration and ensuring that these projects remain sustainable and robust.
The Linux Foundation exists to facilitate open collaboration on software development projects, ensuring that key technologies remain open and accessible to everyone. By providing resources, infrastructure, and governance, the foundation helps maintain the integrity and growth of open source projects that power a significant portion of the world’s technology infrastructure.
As members of the Linux Foundation, Fairbanks is part of a vast network of professionals and organizations dedicated to the continued success and advancement of open source software. Our engagement allows us to stay connected with the latest developments in the open source community and contribute to the sustainability of these vital technologies.
CNCF Foundation
The Cloud Native Computing Foundation (CNCF) is a project under the Linux Foundation, established in 2015 to advance container technology and unify the tech industry around its development. It was launched alongside Kubernetes 1.0, an open source container cluster manager contributed to the Linux Foundation by Google as an initial technology. The founding members include Google, CoreOS, Mesosphere, Red Hat, Twitter, Huawei, Intel, RX-M, Cisco, IBM, Docker, Univa, and VMware. Today, CNCF boasts support from over 450 members.
The Cloud Native Computing Foundation (CNCF) serves as a neutral home for various open source projects that facilitate the development of scalable, flexible, and dynamic cloud-native applications. Some of the prominent projects under CNCF include Kubernetes, Prometheus, and Envoy.
CNCF exists to make cloud-native computing ubiquitous and to foster the growth and evolution of key open source projects that enable this transformation. By providing a neutral, supportive home for these projects, CNCF ensures their long-term sustainability and encourages contributions from a diverse, global community.
By being a member of CNCF, Fairbanks supports the foundation’s mission to drive the evolution of cloud-native computing. Our involvement allows us to contribute to and benefit from the innovative cloud-native technologies that are essential for modern infrastructure and application development.
We also attended KubeCon 2024 in Paris, experiencing unforgettable days filled with insightful talks and engaging conversations, alongside our partner, Sidero Labs, fostering a collaborative atmosphere. We showcased our ‘Fully Managed Kubernetes with integrated Ceph storage’ solution, attracting visitors interested in learning about our offerings and discussing market challenges, such as alternatives to CentOS and multi-hypervisor strategies. Alongside this and keynotes, presentations, a lively KubeCrawl and a dinner with industry peers at ‘Le Pavé de Versailles’, we hosted KubeCon Drinks with Sidero Labs, enjoying community interaction.
Ceph Foundation
Inktank Storage was the primary development contributor and financial sponsor for the open source Ceph distributed file system. Founded by Sage Weil and Bryan Bogensberger, Inktank received initial funding from DreamHost, Citrix, and Mark Shuttleworth.
Inktank was established to provide professional services and support for the open source Ceph storage system. Sage Weil, the CTO and founder, started the Ceph project in 2004 as part of his doctoral dissertation at the University of California, Santa Cruz. In August 2012, Inktank joined the Linux Foundation to advance open source technologies like Ceph.
The Ceph Foundation is dedicated to supporting the Ceph open source storage platform. Ceph provides a unified, highly scalable storage solution that supports object, block, and file storage in a single distributed system. It is designed to run on commodity hardware, offering robust and flexible storage solutions for large-scale deployments.
The Ceph Foundation exists to ensure the long-term success and sustainability of the Ceph project. By providing governance, resources, and community support, the foundation helps maintain the project’s momentum and encourages contributions from a diverse set of stakeholders, ensuring that Ceph continues to evolve to meet the needs of its users.
42on’s membership in the Ceph Foundation underscores our commitment to supporting innovative storage solutions. By being part of the foundation, we contribute to the ongoing development and improvement of Ceph, ensuring it remains a leading choice for scalable storage solutions in various industries.
OpenInfra Europe
OpenInfra Europe is a regional foundation of the OpenInfra Foundation, which focuses on building and supporting communities that develop and operate open source infrastructure software. The foundation hosts a variety of projects, including OpenStack, which is widely used for building and managing cloud infrastructure.
OpenInfra Europe exists to accelerate the development and adoption of open infrastructure technologies across Europe. By fostering a strong community of developers, operators, and organizations, the foundation aims to promote open collaboration and innovation in infrastructure technologies.
Our role in OpenInfra Europe is particularly significant as we are not just members but are also on the board. This involvement allows us to influence the strategic direction of the foundation, ensuring that it effectively addresses the needs of the European open source community. Our leadership and active participation help guide key decisions and initiatives that promote open infrastructure across the continent.
Conclusion
Our participation in foundations like CNCF, the Linux Foundation, the Ceph Foundation, and OpenInfra Europe highlights our dedication to the principles of open source. Through our involvement, we support the growth and sustainability of crucial technologies that underpin modern infrastructure and application development. Engaging with these foundations keeps us at the forefront of technological advancements, equipping us with the insights and capabilities to better serve our clients and the broader tech community.v