Since the Linux development model and the monolithic structure of the kernel encourages branching there are hundreds of patches for the kernel not maintained by the core developers. This list contains only a few of them, which I found interesting and which are still developed by their authors.

Networking thingies

IPv6 patches from the USAGI project

From their project goal page:

Current hacking items of kernel and glibc are
* Catching up RFC2292, RFC2292bis APIs,
* Catching up RFC2553, RFC2553bis APIs,
* Implementing ICMPv6 NI Queries,
* Improving buggy NDP stack,
* Improving sit tunnel device,
* Implement extension header functions,
* Implement IPv6 multicast routing,
* Improving SNMP statistics and
* many bug fixes.

IPsec for Linux (FreeSWAN)

The FreeSWAN project has implemented an almost complete IPsec (encryption on IP Layer) stack for Linux.

Linux WaveLAN/IEEE 802.11 driver

Although there are 2 WaveLAN drivers in the standard kernel, only this unofficial driver will work with the cardmanager daemon.

File Systems

ReiserFS: ReiserFS is an ingenious application of binary trees in UNIX Filesystems. Zero fragmentation and fast. Does journalling, i.e. no more unclean filesystems at bootup.
RubberhoseFS: This is an implementation of Julian Assange's Marutukku FS. Data is not only encrypted, but also hidden in large amounts of randomness. It's possible to have several filesystems on the same partition which are only visible/accessable with the correct keys.
Encrypted Loopback Device: The International Kernel Patches contain a library of encryption algorithms and patches to provide an encrypted loopback device which you can use as a raw device for filesystems or swap.
TCFS: TCFS is an in-kernel implementation of an encrypted FS. It works transparently with Ext2FS, it uses an attrib to mark encrypted files.
PPDD: Another encrypting loopback device.
The StegFS: This FS hides data inside an existing Ext2FS so that it can only be found when mounted with the correct key.
Extended Filesystem 3: The successor of Ext2 features journalling, among other things.
OpenAFS: This is the original CMU/TransARC/IBM Andrew File System implementation. AFS is a scalable distributed file system (as opposed to NFS which is a nuisance).
Arla: Arla is an independent free implementation of AFS.

Security Thingies

Secure Linux: This is the NSA's own approach to secure Linux. Mainly Mandatory Access Control.
OpenWall Patches: The OpenWall patches try to fix a few by-default security problems with the Linux kernel. It also tries to make bufferoverflows harder to exploit.
Access Control Lists: There's a file linux/fs/ext2/acl.c which for the last six or so years did nothing. This patch changes that.
Role Based Access Control: Provides not only very paranoid Orange-Book-type access controls but also tools to configure them.
LOMAC: Low Water-Mark Integrity Protection: A small kernel module that implements lightweight mandatory access control.
W&M University DTE: Implements Domain Type Enforcement, an extension of mandatory access controls.
Virtual Execution Environment: Tries to implement something like the FreeBSD jail(8), a kind of confined environment for untrusted programs, in Linux.
Subdomain: Another Domain Type Enforcement patch, more along the lines of confining single processes like jail.

Clustering

MOSIX: Mosix does transparent adaptive clustering for reliablility and load balancing.

Other thingies

User Space Linux: Extremly cool! Run Linux inside Linux as a user-space program. Solves a lot of problems, like kernel debugging, program confinement, etc.
Kernel Debugger: What the BSDs had for a long time, now for Linux.

Last Update: 2001/08/01 12:51:18
Revision: 1.9