US Navy subscribes to middleware model

The US Navy has developed its new Navy Open Architecture (OA) Test Facility with NDDS as its data distribution middleware.

The US Navy has developed its new Navy Open Architecture (OA) Test Facility with NDDS as its data distribution middleware.

NDDS publish-subscribe communications simplify the extensive data distribution between more than 200 computers used in the system simulator and test-bed located at the Naval Surface Warfare Centre (NSWC) in Dahlgren, Virginia.

System integrators and Navy program developers use the test facility to validate systems using the Navy's Open Architecture Computing Environment (OACE).

The OACE recommends the DDS publish-subscribe standard and middleware, like NDDS, that will conform to the standard.

Standard middleware is the key enabler for the OACE.

"Application functions change, paced by threats and missions", stated Mike Masters, Chief Scientist for OA Technical Architecture definition at NSWC Dahlgren.

"Computing technology will change, driven by technological innovation and market pressures.

Managing this change and isolating its effects is the key to successfully implementing the Navy OA.

The way to attain this isolation is to use standards and to use middleware.

For data distribution middleware, we recommend the use of the emerging OMG DDS standard and products that will conform to the DDS standard, like NDDS".

In addition to being approved for use in OACE-based systems, NDDS provides a key middleware capability for the new Navy OA Test Facility.

The OA Test Facility is the first commercial off the shelf (COTS) computing environment to support the Navy's OA initiative.

The OA Test Facility is currently running on more than 200 computers, with multiple operating systems, exchanging and processing more than 200 billion bits of information per second.

An application note is available on the Real Time Innovations website.

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