BEAVERTON, Ore., October 12, 2011 — The Service Availability™ Forum (SA Forum), the organization developing, publishing, educating on and promoting open specifications for carrier-grade service availability, today announced it has released its latest specifications under the Artistic License 2.0, an open source license that allows for flexible and modular use of the specifications in product documentation.
Since its inception in 2001, the SA Forum has made its specifications available to the entire industry under the original SA Forum license. However, with the growing number of implementations, many users have found the original license restrictive as it requires users to reproduce the specifications in their entirety. The Artistic License 2.0 addresses this issue by enabling users to reproduce parts of the specification, rather than the whole. This feature enables users throughout the industry to more seamlessly integrate SA Forum applications.
“The SA Forum has created a robust set of specifications, and the organization has continued to evolve to meet the needs of a broad range of adopters,” said John Fryer, SA Forum President. “The new Artistic License helps pave the way for even wider adoption of SA Forum solutions.”
Artistic License 2.0 Features
Offers more flexible, modular use of the SA Forum specifications in product documentation and implementation
Enables users to take parts of the specifications and create new work from the material
Enables users to reproduce only relevant sections of the specs that are applicable to the documentation
Enables SA Forum specifications to be easily and effectively used and expanded without restriction under the new license
While the Artistic License 2.0 will simplify integration of SA Forum applications for all users, it is particularly beneficial for those working on open source implementations. For example, users of OpenSAF, a key implementation of SA Forum standards, plan to use the new specifications under the Artistic License 2.0 both as reference material and within their own documentation.
“As the largest implementation of SA Forum specifications, OpenSAF users will greatly benefit from the ability to leverage and expand the specifications without restriction under the new license,” said Monica Hatlen, OpenSAF President. “The SA Forum’s
Artistic License 2.0 offers more flexibility to open source developers utilizing the SA Forum specifications, while at the same time, providing copyright attribution to the SA Forum.”
Access to Specifications
The new specifications under the Artistic License 2.0 are now available on the SA Forum website. The Artistic License 2.0 still requires that users give copyright attribution to the SA Forum, but it allows for more flexible use of the specifications themselves. For those interested in the original license, the specifications will still be available under the original SA Forum license.
For more information about the SA Forum and the benefits of integrating SA Forum specifications, visit www.saforum.org.
About the Service Availability™ Forum
The Service Availability Forum is a consortium that develops, publishes, educates on and promotes open specifications for carrier-grade and mission-critical systems. SA Forum specifications enable COTS ecosystems for highly available platforms, streamline development and accelerate time to market. For more information, visit www.saforum.org.
