Using Linux in Safety-critical Environments: Update on the SIL2LinuxMP Project

Today‘s requirements of automated and even autonomous control systems include the use of preexisting software components, since their de novo development would no longer be possible, even if sufficient resources were available. The only way to certify such systems for deployment in safety-critical environments, thus, is to introduce available, but rarely used and not well established certification rules such as the 3S rule as described in the 2nd edition of IEC 61508. The latter exactly is the goal of the OSADL SIL2LinuxMP project that brought together a number of international safety experts to define processes, tools and mechanisms to allow for certification at safety integrity level 2 of preexisting software components. This presentation provides an update of the current status of this project.