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DII COE Expertise Available in DIS
Recognizing the need to increase the interoperability of mission applications for the warfighter while lowering their cost, the Department of Defense since 1996 has directed that all new Command, Control, Communication, Computer, and Intelligence (C4I) systems, and other systems that interface to C4I systems, be in compliance with the Joint Technical Architecture (JTA), which in turn mandates use of the Defense Information Infrastructure Common Operating Environment (DII COE).
What is the DII COE?
Administered by the Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA), the DII COE is a multifaceted framework for interoperability that encompasses
- guidelines for software construction, packaging, and behavior;
- guidelines for the operating environment;
- guidelines for the accompanying documentation;
- several compatible reference implementations of the operating environment for representative platforms, in the form of kernel and infrastructure support software;
- guidelines for the reuse and sharing of software and data;
- a respository of shareable software and data; and
- tools and procedures for registering, verifying, submitting, and certifying mission applications as being DII COE compliant.
Separately installable units of software and data are called segments in the DII COE environment. The DII COE guidelines for software packaging prescribe
- the kinds of segments;
- the segment directory structure, which depends on the segment kind;
- segment descriptor files, which convey the kind and other attributes of each segment, including information on the segment's dependence on other segments.
The DII COE reference implementation includes a segment installer that is common across all DII COE platforms. This component of the COE kernel provides the plug-and-play convenience that is one element of the interoperability goal for mission application segments. As the primary user of the information contained in segment descriptor files, the segment installer enforces segment dependencies.
Another important component of the COE kernel is the accounts and profiles manager (APM), which is used to administer certain operating system resources across a DII COE administrative domain on a local area network.
What DII COE expertise exists within DIS?
The process of developing an application with DII COE compliance in mind, or of reengineering an existing application to comply with DII COE, is called segmenting an application. The Decision and Information Sciences Division has gained extensive experience in this area by segmenting the Enhanced Logistics Intratheater Support Tool (ELIST), an existing mission application developed by DIS for the Military Traffic Management Command (MTMC) Transportation Engineering Agency (TEA). As a result of this experience, the division is intimately familiar with
- the available DII COE system documentation;
- the rules that must be satisfied for DII COE compliance;
- the required segment directory structure;
- the content and layout of descriptor files;
- the design of segment installation and deinstallation scripts;
- the security considerations for mission application segments, and for DII COE platforms in general;
- the identification and classification of DII COE kernel and infrastructure segments;
- the process of ordering such segments;
- the setup of DII COE platforms, including the installation of kernel and infrastructure segments;
- the use of APM to set up and maintain operating system accounts and groups, and DII COE profiles, on DII COE platforms;
- the use of the DII COE segment installer to install and deinstall segments;
the process of registering mission applications and segments for which DII COE certification is being sought;
- the setup of the DII COE development environment and tools;
- the organization and design of installation, deinstallation, and launch scripts;
- the use of DII COE tools in such scripts to support the DII COE reusability and interoperability goals;
- the guidelines for required graphical user interface (GUI) behavior;
- the special guidelines applicable to segments written in Java;
- the setup and administration of Oracle databases in a DII COE environment;
- the segment documentation that must be provided to secure DII COE compliance;
- the use of DII COE documentation templates to construct compliant documents;
- the use of DII COE development tools to verify segment conformance to applicable rules;
- the use of DII COE development tools to create segment distribution media;
- the expected content of the segment delivery package;
- the process of submitting segments for certification;
- obtaining information and downloading documentation from the DII COE website; and
- the identification and use of help resources, when needed.
How can DIS help prospective customers?
The learning curve involved in developing or reengineering applications for DII COE compliance is extremely steep, and there are many pitfalls along the way. Division personnel are available to assist in such projects, sparing customers the cost of getting started. |
