Outreachy/Apply

Applying for OPW

Thank you for your interest in the Xen Project internships! Please read the following thoroughly.

Also, make sure you:

• Join the xen-devel mailing list. Depending on the project you choose, you may also need to join xen-api or cl-mirage (do check the information in the project).
• Join the #opw IRC channel on irc.gnome.org
• Join the #xen-opw IRC channel on freenode.net
• IMPORTANT: for the final application, follow the instructions under How to Apply

Do you qualify?

We want interns to make sure they qualify for the OPW internship. Read this page for more information.

The TLDR version of the requirements are that OPW interns:

• should be over 18,
• should be able to work full-time (40 hours per week) from December 9, 2014 to March 9, 2015,
• should be an individual who qualifies for OPW or Ascend (someone from an underrepresented group) and
• should not have participated in OPW or Google Summer of Code before.

Additionally, we highly recommend that applicants have a stable internet connection, with no download caps. Communication over IRC can be difficult if your internet connection keeps dropping or has a big lag time, so you need a stable internet connection. Downloading Xen and a Linux kernel will use over 5 GB of data, which will easily blow through a standard 3G capped plan. We recommend making sure you have cable internet, or an unlimited 3G plan.

If possible, we would like interns to present on their projects at the Xen project Developer Summit (in August). You will get a $500 travel stipend to attend. Linux and Xen Project conferences are a lot of fun, because you get to meet professional Linux developers, and there's a lot of opportunity for networking and job hunting.

How to apply

The OPW Xen Project's application process is a little different than what is outlined in the OPW pages. Here's what we need you to do:

1. Look over the list of projects at for Round 9 of the Outreach Program
2. Find a project there that interests you, and email the mentor. Introduce yourself, let the mentor know why you think that project would be a good fit for you, and ask the mentor any questions about the project.
3. Ask your prospective mentor on xen-devel for a bite size bug or work item. This can be reviewing somebodies code, submitting a patch, or similar and will need to be done by March 18th 2014.
4. IMPORTANT: Fill out your initial application, which is shown under the Send in an Application section. Email your application to opw-list@gnome.org, in PDF or libreoffice format (it must be sent to opw-list@gnome.org with a subject line of [APPLICATION - Xen Project] Your Name. If you send it as a Google doc link, you may update your application until the submission deadline. At that point, a read-only copy of your application will be saved.

Application tips

Here's some tips for how to answer various questions on the OPW application.

Mentors and Projects

Who is a possible mentor for the project you are most interested in?

Please review the list of projects. Pick the project that you're most passionate about (or two projects) and put those mentors names on the first question. Contact them through xen-devel (or other lists) and CC the mentor directly.

Describe Your Experience

Please describe your experience with the organization's product as a user and as a contributor (include the information about the contribution you made to the project you are interested in here).

Please include some information about yourself, such as:

• Do you run Linux or one of the BSDs on your personal computers?
• Have you used Xen before?
• Have you played with Linux/BSD or Xen at university labs or other places?
• What Linux distros do you use?
• Have you ever compiled a custom kernel or Xen?
• Have you ever made a change to a kernel driver or another low level component?
• Have you ever contributed a patch to mainline Xen, the Linux or BSD kernel? If so, please provide links to the patches, and indicate whether they were accepted.
• Do you have C or C++ experience?
• Have you taken operating systems or computer architecture classes before?
• Do you have experience with the command line?
• Have you compiled a project before?

If you have ever Xen, Linux or BSD patches accepted, please provide a link to the respective changeset in the source tree. You can search the log for your patch subject in the mailing list or in most source code repositories.

Your timeline

Please describe the details and the timeline of the work you plan to accomplish on the project you are most interested in. Discuss these first with the mentor of the project.

You do not need to provide a detailed timeline. Instead, describe why you're passionate about that particular Xen project, and what you hope to learn from that project.

Including this optional information will strengthen your application, and increase the chances of getting accepted.

Application Deadlines

MAKE SURE YOU SUBMIT YOUR APPLICATION BY OCTOBER 22nd, 2014.

You will have the opportunity to update your application with your small contribution until October 22nd, 2014.

Still have questions?

Contact lars dot kurth at xenproject dot org and russell dor pavlicek at xenproject dot org, or email the xen-devel mailing list. Make sure you are subscribed to that mailing list.