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Community FAQ

Community FAQ

These are step-by-step guides to help you through some of our most common questions. Want to contribute to the FAQ? Contact Casey Cain at support@lfnetworking.org or ccain@linuxfoundation.org.

Please make sure you read our Getting Started With LFN guide first!

Individual Contributor Onboarding

I want to contribute to an LFN Project

Welcome! We are excited to have new contributors to the LF Networking Community.

First, you should check out our Getting Started With LFN guide. It has some great tips for:

  • Getting your Linux Foundation Identity profile setup at https://openprofile.dev

  • Joining project mailing lists -- don't be afraid to ask questions!

  • Participating in Community Meetings

    • All community meetings are open to the public (with the exception of Governing Boards).

    • Feel free to lurk and learn or contribute to the conversation.

  • We recommend small, iterative contributions. Large imports of code are not generally received favorably.

  • If you are looking to contribute to a specific project or component:

    • Check the project's wiki or documentation to identify the Technical Steering Committee (TSC), Working Groups, or Special Interest Groups (SIGs).

    • Look at the project's PTL (Primary Technical Lead) or maintainer information, typically available on the project wiki or repository.

    • Review LFX Project Insights to see who is actively contributing.

I get an error when I attempt to contribute code.

EasyCLA has been enabled across LF Networking projects. If you are getting an error when you attempt to contribute, please make sure you use -s when you commit.

LFN Projects have elected to adopt Contributor License Agreements. Instructions for EasyCLA depend on a number of factors.

Are you contributing as an employee of a Member Organization?

All contributors will need to have their CCLA (Corporate Contributor License Agreement) signed by their organization.

Are you unaffiliated with an Organization and contributing as an Individual?

This is usually students or job seekers contributing to build their open-source credentials.

  • You need to complete your ICLA (Individual Contributor License Agreement). Instructions

I submitted a contribution but can't get a response from the maintainers.

If your PR or patch is not getting attention, here are the recommended steps:

  1. Reach out on the mailing list or Zulip. Post to the appropriate project mailing list or Zulip channel (linuxfoundation.zulipchat.com) referencing your contribution. This is often the fastest way to get visibility.

  2. Contact the SIG or Working Group directly. If the contribution is scoped to a specific SIG or Working Group, reach out to the chairperson. Their contact information should be available on the project wiki.

  3. Escalate to LFN Program Management. If you have exhausted the above options and still cannot reach the maintainers, contact support@lfnetworking.org. The LFN PM team can help facilitate contact and, where appropriate, escalate to the project's TSC. Note that the PM team's role is to facilitate -- they cannot directly force a code review or merge.

  4. Moribund repositories. If a repository appears to have been abandoned (no significant activity for an extended period), the project's TSC has the authority to address this, including appointing new maintainers. Please escalate to the TSC via the project's TSC mailing list as defined in the project charter.

I want to become a Committer or Maintainer on a project.

Committer and Maintainer roles in LFN projects are earned through demonstrated contribution and community trust -- this is the meritocracy model at the heart of open source governance.

The general path to becoming a Committer:

  1. Start contributing. Begin with smaller, well-scoped contributions -- bug fixes, documentation improvements, test coverage, and code reviews. Consistent, quality contributions over time are the foundation. The Upstream First Best Practices Guide is a great resource for understanding how to contribute effectively.

  2. Engage with the community. Participate in meetings, mailing lists, and Zulip. Being known and trusted by the existing community is just as important as the code itself.

  3. Express your interest. When you feel ready, let the existing Committers or TSC know you are interested in taking on a Committer role. This is typically done via the project mailing list or in a community meeting.

  4. TSC vote. The process for formally approving a new Committer varies by project and is outlined in each project's Technical Charter or governance documentation. Typically it requires a vote by the TSC or existing Committers.

  5. Open a support ticket. Once the TSC has voted to approve a new Committer or Maintainer, open a ticket at support@lfnetworking.org with the following information so that access can be provisioned:

    • Name

    • GitHub ID

    • Project name

    • Record of the TSC vote approving the promotion

I want to participate in the mailing list conversations. What lists should I join and why?

Mailing lists are the primary means of asynchronous communication for most LFN projects. LF Networking uses Groups.io as its mailing list platform.

Each LFN Project typically has:

  • A main project list for general announcements and discussions

  • A TSC list for technical governance discussions

  • Sub-project, Working Group, and SIG-specific lists

Visit your project's wiki or documentation page to find links to relevant mailing lists. You can also find links to each project's mailing lists in the Getting Started With LFN project directory.

I saw Community meetings listed. Can I participate? How?

Yes! Community meetings across LFN projects are generally open to the public. Please feel free to join discussions.

To participate:

  1. Make sure you've set up your Linux Foundation Identity at https://openprofile.dev

  2. Browse the LFN Community Meeting Calendar to find meetings relevant to you

  3. Register for a meeting, which will send an invite to your preferred email set in your Linux Foundation Profile

You can also check individual project Community Calendars, which have listings for all public meetings and links to recordings of past meetings.

I am a contributing member of a project, and I want to become a voting member of the TSC.

TSC membership in LFN projects is based on meritocracy -- it is earned through sustained, meaningful contribution and recognition by the existing community rather than by appointment or membership status.

What that generally looks like in practice:

  • Consistent, quality contributions over time -- code, documentation, testing, code reviews, and active participation in discussions all count

  • Engagement in community meetings and governance conversations

  • Demonstrated understanding of the project's technical direction and roadmap

  • Trust and recognition from existing TSC members and the broader contributor community

The Upstream First Best Practices Guide is a helpful resource for understanding how to build your reputation as a contributor in the LFN ecosystem.

The specific criteria and process for TSC membership are defined in each project's Technical Charter. Once you feel you meet those criteria, express your interest through the project's TSC mailing list or in a community meeting. Existing TSC members can guide you through the nomination and voting process for that project.

I want to propose a new Sub Project or join LFN as a Project.

For detailed guidance on proposing a new sub-project within an existing LFN project, or on bringing an entirely new project into the LFN umbrella, please refer to the How to Join the LFN as a Project guide. It covers the full proposal process, lifecycle stages, and what to expect at each step.

You may also want to review the LFN Lifecycle States & Guidelines for an overview of how projects are structured and supported across their lifecycle.

Can I create a new Repository?

We encourage you to first begin participating in the upstream discussion channels for your project. Once you're ready, please follow the guidance in the How to Join the LFN as a Project guide for proposing a new sub-project.

I'm having trouble with Confluence, Single-Sign-On, EasyCLA, Community Analytics (Insights), etc.

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

LF Toolchain Support

For issues with Single-Sign-On, EasyCLA, Community Analytics or Services: https://support.linuxfoundation.org

LFX Community Forums

Find LFX Product Roadmaps, Quick Start Guides, Onboarding Videos, and great Community members here: https://community.lfx.dev/

Community Support

For help getting started with contributing to a specific project:

  • Reach out to the project's SIG or Working Group via the mailing list or directly to the Chairperson

  • Information will be available on the wiki page associated with the group

For any support not related to LF Infrastructure, please reach out to the LFN Program Management and Community Architect team at support@lfnetworking.org or Casey Cain at ccain@linuxfoundation.org.

I'm having trouble joining a Community Meeting.

Here are some common troubleshooting steps:

First, have you registered for the meeting?

  1. Check https://openprofile.dev/my-calendar to see if the meeting is listed in your Upcoming Meetings tab.

  2. If you are registered, you can send yourself a new meeting invite from this page.

  3. Check your Individual Dashboard to make sure that the email address you expect to use for Meeting Invites is set correctly.

Still having trouble?

Open a ticket by emailing support@lfnetworking.org

The Linux Foundation Operations team (Casey Cain) has limited ability to solve technical issues, but if you are experiencing issues, you can also reach out on Zulip.

I am a member of a Committee, but I can't attend the next Meeting. Do I need to do anything?

Please notify the committee via email that you will not be present.

If you have not yet, you should appoint an alternative. This person is someone that you trust to faithfully communicate your vote. Committee members can appoint a standing proxy, but the primary should still notify their committee of their absence. Proxies will not be accepted without an email from the Committee member appointing them as a standing proxy or as a one-time appointment.

When I look at Insights, my contribution metrics are wrong. How can we fix this?

LFX Insights is an open-source project analytics tool that empowers you with valuable data-driven insights. LFX Insights is only as accurate as our members make it.

You can find our documentation on Insights here: https://docs.linuxfoundation.org/lfx/insights/v3-beta-version-current

If you notice that your contribution metrics are not attributed correctly:

  1. First try checking your Individual Dashboard.

  2. This can be caused if you have not set your "Current Organization" on your profile page: https://openprofile.dev/edit/profile

  3. For those who have a diverse contribution history, you may want to sync your LinkedIn account, or manually add your work contribution dates here: https://openprofile.dev/my-work-history

If your contribution information is correct on your profile but still not being accurately reflected in Insights, please open a ticket: https://support.linuxfoundation.org

How can I reach out to a specific person in the community?

Confluence user profiles do not always contain direct contact information, so the wiki is not the best place to look. The best ways to reach a specific community member are:

  • Mailing lists. Most LFN contributors are subscribed to their project's mailing lists. Posting to the relevant project or SIG mailing list is often the most effective way to get a response, even if you are trying to reach a specific person.

  • Zulip. Join the LFN Zulip at https://linuxfoundation.zulipchat.com and post in the relevant project channel. Many community members are active there and can be mentioned directly once you are a member of the instance.

  • Community meetings. All public community meetings are open to anyone. Attending a relevant meeting is a great way to make direct contact with active contributors.

  • LFX Insights. LFX Insights can help you identify who the most active contributors are on a given project or repository, which can help you find the right person to reach out to via the channels above.

I have a request or concern I want to raise with the LFN Governing Board. Who should I contact?

The LFN Governing Board Member Committers Representative (LGBMCR) is the elected voice of the LFN committer and contributor community at the Governing Board level. The LGBMCR attends all Governing Board meetings, gathers input from the committer community on issues raised at the board level, and communicates key board activities back to the community.

How to reach the LGBMCR:

The current LGBMCR can be reached via the LFN TAC mailing list at lfntac@lists.lfnetworking.org, or via Zulip.

Want to run for the role yourself?

The LGBMCR is elected annually. Any active committer to any LFN project is eligible to run, provided they are from a different project than the currently serving LGBMCR. Any active contributor who has made a code contribution to any LFN project in the past 12 months is eligible to vote. Elections are announced via all project TSC and technical-discuss mailing lists. Re-election to a consecutive term is not permitted.

More information on the role and election process can be found on the LGBMCR page.

Does LFN have internship or mentorship programs?

Yes! The LFN Mentorship Program is a structured hands-on learning opportunity for new developers who want to gain exposure to open source networking technologies while working alongside experienced community mentors.

For prospective mentees:

Mentorship projects are proposed by LFN project communities and hosted on the LFX Mentorship platform. Applications are submitted through LFX during open application periods.

For prospective mentors or projects wanting to participate:

If you are interested in proposing a mentorship project for your LFN project, reach out to support@lfnetworking.org or review the LFN Mentorship Program page for guidance.

How do I report a security vulnerability in an LFN project?

There is no single LFN-wide vulnerability reporting process -- each project maintains its own security policy and reporting procedures. The authoritative source for how to report a vulnerability is each project's own documentation, typically found in a SECURITY.md file in the project's repository or on the project's wiki.

Where to look:

  • Check the project's GitHub repository for a SECURITY.md file

  • Check the project's wiki security or governance pages

  • Refer to the LFN Vulnerability Reporting page for links to per-project security policies

LFX Security also provides automated vulnerability scanning for LFN projects. You can view security dashboards for LFN projects at https://security.lfx.linuxfoundation.org.

If you are unsure where to report a vulnerability or cannot find a project's security policy, contact support@lfnetworking.org and the LFN PM team will route your report appropriately.

Community & Ecosystem

Where can I meet LFN community members in person? Is there a list of events?

LFN and its projects participate in a number of events throughout the year, ranging from large industry conferences to project-specific developer forums.

LFN Events:

The primary source for LFN-affiliated events is the LFN Events page at lfnetworking.org. This includes:

  • ONE Summit (Open Networking & Edge Summit) -- the flagship annual LFN event, bringing together contributors, end users, and industry leaders across all LFN projects

  • LFN Developer & Testing Forums -- focused technical working sessions for LFN project communities

  • Co-located events -- LFN projects often participate in events such as KubeCon + CloudNativeCon, including the co-located Cloud Native Telco Day

Project-specific events:

Individual LFN projects may also host their own community days, workshops, or regional meetups. Check each project's wiki or mailing lists for announcements.

Linux Foundation events calendar:

The broader Linux Foundation events calendar can be found at https://events.linuxfoundation.org.

Where can I find recent publications, blog posts, webinars, and white papers from LFN?

LFN publishes a range of content across several channels:

On the LFN website (lfnetworking.org):

  • Blog -- project updates, community news, and technical articles

  • Publications -- whitepapers, webinar recordings, research reports, and annual reports

  • White Papers -- in-depth technical and industry resources

  • Press Releases -- official LFN announcements

  • User Stories -- case studies from organizations deploying LFN project technology

Per-project content:

Individual LFN projects publish their own technical blogs, release notes, and webinar recordings. Check each project's wiki or website for project-specific content.

Want to contribute content?

If you have a blog post, webinar, or publication idea related to your LFN project work, reach out to marketing@lfnetworking.org.

Organization Onboarding

For questions about joining LFN as a Member, accessing the MyOrg Dashboard, tracking your organization's contributions, participating in governance, and more, please see the dedicated Organization Onboarding Guide.