Open Systems LFTSP 1998 IS 6'1

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Open SystemsLFTSP 1998 IS 6.1

• Major Greg Phillips
• Royal Military College of Canada
• Electrical and Computer Engineering
• greg.phillips_at_rmc.ca
• 01-613-541-6000 ext. 6190

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The Parable of the House
84 volt, 300 Hz, 6 phase AC
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Whats an Open System?

• An open system is a collection of interacting
  software, hardware and human components
• designed to satisfy needs
• with interface specifications of its components
  that are
• fully defined
• available to the public
• maintained according to group consensus
• in which implementations of the components
  conform to the interface specifications

Whats the opposite of open system?
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Why Should You Care?

• In 1994, the US DoD was officially directed that
  an open systems approach would be used for the
  acquisition of electronics in all weapons systems
• DND closely tracks US acquisition standards as a
  matter of policy
• it enhances interoperability
• it makes good economic sense

DoD uses open systems to leverage commercial
products and practices in order to field superior
warfighting capability more quickly and more
affordably. http//www.acq.osd.mil/osjtf
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Open Systems Rationale
DEVELOP
DESIGN
Electronics Industry Systems Cycle Time is 1.5
to 2 Years
DND cannot afford a 15-year acquisition cycle
MARKET
Supporting technology is constantly evolving
DESIGN
Major DND Systems Cycle Time 8-15 Years
DEPLOY
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Whats an Open System?

• An open system is a collection of interacting
  software, hardware and human components
• designed to satisfy needs
• with interface specifications of its components
  that are
• fully defined
• available to the public
• maintained according to group consensus
• in which implementations of the components
  conform to the interface specifications

Standards.
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Some Standards

• office paper sizes and hole spacing
• automotive control layout
• power distribution systems voltage, current,
  phase, wire gauge, plug shapes
• QWERTY keyboard layout
• plumbing pipes and threading
• compact disks size, thickness, reflectivity,
  depth of reflective layer, track layout, pit
  spacing
• small arms calibre
• road signage sizes, heights, lettering, colours,
  symbols, reflectivity, separation
• light bulb socket shape, size and threading

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Role of Interface Standards
The circle represents the system
Standards- based specifications spell out
interfaces between components using standards
to describe form, fit, and function. How to is
left to the manufacturer.
Puzzle pieces are components
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Markets and Standards
Popular proprietary systems
Open Systems
Widely used

• many suppliers
• many customers
• long-life architectures
• technology upgrades

Market Acceptance
Consensus standards with no products
Narrowly used
Unique designs, optimised performance
No standards
Standards
Standards Base
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Categories of Standards

• Degree of accreditation
• created by official national or international
  standards bodies (CSA, ANSI, ISO) (de jure)
• tend to have 5-10 year cycle
• created by industry consortia or other
  quasi-official organizations (EIA, IEEE, IETF,
  OMG)
• tend to have 6-18 month cycle
• created by a single vendor (de facto)
• Goal
• product versus control versus interoperability

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Standards Gotchas

• choosing the wrong set
• choosing a different set from everyone else
• overlapping standards in the set
• vagueness in the standards
• The US experienced all of the above in their
  Technical Architecture for Information Management
  (TAFIM) which failed to produce interoperable
  systems.

The great thing about standards is that there
are so many to choose from Anonymous
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From Simple, Standard Parts
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Whats an Open System?

• An open system is a collection of interacting
  software, hardware and human components
• designed to satisfy needs
• with interface specifications of its components
  that are
• fully defined
• available to the public
• maintained according to group consensus
• in which implementations of the components
  conform to the interface specifications

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Conformance

• an action or behaviour in correspondence with the
  specifications documented in the standards
• open system standards are interface standards
  therefore both sides of the interface must
  conform or the system wont work
• best way of establishing conformance is through
  independent, third-party testing
• conformance doesnt guarantee interoperability
• conformance doesnt guarantee functionality or
  performance

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Benefits of Open Systems

• Reduced reliance on proprietary products
• More competition, leading to lower costs
• Better-tested products

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Open System Concerns

• failure to meet performance requirements,
  environmental requirements, and so on
• conformance and certification problems
• support problems
• continued investment
• need for a new management style

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Open System? Open Source!
www.opensource.org
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Whats an Open System?

• An open system is a collection of interacting
  software, hardware and human components
• designed to satisfy needs
• with interface specifications of its components
  that are
• fully defined
• available to the public
• maintained according to group consensus
• in which implementations of the components
  conform to the interface specifications

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Open SystemsLFTSP 1998 IS 6.1

• Major Greg Phillips
• Royal Military College of Canada
• Electrical and Computer Engineering
• greg.phillips_at_rmc.ca
• 01-613-541-6000 ext. 6190