KCNA course outline - Kubernetes and Cloud Native Associate (KCNA) Updated: 2024

The Linux Foundation announced that it created three new training courses on the edX platform, which cover Linux, Git, and other open source development tools. 

The courses can be taken individually or combined to earn a Professional Certificate in Open Source Software Development, Linux and Git.

Open Source Software Development: Linux for Developers (LFD107x) covers concepts that are crucial in developing open-source software, as well as how to work productively in a Linux environment. Students will learn about Linux systems, including key concepts like installation, desktop environments, text editors, important commands and utilities, command shells and scripts, filesystems, and compiling software.

The second course, Linux Tools for Software Development (LFD108x) goes over the tools that one would use on everyday work in Linux development. It is intended for developers that are experienced with working on any operating system that want to learn the basics of open-source development. 

The final course, Git for Distributed Software Development (LFD109x), offers an introduction to Git and it will prepare participants to use Git to create new repositories or to clone existing ones, commit new changes, review revision histories, and more. 

To earn the professional certificate, participants must enroll in the program, complete all three courses, and pay a Verified certificate fee of $149 per course. 

At Manchester we offer integrated foundation programmes on campus for courses in science and engineering and at nearby Xaverian College for biological sciences.

We also work with our foundation partner INTO Manchester to provide pathways guaranteeing an offer or interview to study at the University. 

Which nationalities need to do a foundation course

Students who have studied in a country with fewer than 13 years of school, and have not taken A-levels or the International Baccalaureate Diploma, may need to complete a foundation course before they enrol for a UK university degree.

If you are from one of the following countries, it is likely you will need to complete a foundation course before starting undergraduate study:

• Bahrain
• Bangladesh
• Botswana
• Brazil
• China
• Egypt
• Indonesia
• Iran
• Japan
• Jordan
• Kenya
• Korea
• Kuwait
• Latin America (including Mexico)
• Nigeria
• Oman
• Pakistan
• Peru
• Qatar
• Russia
• Saudi Arabia
• Syria
• Taiwan
• Thailand
• Turkey
• United Arab Emirates
• Vietnam

The Linux Foundation, Cloud Native Computing Foundation (CNCF), and Ethical Intelligence have all partnered up to create a free online course on ethics in open-source development. 

It is designed for developers looking to apply ethics to their coding practice, and for product managers looking to incorporate ethics-by-design technology into their workflows. 

According to the Linux Foundation, developers aren’t always thinking through how a piece of code could be used by a bad actor or how an algorithm might affect different classes of people.  

They explained that this is why it is important to include ethical principles like transparency and accessibility in open source. 

After this course, students should be able to assess technology for ethical blind spots, apply ethical critical thinking techniques, understand the Ethics Journey Cycle in open-source development, and utilize ethics as a decision-making tool for risk mitigation. They will also be prepared for roles like a Responsible Technologist or Ethics Developer Lead. 

The course includes two to three hours of material, including videos and quizzes. It was developed by Olivia Gambelin, CEO of Ethical Intelligence; Rahaf Albalkhi, member of the IEEE P7003-Algorithmic bias considerations working group; Dr. Michael Klenk, former management consultant; and Rand Hirmiz philosophy Ph.D candidate at York University who is specializing in the ethics of AI in healthcare. 

Registration for the course is now open. 

Who can take Linux training?

This is a list of GNU/Linux distributions designed to run on smartphones. While many support phones designed to run a mainline Linux kernel including the PinePhone and Librem 5, there are others that are able to run on phones that originally shipped with Android thanks to tools like Halium that allow them to use Linux kernels provided by makers of those Android phones.

Keep in mind that many of the operating systems listed below operating systems are a work in progress and may not be as stable or speedy as Android, may not support all of a phone’s hardware, and may not be able to run as many mobile-friendly applications. But most have at least a working web browser, which enables you to run web applications. Some allow you to run Android apps in a container thanks to tools like Anbox. And many will let you run desktop Linux applications, even if they don’t scale well to phone-sized screens. If you connect a keyboard, mouse, and display, you can even use your phone as a tiny desktop computer.

Another thing to note is that Linux isn’t the only option if you’re looking for a free and open source, privacy-focused operating system for your phone. Some other options are listed below the Mobile Linux comparison table.

These are some other open source operating systems that aren’t necessarily GNU/Linux distributions. Some are basically forks of Google Android that are based on Android Open Source Project code, but stripped of proprietary Google apps and services in order to focus on free software and/or offer a more privacy-focused experience. Others are

Other open source smartphone operating systems (not necessarily Linux)

• Genode is a free and open source operating system framework that uses its own microkernel designed to run on x86, ARM, or RISC-V hardware. While Genode itself isn’t an OS, it’s the technology behind operating systems like Sculpt OS, and the developers behind Genode have announced plans to port the framework and a version of Sculpt OS to run on the PinePhone in 2021.
• Potabi is an upcoming mobile and desktop operating system that will use a FreeBSD kernel. It’s expected to use the Lomiri user interface on mobile devices, but development is still in the planning stages. Developer Fivnex plans to sell its own hardware with Potabi pre-installed.
• Google-free Android
  • /e/ is a version of Android that’s been stripped of all proprietary Google apps and services. Designed to emphasize user control and privacy, the operating system still looks and works like Android, but it uses non-Google app stores and services to enable most Android apps to run in a way that respects user privacy. /e/ can be installed as a replacement for the software that ships on many Android phones, but you can also buy some phones that come with the operating system pre-installed.
  • Replicant is an open source Android distribution designed to rely as much as possible on free software including the bootloader. While most phones have proprietary modem firmware, Replicant’s developers also recommend using the software on devices that can isolate the modem from the rest of the system. As a result, only a handful of older phones and tablets are officially supported.
  • GrapheneOS is an open source Android fork designed to emphasize privacy and security. Not only does it ship without Google services, but its developers focus on improving the security of the web browser, app permissions, sandboxing, and more. GrapheneOS officially supports Google Pixel 3 and later smartphones and you can find installation instructions at the GrapheneOS website.
  • There are also dozens of other custom ROMs based on Google Android, many of which are open source projects in their own right. LineageOS is probably the most well known, but you can find other popular options at the xda-developers website.

Last week, Microsoft and the Linux Foundation sent a joint open letter to the American Law Institute to protest the group's draft Principles of the Law of Software Contracts. The ALI, a nonprofit group whose stated purpose is "to promote the clarification and simplification of the law and its better adaptation to social needs," published the draft last August as part of an effort to deliver judges clearer guidelines for interpreting software licensing agreements.

The ALI is proposing that two new "non-disclaimable" warranties be added to best practice guidelines for software licensing. One warranty would make software developers liable for infringing on patents and copyrights, while the other would make contributors to open-source software liable for material defects in the software. The law currently allows contributors and licensors of open source to avoid liability by offering their wares on an "as-is" basis.

The GPL and many other free software licenses expressly state that the authors have no liability pertaining to the functioning--or non-functioning--of the software, said John Locke, principal consultant at Freelock Computing, a Seattle-based open-source consultancy.

"Legislation that imposes a burden of providing a warranty against defects would seem to go against the GPL, which would mean people couldn't use GPL software wherever this ALI principle was applied," Locke said.

The ALI's proposal would also take away commercial software vendors' ability to draw up End User License Agreements (EULAs) that distance themselves from any kind of warranty that their software is bug-free, Locke added.

In a Sunday post to the Microsoft On The Issues blog, Horacio Gutierrez, corporate vice president and deputy general counsel of Intellectual Property and Licensing, said certain provisions of the ALI's proposal "do not reflect existing law and could disrupt the well-functioning software market for businesses and consumers, as well as create uncertainty for software developers."

Jim Zemlin, executive director of the Linux Foundation, noted that the issue is one area in which the open-source community and Microsoft see eye to eye.

"The principles outlined by the ALI interfere with the natural operation of open-source licenses and commercial licenses as well by creating implied warranties that could result in a tremendous amount of unnecessary litigation, which would undermine the sharing of technology," Zemlin said in a Monday blog post.

• The LF Connectivity project umbrella, which addresses connectivity challenges for enhanced and emerging access technologies expands with 2 new projects
• Meta contributes ISP Toolbox to LFC, a set of business, network and marketing tools to empower ISP deployments
• LFC now is home of Magma Project, enabling synergies across packet core and connectivity solutions

SAN FRANCISCO, Dec. 19, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- LF Connectivity (LFC), a Linux Foundation open source project focused on advancing technologies to accelerate emerging network and connectivity applications, today announced Magma and ISP Toolbox have become LFC sub-projects.

Magma is an open-source software platform that gives network operators an open, flexible and extendable mobile core network solution and current Linux Foundation project. ISP Toolbox helps to empower ISP operators with products, tools, and resources to better run their business and connect more people to faster Internet.

"With 5G becoming more pervasive and NextG on the horizon, bandwidth and latency requirements will be higher than ever, with more applications leveraging augmented reality and immersive experiences that need to traverse networks," said Arpit Joshipura, general manager, Networking, Edge, IoT, the Linux Foundation. "We are pleased to  welcome the addition of Magma and ISP Toolbox to the LF Connectivity portfolio, bringing even more new open source tools to more organizations across the globe."

Formed in collaboration with Meta in Spring 2023, LF Connectivity's vision is to create a robust and sustainable open ecosystem that will enable a wide range of communication service providers to leverage open source tools and technologies to help with the end-to-end performance and quality of experience (QoE) requirements of emerging applications.

MAGMA
Previously open sourced by Meta in 2019, Magma moved to the Linux Foundation in early 2021. Magma enables operators to build and augment modern and efficient mobile networks at scale. Magma features an access-agnostic mobile packet core, advanced network automation and management tools, and the ability to integrate with existing LTE networks with use cases across both virtual and container Network Functions (xNFs) including fixed wireless access, carrier Wi-Fi, private LTE and 5G, network expansion, and mobile broadband.

Since joining the Linux Foundation, Magma has successfully transitioned into a community-driven open source project with multiple open source releases and an evolving roadmap delivered. 

ISP Tool box
Internet Service Providers (ISP) play a critical role in closing the connectivity gap. ISP Toolbox helps to empower ISP operators with products, tools, and resources to better run their business and connect more people to faster Internet. Collaborating with network operators, equipment manufacturers, software developers, and other partners, ISP Toolbox introduces new initiatives and technologies that close the connectivity gap via free tools and resources to help ISPs grow their businesses and to help Boost connectivity. Specific tools provided include Business Network and Marketing Tools to empower ISP operators.

"Meta is pleased to contribute its ISP Toolbox to the Linux Foundation's open-source Connectivity project, which completes the portfolio alongside Terragraph, Open M-Plane, and Maveric technologies," said Shah Rahman, Engineering Director at Meta responsible for supporting open-source Connectivity projects. "By sharing these technologies with the community, we hope to further Boost global connectivity by enabling other companies and other institutions to participate and contribute to those projects."

ISP Toolbox and Magma join LFC's three initial sub-projects, initially contributed by Meta and developed in collaboration with industry partners:

• Terragraph is a wireless technology solution that helps internet service providers deliver gigabit speed last-mile access to subscriber homes, enterprises, and multi-dwelling buildings easily and cost-effectively.
• Open M-Plane is a software component of Meta's Evenstar hardware design for the configuration and management of the RAN. It is interoperable, hardware-independent, and aligned with O-RAN specifications to help enable mobile wireless connectivity by providing flexibility to operators looking to source hardware from different vendors as they deploy their own RAN solutions.
• Maveric enables the development and evaluation of cellular network optimization algorithms before their deployment on the network. It is a developer platform that leverages AI/ML approaches to provide realistic cellular network representations and examples that demonstrate its use.

Project governance and infrastructure are in the works, but please visit www.lfconnectivity.org for more information or view the kick-off webinar recording, "Introducing LF Connectivity."

To participate in LFC, please visit the website and fill in the form at the bottom of the homepage: https://lfconnectivity.dev/.

Resources

About The Linux Foundation
The Linux Foundation is the world's leading home for collaboration on open source software, hardware, standards, and data. Linux Foundation projects are critical to the world's infrastructure including Linux, Kubernetes, Node.js, ONAP, PyTorch, RISC-V, SPDX, OpenChain, and more. The Linux Foundation focuses on leveraging best practices and addressing the needs of contributors, users, and solution providers to create sustainable models for open collaboration. For more information, please visit us at linuxfoundation.org.

The Linux Foundation has registered trademarks and uses trademarks. For a list of trademarks of The Linux Foundation, please see its trademark usage page: www.linuxfoundation.org/trademark-usage. Linux is a registered trademark of Linus Torvalds.

Media Contact
Jill Lovato
The Linux Foundation
jlovato@linuxfoundation.org

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SOURCE The Linux Foundation