[Lxc-users] OUI

Tue Oct 18 20:30:02 UTC 2011

So after looking at the IEEE site about applying for an OUI, it seems to 
me there needs to be some actual entity to do that appplication. Since I 
am not a principle developer nor is my company more than an interested 
user, I can't really just go ahead and do it myself under either my own 
name or my companies.

So I think this group called the Software Freedom Conservanc seems to be 
offering to be exactly this sort of agent for open source software 
projects. They do things like own domains and hold donation funds for 
hosting and provide legal support and essentially do all the stuff 
developers don't want to have to do, but which a project sometimes needs 
_somebody_ to do.

I have a few questions and statements for the list at large:

* Any objection to me sending them an initial feeler about applying for 
use of their service? See proposed email below.

* I am willing to help pay for things like the OUI ($1750) and outright 
pay for things like a normal/affordable domain. lxc-tools.org is 
available and only 12/year from joker.com (pick any registrar, some are 
cheaper, I just don't like Network Solutions or Go-Daddy because they 
are big and careless, and I happen to have been using joker for a few 
other domains.), and at least help pay for hosting if/when we actually 
need something other than sourceforge, say for the wiki.

* But I don't want to be in the position of collecting contributions nor 
do I think anyone else wants to either, so an independent outsider 
sounds good to me.

* The whole point, as stated right on their web site is so that mostly 
everyone can keep on not thinking about stuff like this except the 
little bit needed to deal with them in the first place.

I know it seems overkill but I would like an OUI and I don't want it to 
be mine or my company's. I want my company to merely contribute towards 
it. The website/wiki stuff is just a little bonus since sourceforge is 
fine. I would actually just get a domain and point it right at the 
sourceforge page anyways at least for now.

References:
http://sfconservancy.org/
http://sfconservancy.org/members/apply/
http://standards.ieee.org/develop/regauth/oui/
https://standards.ieee.org/regauth-bin/application?rt=OUI

Here is the email I have tentatively written, NOT SENT:

--------------------
Hello,

I am writing on behalf of the relatively small group of people working 
on a project called LXC which is both a set of linux kernel features and 
a set of userspace tools to make use of those kernel features, which 
together implement "Linux Containers" which are essentially BSD Jails or 
Solaris Zones for Linux.

The LXC project has recently run into an unusual need that I was 
wondering if the Software Freedom Conservancy was possibly the ideal 
people to help deal with.

LXC or lxc-tools or Linux Containers is a virtual server technology.

Part of virtualizing a server is creating virtual network interfaces.

Ideally, all network interfaces should use MAC addresses that have valid 
IEEE-assigned OUI prefixes.
For example, see XEN, and VMware.
http://standards.ieee.org/cgi-bin/ouisearch?Xensource
http://standards.ieee.org/cgi-bin/ouisearch?VMware

The process of applying for and obtaining an OUI appears to require a 
bit more of a defined organizational entity than the LXC project really 
has, or even wants to have at least so far. XEN's OUI was applied for 
by, and granted to, Xensource Inc. There is no "LXC Inc." nor any clear 
corporate sponsor that could just use their own name like RedHat or one 
of the other Linux distributions.

Also it would be nice to have someone to own a domain (yet to be 
purchased), which can point to a distribution-agnostic web site (yet to 
be created, yet to be hosted).

Currently there is just a sourceforge project to host the userspace code 
and mail list.

I and a few others are willing to pay for things like the OUI, a domain, 
web site hosting. But currently there is no organization to collect and 
spend money and officially speak for the project to people such as the IEEE.

My relation to LXC is, I am not a principle developer of either the 
kernel or userspace lxc code myself although I have written and continue 
to help maintain some distribution-specific packaging, integration, 
scripts, and documentation. As commercial user I am willing to pay for 
or at least help pay for several things, and do at least some 
administration such as this very message contacting you.

I have posted a copy of this message to the lxc mail list and received a 
go-ahead to proceed from some of the principle developers before sending 
to you.

References:

LXC home, such as it is:
http://lxc.sourceforge.net/

IEEE site regarding OUI's
http://standards.ieee.org/develop/regauth/oui/
https://standards.ieee.org/regauth-bin/application?rt=OUI

Thank you for your consideration.

Brian K. White
Aljex Software Inc.
--------------------

-- 
bkw