[Hwcert-announce-list] Introducing Component Pass-Through Certification: Red Hat Hardware Certification Policy Guide and User Guide Updated

[Engineering Partner Management]

Greetings Red Hat Partners,

We are pleased to announce the availability of an updated Red Hat 
Hardware Certification Policy Guide (version 6.0-2.0-5) and an updated 
Red Hat Hardware Certification Users Guide (version 1.2) for official 
hardware certification purposes with Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5 and 6.

Please note that the updated Red Hat Hardware Certification Policy Guide 
(6.0-2.0-5) is an official update to the policy guide and supersedes all 
previous policy guides. The updated policy guide will be applied to new 
hardware certifications starting with this announcement. Existing, 
in-progress certification requests will be covered by the policy guide 
that was in force at the time of their creation.

These updates introduce a new feature called Component Pass-Through 
Certification to the Red Hat Hardware Certification Program. Component 
Pass-Through Certification allows component vendors to certify their 
devices and share their certifications with system vendors who resell 
the same card or use it in their systems. This allows an enhanced level 
of testing as the component is tested by the vendor who makes it, and 
encourages system vendors to use already certified components, reducing 
the amount of certification testing that must be performed by the system 
vendor as they can leverage the certification performed by the component 
vendor.


The component pass-through feature is currently limited to standard PCIe 
storage and network devices. We look forward to expanding it to other 
form factors and devices in the future.

Please contact your assigned Red Hat Engineering Partner Manager if you 
would like to learn more about Component Pass-Through Certification.


The updated Red Hat Hardware Certification Policy Guide is  available at 
the following locations:

https://hardware.redhat.com/doc

https://access.redhat.com/site/documentation/en-US/Red_Hat_Enterprise_Linux_Hardware_Certification/1/html-single/Program_Policy_Guide/index.html

The updated Red Hat Hardware Certification User Guide is available at 
the following location:

https://access.redhat.com/site/documentation/en-US/Red_Hat_Enterprise_Linux_Hardware_Certification/1/html-single/Test_Suite_User_Guide/index.html


Highlights of the Hardware Certification Policy and User Guide Updates 
include:

* Component pass-through certification policies are added.

* User guide is now posted with the other Red Hat Hardware 
Certification documentation on the Red Hat Customer Portal. The previous 
user guide available at https://fedorahosted.org/v7/wiki/HwCertHowTo has 
been deprecated.

* 'Config-to-Order Options' and 'After-Market Options' are now referred 
  to as 'Optional Hardware' and 'Additional Hardware', respectively.

* RHEL6-only WirelessG, WirelessN, 100MegEthernet, 1GigEthernet, 
10GigEthernet, USB1, and USB2 tests now added to Class Requirements matrix.

* iSCSI policy updated to allow for either hardware or software initiator.

* Other minor bug/typo fixes outlined in the change log below.


If you encounter any problems or have any comments regarding the Red Hat 
Hardware Certification Policy Guide or Users Guide, please file bugs 
against the 'Red Hat Hardware Certification Program' product in Red Hat 
  Bugzilla (https://bugzilla.redhat.com).


Red Hat Hardware Certification Policy Guide change log:

  - Add component pass-through certification details
  - Clarify certifications are held private until Red Hat product GA
  - Update submission to note changes will be communicated via email
  - Add Ethernet as a separate class in requirements chart
  - Clarify SATA controllers are to be tested in SATA native mode
  - Add RHEL 6-only Ethernet tests
  - Add RHEL 6-only wirelessX test
  - Add RHEL 6-only USB2 and USB3 tests
  - Add Realtime test
  - Add RHELOSP Compute Node optional certification
  - Change Config-to-order Options to Optional Hardware
  - Change Aftermarket Options to Additional Hardware
  - Correct RHEL product limits link
  - Clarify that RHEL certification is required before MRG certification
  - Update catalog screenshots for catalog changes


Red Hat Hardware Certification User Guide change log:

  - Add component pass-through certification details
  - Add explanation for the new Hardware Specification entries
  - Add new RHEL 6-only network tests
  - Add new RHEL 6-only USB tests
  - Simplify "locally hosted pre-built guest" section
  - Update for new 'hwcert-client' and 'hwcert-server' packages
  - How-To Wiki ported to Red Hat Customer Portal documentation


We value your ongoing participation in the Red Hat Enterprise Linux 
Hardware Certification efforts. Thank you for your continued 
partnership. If you have any questions or comments, please do not 
hesitate to contact your Partner Manager or Technical Account Manager.

Regards,

The Red Hat Hardware Certification Team