How a Hardware Company Supports Open Source Software
A presentation at All Things Open in in Raleigh, NC, USA by Fen Aldrich
how a hardware company supports open source software Ed Vielmetti & Fen Aldrich Equinix
open source makes good business sense needs more than just code thrives when it has EVERYTHING that it needs
why has open source software become so important? ● Ubiquitous: Has become integrated in all stages of software development. ● Foundational: Has grown with all major technology trends (mobile, cloud, AI) ● Influential: IT leaders are more likely to select a vendor that contributes to OSS.
4 out of 5 enterprises agree! 82% 80% 89% more likely to select a vendor who contributes to the open source community expect to increase their use of enterprise open source software for emerging technologies. believe enterprise open source is as secure or more secure than proprietary software Figures are from Red Hat’s 2022 State of Enterprise Open Source Report
why would enterprises support open source? provide offerings sooner quicker development and identification of talent a rising tide lifts all boats better UX through open standards
but … sometimes you can’t no OSPO or formal process no time to contribute financially not possible
and then this happens
ways of contributing without coding documentation translation community infrastructure
how equinix started an open source initiative
- Start small 2. Identify dependencies 3. Look for a surplus
case study: equinix’s open source partner program (OSPP) a program for open source infrastructure projects to request free compute and networking resources on bare metal servers https://github.com/cncf/cluster/
start small
OSPP timeline 2020 2017 Community Infra Lab (CIL) Support started in 2017 with Packet with $25k/month. Source Equinix ups investment to $1M/year Equinix triples its investment to $1M/year. Source
OSPP today 2023 2020 2017 Community Infra Lab (CIL) Support started in 2017 with Packet with $25k/month. Source Equinix ups investment to $1M/year Equinix triples its investment to $1M/year. Source Equinix OSPP crosses $2M/year Equinix now supports over 100 projects through its OSPP. Providing more than $2M/year in investment. Source
identify dependencies
operating system deployments
look for surplus
Equinix, we have a lot of hardware 250 data centers 25 metros supported by Equinix Metal (bare metal through API) https://deploy.equinix.com/locations
and lots connections https://www.equinix.com/products/digital-infrastructure-services/equinix-fabric
(check out our video on under sea cables) https://equix.co/29MT8
success stories
what kind of workloads do projects run? testing (ci/cd, benchmarking) short-term needs (labs, workshops, POCs) Hosting (kernels, patches, binaries)
success story: alpine linux 4288 downloads per day ● 100 TB approx. total download volume per day Running GitLab-based pipelines to build images ● Building 32 and 64-bit images for both x86 and ARM ● “Equinix and the OSSP have been a lifesaver, there is virtually no other provider who could give us all the features we get from Metal.” Carlo Landmeter And, using Equinix Metal as a CDN https://deploy.equinix.com/customers/alpine-linux/
success story: kernel.org ● git.kernel.org uses Equinix to route requests. Indispensable. ● mirrors.kernel.org and archive.kernel.org on Equinix. “Equinix is indispensable, without it, half the internet breaks.” - Robert Reeves, VP Linux Foundation
success story: flatcar linux ● Uses Equinix Metal hardware catalog for building and testing images. ● And, as a CDN. ● Noticing a pattern? “Metal allows us to test not just our bare metal releases but also multiple virtualisation vendors.” - Thilo Fromm https://deploy.equinix.com/customers/flatcar-container-linux/
impact
impact of the OSPP weaved into product strategy customer success stories collaborate with experts work with foundations
success for Equinix: supply chain insight
open source program office
how to start your own ospp-like initiative 1. Start small: As with any project, start small. Equinix’s OSPP was not an overnight success, it took years. 2. Identify dependencies: Identify critical paths in your system that have open source dependencies on open source components. 3. Look for a surplus: Look for things that are surplus to you, but would be scarce to someone else. 4. Supply chain insights: Your open source dependencies are your suppliers, make sure you have insight into and support for your supply chain. 5. Work with your OSPO: If you have an OSPO, figure out what worries them.
thank you! raise awareness sponsor projects Every organization can find unique ways to support open source, beyond code contributions Ed: @w8env@hachyderm.io fen: @crayzeigh@hachyderm.io
homework try contributing - it doesn’t have to be a huge change learn more about open source (licensing & history) can you build a business with open source?
Open source software (OSS) has become ubiquitous and has become integrated in all stages of software development. However, individuals often find themselves eager to contribute more to open source software while encountering obstacles within their companies that hinder direct support for upstream features.
In this talk we’ll explore alternative strategies for non-software companies to actively support open source software, despite limitations in providing direct software development assistance.
82% of IT leaders are more likely to select a vendor who contributes to the open source community. (Red Hat https://www.redhat.com/en/resources/state-of-enterprise-open-source-report-2022)
Resources
The following resources were mentioned during the presentation or are useful additional information.
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Equinix Open Source Patner Program
Details about and an application for inquiry into the Equinix Open Source Partner Program.
