2025-11-17 Retirement and Handover of the os-net-config Project

Background

The os-net-config project was formally retired from OpenStack in April 2024 and is no longer under the governance of the OpenStack Technical Committee (TC).

Following the project’s retirement, concerns were raised regarding the continued use of the project’s name and PyPI entry under external maintenance without prior coordination with the OpenStack community. Users and operators depend on the integrity and transparency of the OpenStack release process to make informed decisions about the software upon which they build their infrastructure and business operations. Uncoordinated changes to project ownership, particularly for packages that retain OpenStack branding, risk undermining this trust by creating ambiguity about what software is—and what is not—subject to OpenStack’s governance, quality standards, and security response processes.

When projects transition out of OpenStack governance, clear communication and coordinated handover procedures are essential to maintain ecosystem integrity and protect users from confusion about a project’s provenance, maintenance status, and relationship to OpenStack’s coordinated release cycle.

Resolution

The external maintainers of os-net-config have subsequently taken steps to address these concerns by:

  • Removing OpenStack CI from the list of maintainers in relevant places

  • Correcting the declared Author of the package to reflect current ownership

The TC recognizes the logistical complexity involved in forcing a complete package name change on PyPI after the fact. Nevertheless, the TC emphasizes that the integrity of the OpenStack ecosystem depends on transparent and coordinated transitions when projects leave OpenStack governance.

Therefore, the OpenStack Technical Committee retroactively acknowledges and formalizes the effective handover of the os-net-config project and its corresponding PyPI package to its current external maintainers, while noting that future transitions should follow established community processes to avoid confusion and protect user trust.

The TC explicitly states it has no objection to the continued, independent use of the os-net-config PyPI package name by its new custodians, provided all documentation and metadata clearly reflect its status outside of OpenStack governance.

The TC mandates that all remaining OpenStack-controlled artifacts related to os-net-config be updated or corrected. Specifically, the external maintainers must publish a new release to PyPI that:

  • Removes references to the project’s former OpenStack documentation

  • Updates project URLs on the PyPI page to reflect current, non-OpenStack hosting locations

  • Clearly indicates in the package description that the project is no longer maintained under OpenStack governance

Expectations for Future Transitions

The TC reaffirms that any future projects transitioning out of OpenStack governance must follow coordinated handover procedures, including:

  • Clear communication with the TC and broader community via the OpenStack mailing list before changes to package ownership or branding

  • Explicit updates to all documentation, metadata, and artifact repositories to reflect the change in governance

  • Consideration of namespace changes where appropriate to avoid user confusion

These procedures exist to protect OpenStack’s users, who rely on the transparency and integrity of our release processes to sustain their operations.