OSF DCE SIG C. Grey (OSF) Request For Comments: 56.0 January 1994 INTEROPERABILITY PARTNERS PROGRAM -- OVERVIEW 1. INTRODUCTION This document presents an overview of the DCE Interoperability Partners Program. This is a combined testing and promotions program that both vendors and users have requested since last year's IFEST and Challenge '93 successes. Because the Distributed Computing Environment (DCE) is now available on a variety of platforms, architectures, and transport protocols, end users have broad freedom of choice, which poses a risk to the interoperability between the systems installed in their networks. To reduce this risk and build user confidence, OSF is announcing the DCE Interoperability Partners Program. The Interoperability Partners Program is a combined certification and promotions program that clearly separates the vendors who have completed stringent testing activities from those who make unfounded claims. The certification process will raise the quality of DCE- based products and resolve interoperability issues before customers install DCE-based systems in their sites. Users will then be able to place a high degree of trust in the certified products they specify and purchase from DCE Interoperability Partners. The program will also create a large base of DCE interoperable systems, thereby increasing the market for distributed applications. 2. PARTNERSHIP PROCESS The first phase of the program is Conformance Testing where participants will validate their implementations' conformance to the DCE specifications. This conformance testing will be performed using the Validation Test Suite (VTS) on the vendor's own premises. The second phase is Interoperability Testing. During this phase, participants will execute system tests in various pair configurations. This occurs in IFEST, OSF's interoperability testing event which will be held on two dates in 1994. The first event, April 11-22, 1994, will be a forum for certifying secure core implementations. A second IFEST will take place in 2H94. Distributed File Service (DFS) and Global Directory Service (GDS) implementations may be certified with the secure core at that time. Grey Page 1 DCE-RFC 56.0 Interoperability Partners Program January 1994 3. PROMOTIONS OSF will place significant focus on promoting DCE Interoperability Partners and their DCE certified products. Upon successful completion of the process, OSF will award vendors a certification seal for use in their promotional activities. Initially, the seal will be awarded for secure core clients and servers (see definitions in Appendix). DFS and GDS will receive separate seals based on the completion of their respective certification requirements. OSF will promote DCE certified products in the DCE Product Catalog, targeted end user mailings, trade events, and other OSF activities. OSF will also align the program promotions with four Interop tradeshows, which are expected to attract over 250,000 attendees combined. The dates for these events are: (a) Las Vegas, May 2-6. (b) Berlin, June 6-10. (c) Japan, July 25-29. (d) Paris, October 25-28. OSF requests advance commitment from Interoperability Partners to participate in at least two promotional events. 4. COSTS (a) Partnership Fee: (i) Initial fee per vendor -- $50K.[1] This fee includes: [a] Certification of one platform. [b] I-FEST participation for one platform. [c] The Validation Test Suite (VTS). [d] Use of seals. __________ 1. A credit of $20K will be given to participants who have already licensed the VTS. Grey Page 2 DCE-RFC 56.0 Interoperability Partners Program January 1994 [e] Highlights in DCE Product Catalog. [f] Partner promotions in trade and OSF events. [g] Visibility in OSF member communications (speaking engagements, bulletins, Open Line, briefings, etc.). (ii) Recurring (Annual) Partnership renewal fee -- $10K. (b) Certification of each additional platform (as above) -- $10K. (c) Fees for non-certifying platforms: (i) I-FEST per platform -- $3.5K. (ii) I-LAB per week per platform -- $3.5K. 5. BECOMING A PARTNER OSF will distribute registration kits to members of the Interoperability Workgroup by February 3, 1994. Any other interested parties should contact OSF (see below). Vendors who wish to join the program must: (a) Submit a completed registration kit with purchase orders covering the appropriate fees. (b) Test conformance with the VTS on their own premises. (c) Participate in an I-FEST with the registered system. (i) Send a secure core implementation. (ii) Send qualified engineer and hardware. (iii) Execute system tests in required configurations. (d) Test applications with that system. Certified systems must be announced for general availability within a 12-month period that starts when the system is certified. End users and ISVs who would like more information on specifying DCE in customer networks and on promoting DCE applications may contact Courtney Grey 617-621-8870 (grey@osf.org) or Ray Mazzaferro 617-621- 8869 (ram@osf.org). Grey Page 3 DCE-RFC 56.0 Interoperability Partners Program January 1994 APPENDIX A. TESTING ENVIRONMENTS As part of the Interoperability Testing phase of program, vendors will participate in I-FEST, a large-scale multi-vendor environment that allows engineers to work closely with one another to solve interoperability issues on a real-time interactive basis. Vendors execute OSF designated tests in specified configurations and the resulting environment resembles an end user scenario. Participants must participate in I-FEST annually to maintain partnership status and to participate in formal program promotions. ILAB is an additional interoperability testing facility available on a year-round basis. It is designed to assist vendors with portability and interoperability testing issues and to prepare for participation in I-FEST. APPENDIX B. I-FEST SPECIFICS I-FEST 94 will be held at the OSF facility in Cambridge from April 11-22, 1994. The I-FEST registration kit will be distributed separately from this document. It will contain multiple documents and a summary guide explaining how to access pertinent information quickly. It is important that each recipient distribute the documents to the individuals (engineering and marketing management) who will be working on the certification and promotion of their DCE systems. The tests used at I-FEST will be based on the system tests on the DCE 1.0.3 source tape. These tests are robust. They have been ported to SVR4 systems and can be run in parallel: (a) Secure Core testing -- `dcerpbnk', `dcesergy', `dcetnsyn', `rpc.cds.3'. (b) DFS testing -- `dfs.read_write_all.main'. (c) GDS testing -- `dcegdshd'. Participants will run these tests in pairs (client and server, if applicable) against the following systems: (a) 1.0.1 reference platform. (b) 1.0.2 reference platform. (c) 1.0.3 reference platform. (d) A system of a different Endian type. Grey Page 4 DCE-RFC 56.0 Interoperability Partners Program January 1994 (e) Two other systems of your choice. (f) Systems tested above should cover PC/desktop, workstations, and mainframes. These tests will be run in single large cell, multi cell environment, or both. Once the minimal testing requirements have been met, split server and replicated server testing can be performed by those interested. OSF expects each company to send a fully qualified and self- supporting engineer to OSF during the I-FEST period. This engineer should be present at all times during the hours of the event, and be experienced in debugging and analyzing all areas of their system. The engineer should have the ability to modify and rebuild DCE code and should have experience with all the tests that are on the DCE source tape, especially those that will be run during I-FEST. APPENDIX C. PACKAGING DEFINITIONS C.1. Secure Core The configuration that will be certified is secure core that consists of the minimum set of services necessary to operate in a cell. This provides consistency for the user who will not have to make distinctions between basic DCE-ready systems. Within secure core, clients and servers will be tested separately. The secure core services are: (a) Remote Procedure Call (b) Security (c) Cell Directory Service (d) Distributed Time Service (e) Threads C.2. DFS DFS is an application layered on top of the DCE secure core and makes use of all its services. It is an optional component that some vendors may elect to deploy on their DCE infrastructures. For this reason, DFS will be certified as a separate component. The testing process will include DFS performing on a DCE network. Grey Page 5 DCE-RFC 56.0 Interoperability Partners Program January 1994 C.3. GDS The Global Directory Services provides for inter-cell access and is considered an optional service and will be certified as a separate component. In the testing process, vendors will execute the GDS functionality in a certified DCE network. The objective is to make the X.500 implementations protocol compliant and interoperable on DCE implementations in a multi-cell configuration. APPENDIX D. OPTIONAL PROMOTIONAL EVENTS As always, OSF will promote DCE as much as possible in key industry events. Certification will not be a requirement for participation, but there will be significant focus on promoting certified systems. Furthermore, certified systems will take priority over non-certified systems in booth space allocations. These additional events include: (a) Nikkei Show Tokyo,2 /22-24. (b) Uniforum, 3/23-25. (c) Developers' mini-Conf, 4/18. (d) Members' Meeting, 5/24-26. (e) DCE Developers' Conf., 6/14-16. (f) SuperSIG, 10/31-11/4. Consult the 1994 Promotional Events Plan for further detail. AUTHOR'S ADDRESS Courtney Grey Internet email: grey@osf.org Open Software Foundation Telephone: +1-617-621-8870 11 Cambridge Center Cambridge, MA 02142 USA Grey Page 6