Outreachy/Apply

Applying for Outreachy

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 Outreachy internship. Read this page for more information.

The TLDR version of the requirements are that Outreachy interns:

• should be over 18,
• should be able to work full-time (40 hours per week) during the internship period. As per www.gnome.org/outreachy, please do not apply if you will be in school full-time or will have another full-time job during most of the internship period.
• should be an individual who qualifies for Outreachy (e.g., someone from an underrepresented group) and
• should not have participated in Outreachy, 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 the Xen Project software 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.

How to Apply

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

1. Look over the list of projects at Outreachy projects
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.
4. IMPORTANT: Fill out your initial application, which is shown under the Submit an Application section. Follow the link on the page to the application system. You must provide the information in our application template as part of the application.

Application tips

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

What project(s) are you interested in

You should answer questions 3.x from our application template in this section. It would help us, if you could use the original numbers and questions from our template.

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). It would help us, if you could use the original numbers and questions from our template.

You should answer questions 1.5 - 2.4 and 5.x from our application template in this section.

Other, additional question which can be answered here include:

• Do you run Linux or one of the BSDs on your personal computers?
• Have you used the Xen Project Hypervisor before?
• Have you played with Linux/BSD or the Xen Project Hypervisor at university labs or other places?
• What Linux distributions do you use?
• Have you ever compiled a custom kernel or the Xen Project Hypervisor?
• Have you ever made a change to a kernel driver or another low level component?
• Have you ever contributed a patch to mainline Xen Project, 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.

Please answer question 4.x from our application template in this section. It would help us, if you could use the original numbers and questions from our template.

Application Deadlines

MAKE SURE YOU SUBMIT YOUR APPLICATION BY THE APPLICATION DEADLINE SHOWN ON THE OUTREACHY WEBSITE.

You may have the opportunity to update your application with your small contribution until after the application deadline. Please check with your mentor.

Still have questions?

Contact community dot manager at xenproject dot org, or email the xen-devel mailing list. Make sure you are subscribed to that mailing list.