Getting Started With LFN

Owned by Casey Cain
Last updated: Jan 12, 2024 by Gergely Csatari
5 min read

Hello and welcome! If you're reading this, you're probably interested in the evolving world of Open Networking technologies. Whether you're a developer, project lead, or simply an enthusiast looking to contribute, you've come to the right place. The Linux Foundation Networking (LFN) is the nexus for collaboration and innovation in this space, and this documentation aims to be your ultimate guide to understanding and participating in the LFN ecosystem.

Intro to the LFN

Our software & projects provide platforms and building blocks for Network Infrastructure & Services across Service Providers, Cloud Providers, Enterprises, Vendors, System Integrators that enable rapid interoperability, deployment & adoption.

At LF Networking, we firmly believe open source technology is the only viable path to truly scale software so that businesses, government agencies, education institutions, service providers—and the OEMs, ISVs and system integrators that support them—can achieve operational and revenue value in a timely and cost-effective manner. Open source software also motivates leading edge development with vulnerability detection and code design best practices with security built in from the ground up.

LFN Charter

Getting Started

Just getting your feet wet? This section will give you a comprehensive roadmap to jumpstart your journey, from understanding the basic terminologies to setting up your development environment and creating your Linux Foundation ID & Set Up Your Individual Dashboard.

Create Your Linux Foundation ID & Set Up Your Individual Dashboard

A Linux Foundation ID is your unique identifier across all Linux Foundation communities. If you don't already have one, set up your LF ID here. Once you have your LF ID, you can set up your profile at https://openprofile.dev. Designed as a self-service dashboard for each and every member (individuals) of our community. Individual Dashboard is the one place where you can:

  • Set Up your Linux Foundation ID / SSO

  • Edit your contact information

  • Change your password

  • View community badges (speaker, program committee, certifications, etc) that you have earned

  • Link your social accounts and email accounts used to login into SSO

  • Add/Manage alternative email accounts

  • View upcoming Community Meetings that you are registered for

  • View your participation in past or upcoming Linux Foundation Events

  • View your community and membership roles

  • View trainings and certification exams you have enrolled in or completed with success status

  • View financial Transactions with the LF - Tickets bought for events, training or exam courses purchased, Linux.com email purchases, Linux Individual Supporter program purchases.

  • Purchase an Linux.com email alias as part of the Linux Foundation Individual Supporter program (optional)

The LF Toolchain

Most LFN Projects are using a selection of infrastructure tools and services managed by the Linux Foundation’s IT department. This includes applications such as Confluence, JIRA, Gerrit and other tools commonly used in software development. Learn more about the typical LF tool chain here.

Learn More about your Individual Dashboard here.

Single Sign On (SSO)

The Linux Foundation provides Single Sign-On service (SSO) to offer secure access and protect the identities of all its communities. Linux Foundation managed systems and services like Events Registration, Zoom, Training and Certification, Jenkins, JIRA, Gerrit, Confluence, CommunityBridge (Funding, Mentorship, EasyCLA, LFX, Security) are already protected by this SSO service. Additional services to be covered in near future will include Slack, Groups.io, among others. 

For the LFN, most of the information on the wikis is viewable as an anonymous user; however, a universal ID is needed to access some content areas and is ultimately required if you will contribute to the project in any way. Please get an LFID first, even if you only plan to browse content passively as it will save you (and potentially our IT team) headaches in the future.

Learn more about SSO here.

I have an account, now what?

  • Join some of our Community Meetings

    • Community is at the heart of everything we do. Learn about our regular community meetings, how to join them, and what you can expect in these interactive sessions.

  • Check out the Upstream First Best Practices Guide

    • Quality and consistency are key for any open-source project. This guide provides insights into the best practices for contributing upstream to ensure the highest level of quality and collaboration.

  • Learn about the LFN Project Lifecycle

    • LFN Lifecycle States & Guidelines

      • Each LFN project governs itself. LFN projects may consist of multiple subprojects with their own lifecycles. This pages scope is limited to top-level LFN projects. The TAC is responsible for facilitating communication and collaboration among the technical projects.

    • Project Review Process

    • Tools & Services available at each Lifecycle State

      • Each lifecycle state comes with its own set of tools and services to help you succeed. Understand what's available to you at each stage of your project's life.

    • How to Join the LFN as a Project a step-by-step guide

      • So you have a project that aligns with the LFN mission and you want to make it part of the family? Here, you'll find information about the different lifecycle states a project can be in, and detailed steps on how to join or change your lifecycle state through our Project States and Guidelines.

  • LFX for LFN

    • Discover LFX, the suite of tools designed to improve your project's sustainability, security, and insight metrics. Find out how you can leverage LFX to better manage and track your contributions.

  • Learn how to earn Community Badges

    • A little recognition goes a long way. Learn about the badges issued by the LFN via Credly, based on community-defined criteria, and how you can earn them to show off your skills and contributions.

  • Developer Recruitment Initiative

    • LFN thrives on community contributions. If you're looking to contribute your skills and make an impact, discover our Developer Recruitment Initiative to see how you can get involved.

  • JIRA & Confluence Federation

    • To facilitate initiatives like the 5G super Blueprint we would like to have all of the jira instances for LFN to be federated so that bugs can be opened and easily cross tagged and pushed into the upstream Projects.

Getting Help

Sometimes we all need a little help, but where do I go and who do I ask?

  • LF Toolchain Support

    • Each Project has its own set of tools that have been chosen by that particular community and while there are ongoing efforts to standardize where possible across the LFN, one size does not fit all.

    • support.linuxfoundation.org

  • LFX Community Forums

    • We are here to empower open source communities and establish, maintain, and scale our open source ecosystems.

    • Find LFX Product Roadmaps, Quick Start Guides, Onboarding Videos, and great Community members here!

    • https://community.lfx.dev/

  • LFN New Member Onboarding Guide