What is OpenSAF?
OpenSAF stands for Open Service Availability Framework. OpenSAF is an open source community with projects focused on high availability middleware. The goal of OpenSAF projects is to develop HA middleware that is consistent with the Service Availability Forum (SA Forum^TM) specifications. OpenSAF is freely available to anyone under the LGPLv2.1 and anyone may contribute to the code base. The OpenSAF Foundation is a not-for-profit organization established by leading communications and computing companies to facilitate the work of the OpenSAF project and to accelerate the adoption of OpenSAF in commercial products.

The Foundation was founded January 22^nd 2008 by leading communications and enterprise computing companies; Emerson Network Power, Ericsson, HP, Nokia Siemens Networks, and Sun Microsystems.

Please visit http://www.opensaf.org to learn more about the OpenSAF projects and OpenSAF Foundation.

Who are the OpenSAF Foundation members?
Membership is constantly growing since the Foundation was first formed. OpenSAF members today are network equipment providers (NEPs), hardware platform vendors, operating system vendors and independent software vendors (ISVs). For the latest roster of members see the OpenSAF website Foundation Members. 

What is the difference between SA Forum and OpenSAF?
SA Forum is a consortium that develops open-standards specifications for high availability middleware. SA Forum creates API standards and publishes those standards.  There are two primary sets of standards, the Application Interface Specification (AIS), and the Hardware Platform Interface (HPI). The AIS API is an interface used by ISVs and operating system providers who need to develop highly available applications. HPI is primarily a "southbound" API that provides interfaces for managing field-replaceable units (FRUs) in redundant hardware systems.

OpenSAF is completely independent of the SA Forum and is an open source implementation of the SA Forum specifications.  OpenSAF is OS and HW independent and is known to run on many different versions of Linux, as well as on Solaris, and on many types of HW. OpenSAF is licensed under the LGPLv2.1 license.

Why join the OpenSAF Foundation?
Many companies are motivated by a desire to either integrate or support high availability middleware that is consistent with open specifications and uses an open source model that is capable of delivering products to meet market demands. This will enable industries ranging from communications to defense and the enterprise community to leverage a common implementation and contribute enhancements and extensions necessary for their specific requirements.

Why does OpenSAF use LGPLv2.1?
The LGPL (GNU Lesser General Public License) version 2.1 license was chosen because it is OSI approved, well understood, and accepted by the open source community and the industry. A key attribute of the LGPL is that it permits LGPL code to be used with proprietary programs. This means an adopter can use the LPGL OpenSAF technology with their own applications, and those applications can remain proprietary. The choice of LGPL also means that all modifications and enhancements made directly to the OpenSAF code will remain public and open, maintaining a common foundation for application development.

Who has the copyright for the OpenSAF code base?
The initial OpenSAF codebase is copyrighted by the OpenSAF Foundation. The copyright to subsequent contributions remains the property of the contributor, or contributing organization. Under the terms of the Individual Participation and Contribution Agreement the OpenSAF Foundation is granted a license to the copyright of a contributor. This is a common practice of many open source projects.

How can I participate in OpenSAF projects?
There are many ways that an individual or company can participate in OpenSAF. Anyone may download and use the code. The easiest way to participate in the project is to simply join in the discussion on the OpenSAF users' mailing list. You can subscribe to this list and other lists on the developer website (given below). You can also report bugs, propose enhancements or become a contributor at OpenSAF. If you wish to become a contributor to an OpenSAF project, you must sign the Individual Participation and Contribution License Agreement (or be covered by a Corporate Participation and Contribution License Agreement), which acknowledges & affirms the LGPL 2.1.  Please see http://devel.opensaf.org for more information on how to become involved with the projects.

How can I join the OpenSAF Foundation?
The OpenSAF Foundation is a not-for-profit organization established to facilitate the work of the OpenSAF project and to accelerate the adoption of OpenSAF in commercial products. Any organization or individual may become a member of the OpenSAF Foundation by completing the membership application and paying the appropriate dues. There are three levels of membership, each representing a different level of commitment to the OpenSAF projects.

              Sponsor members - $30,000 USD annual fee and the commitment of the equivalent of three full time employees/and or contractors to the projects.

              Contributor members - $15,000 USD annual fee and the commitment of one full time employee/and or contractor to the projects.

              Supporter members - $2,000 USD annual fee.

Can I download OpenSAF source code?
Yes. Please see the Download page for details.

How do I get documentation for OpenSAF?
Excellent documentation exists for the OpenSAF projects. Please see the Download page for details.

Can I get support for OpenSAF?
There are many ways to get support for OpenSAF. Documentation that can be used for self-help is available on the download page. Other technical support related questions or comments can be addressed to the mailing list at list. You will have to subscribe to this mail list in-order to be able to do this.  In addition, commercial support is also available from vendors. Please see the Products and Services page for more information on commercial support and services for OpenSAF.

Is there training available for OpenSAF?
Like other open source projects, we expect interested companies to provide services around the OpenSAF releases. Periodically the OpenSAF project holds conferences (called OpenSAF Developer Days) which include educational seminars and idea exchange forums.

What are the key features and functions in the current release?
Major versions of the project are released about once a year. The current release is Release 3.0. There is a brief description of release 3.0 features in the form of a Data Sheet. The datasheet defines the level of conformance to, or support of, the SA Forum specifications as well as other necessary features for a complete high availability solution. 

What is the project roadmap and schedule?
The future direction of the OpenSAF project is defined by the Technical Leadership Council (TLC) and the OpenSAF community. See the OpenSAF roadmap for more details. As with all open source projects, project roadmap is determined mostly by individual contributions.