Ksplice2

With previous support from NLnet, Ksplice has made the free software Linux distribution Ubuntu be the first operating system in the world that does not require regular reboots for security updates. Ksplice Ltd has started providing rebootless OS updates to more than 10,000 users of Ubuntu -a significant step, but larger-scale deployment is needed in order for the technology to become truly mainstream.

The goals of this project are:

1. to freely provide rebootless OS updates to 100,000+ users running the major community Linux distributions, and
2. to get the Ksplice kernel software merged into the mainstream Linux kernel.

The NLnet support is used for the development required to get Ksplice tool merged into the mainstream Linux kernel and the development work on the Uptrack application required to freely bring rebootless updates to Fedora, the second most popular desktop Linux distribution behind Ubuntu. These initiatives are critical to the path of taking this open innovation to mainstream adoption. Specifically, getting Ksplice merged into the mainstream Linux kernel is the best way to ensure that Ksplice has the full support of the diverse Linux kernel community. This support will improve Ksplice’s technical quality and encourage more people to trust and use Ksplice.

Bringing Ksplice beyond Ubuntu is necessary since so many Linux users use distributions other than Ubuntu. One of Linux’s strengths is the variety of choices that it provides, so it makes sense to provide Ksplice for many community Linux distributions rather than just one community Linux distribution. Fedora is the next step in this direction.