Fosstrak - Frequently Asked Questions

General

  1. Is this a reference implementation of the EPC Network?
  2. Are there other open source projects incorporating the EPC Network standards?
  3. Where can I find more information about the EPC Network?
  4. Which components of the EPC Network have you implemented?
  5. How is the offering of Fosstrak different from the one of commercial software vendors in the RFID domain?
  6. Who is EPCglobal?
  7. Why is Fosstrak Software available under LGPL License?
  8. Do I have to publish any modifications and extension I make again as open source?
  9. Can I contribute to this project even, if I am not part of the Auto-ID Labs or EPCglobal?
  10. How is this Fosstrak project different from other rfid open source efforts?
  11. Why are you using Maven and how can I use it?

General

Is this a reference implementation of the EPC Network?
No, not at all.
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Are there other open source projects incorporating the EPC Network standards?
Yes, there are. There have been several attempts to release open source software in the RFID domain. A number of projects never ended up releasing any software though. Two very promising efforts are the LLRP Toolkit Project to which the Fosstrak team contributed the Java implementation and the Rifidi project.
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Where can I find more information about the EPC Network?
Check out the website of EPCglobal and in particular the architecture framework document. Or check out this paper we recently wrote on RFID system interfaces.
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Which components of the EPC Network have you implemented?
Have a look at the status page.
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How is the offering of Fosstrak different from the one of commercial software vendors in the RFID domain?
Fosstrak provides core software components only: we do not offer integration services or application development.
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Who is EPCglobal?
EPCglobal is a subscriber-driven organisation comprised of industry leaders and organisations focused on creating global standards for the EPCglobal Network.
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Why is Fosstrak Software available under LGPL License?
The LGPL License allows software vendors to bundle Fosstrak components in their applications and systems without the reciprocal open source requirement. And it provides all Fosstrak users the assurance that enhancements to the Fosstrak source code will continue to remain free and openly available. It means that the people that make changes and enhancements to the Fosstrak source code have the obligation to LGPL their changes back when they redistribute our code. Note that this is in contrast to a BSD or Apache-style license that allows for forking and creation of commercial projects.
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Do I have to publish any modifications and extension I make again as open source?
Have a look at the license or at the explanation of LGPL-style licences at Wikipedia.
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Can I contribute to this project even, if I am not part of the Auto-ID Labs or EPCglobal?
Yes. Fosstrak is an independent, community-driven open source project initiated by the Auto-ID Lab in Switzerland with contributions from the lab at the University of Cambridge. While initiated by the Auto-ID Lab at ETH Zurich/University St. Gallen and the Distributed Systems Group at ETH Zurich, it is open for participation by everyone.
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How is this Fosstrak project different from other rfid open source efforts?
The Fosstrak project has an active developer community with significant RFID middleware experience and insights into the RFID/EPC standardisation process. There is a strong focus on implementing the specifications developed by EPCglobal and its members and providing useful tools for these implementations.
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Why are you using Maven and how can I use it?
The Fosstrak project uses Maven for the build and project management. An introduction to running maven can be found here. There is also information available on the maven eclipse intregration.
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