====== Middleware and Related Services (MARS) Platform Task Force (PTF)====== {{:curiosity-rover-rocknest-panorama.jpg?600|}} \\ Rocknest Panorama taken by NASA's Mars Curiosity Rover ===== Mission ===== {{ :another_mars.jpg?100|}}To solicit, evaluate, and select specifications for recommendation to the Platform Technology Committee for adoption by the OMG (http://www.omg.org/) in the areas of: - Request Broker Technology - including but not limited to Object Request Brokers (CORBA), Message-Oriented Brokers and other technologies that are the target implementation contexts for Platform Independent Services and their Mappings. - General purpose Pervasive Services that are either: * Fundamental for developing useful distributed applications * Provide a universal basis for Application Integration and Information Integration, or * Support higher-level facilities and frameworks - Mappings for such Pervasive Services to specific middleware platforms, and reference mappings from generic PIM constructs to platform-specific constructs and protocol rules. - Supporting Technologies for Application Integration, Information Integration, and Collaboration ===== Co-Chairs ===== ^ Name | Charlotte Wales | Peter Denno | ^ Company | Jackrabbit Consulting | National Institute of Standards & Technology (NIST) | ^ Email | | | ===== Working Groups (WGs) ===== MARS hosts a number of WGs that serve as MARS' technology incubators. These WGs are focused on and responsible for advancing a specific technology area. This may include the preparation of and review of responses from RFIs and the preparation of RFPs. There are 5 __//active//__ working groups at this time: * **Information Exchange Framework Working Group** (Chartered December 2005 - [[ief|]]) * Wiki: [[http://www.omgwiki.org/mars/doku.php?id=ief]]; maillist: ief@omg.org * Working from a roadmap for specifications to be developed (not just in MARS) to address the areas of policy based information exchange. * The IEF Policy Based Packaging Vocabulary (IEPPV) specification was adopted in December 2013 and formalized in May 2015 [[http://www.omg.org/spec/IEPPV/]]. * During the March 2017 meeting, hosted an IEF Info Day that was successful altho lightly attended (link to InfoDay page [[https://www.omg.org/news/meetings/tc/va-17/special-events/IEF_Day.htm]]). * The IEF Reference Architecture (IEF RA) was approved for adoption in June 2017 and completed finalization in June 2019. All that remains is approval by the Board. Finalized spec is here: [[https://www.omg.org/cgi-bin/doc?ptc/19-06-07]] * The IEF Policy Based Packaging Service (IEPPS) RFP was issued in December 2017 [[https://www.omg.org/cgi-bin/doc?mars/17-12-12]]; a revised (possibly final) submission is expected in December 2019 ([[https://www.omg.org/techprocess/meetings/schedule/IEPPS_RFP.html]]) * **IDL Working Group** (Chartered March 2009) * Maillist: idl@omg.org * Vision Statement: mars/09-06-04 ([[http://www.omg.org/members/cgi-bin/doc?mars/09-06-04.pdf]]) * IDL 3.5 successfully issued as an RFC and is now a formal specification ([[http://www.omg.org/spec/IDL35/]]) * IDL 4.0, issued as an RFC in March 2015, has been adopted, finalized, and revised. The current formalized version is IDL 4.2 ([[https://www.omg.org/spec/category/interface-definition-language/]]. IDL 4.2 was submitted to ISO and is in the final stages of approval. * Since the adoption of IDL 4.0, the IDL WG has been busy: organizing existing and new IDL mapping specifications to align with IDL 4.x. To date, its work has lead to the following: * IDL4 to Java Mapping: adopted June 2019 [[https://www.omg.org/cgi-bin/doc?mars/19-05-06]] * IDL4 to C# Mapping: underway; revised submission expected Dec 2019 [[https://www.omg.org/cgi-bin/doc?mars/18-12-02]] * IDL4 to C++ Mapping: new; Draft RFC expected Dec 2019 * **High Performance Embedded Computing (HPEC) Working Group** (Chartered March 2012) * Wiki: [[http://www.omgwiki.org/hpec/]]; Maillist: hpec@omg.org * Two RFCs -- for VSIPL and VSIPL++ -- successfully issued, adopted, and released as formal OMG specs ([[http://www.omg.org/spec/VSIPL/]] and [[http://www.omg.org/spec/VSIPL++/]]); other specifications based on these adopted specs are being considered. * This WG meets quarterly, co-located with the OMG TC quarterly meeting once or twice a year. In the process of looking for new leadership. * **SNC Working Group** (chartered June 2017) * Wiki: [[https://www.omgwiki.org/snc-wg/doku.php]]; Maillist: sncwg@omg.org * Organized in June 2017 during Brussels meeting. * Issued the Secure Network Communications RFI in September 2017: mars/17-09-29 ([[https://www.omg.org/schedule/SNC_RFI.html]]) * Since Dec 2018 have been preparing an RFP for a Space Telecommunications Interface (STI), a joint effort with the Space DTF. * **CORBA Working Group ** (chartered June 2019) * Wiki (TBD); maillist: corba-wg@omg.org * In the "forming" stage but already working on an RFP to provide "REST for CORBA" ---- MARS has four other working groups that are currently __//on hiatus//__ . * Object Database Technologies ([[Object DB]]) Working Group (chartered September 2003; suspended since March 2009) * Dynamic Deployment Configuration (DDC) Working Group (chartered September 2010) * Software Defined Networks (SDN) Working Group (Chartered March 2013; suspended as of November 2015) * Rich Internet Applications (RIA) Working Group (chartered December 2009; suspended as of September 2016) As needed, these WGs can be re-activated as is or re-purposed. Also as needed, new WGs can be created. For more information go to their respective wiki pages. To subscribe to the maillists for each WG, send an email to request@omg.org or refer to this site [[http://www.omg.org/members/mailinglists.html]] ===== Looking Ahead ===== - Refer to the OMG Technical Meeting Resource Hub for the MARS report which provides more details on the work done in Amsterdam (June 2019) and our plans for the meeting in Nashville, TN (September 2019): [[http://www.omg.org/cgi-bin/doc?mars/2019-06-30]] (OMG member only access). - Use this link to learn what MARS will be working on in Nashville [[https://www.omg.org/events/tn-19/agendas/MARSPTFCalendar.html]]. Note that prior to the 4 week deadline for Nashville, it may just be a unscheduled list of agenda items. ===== Documents Produced During Last Meeting ===== ** Coming improvement** -- one stop shop for all documents produced during the last meeting. Until then (or alternatively), go here: http://www.omg.org/members/cgi-bin/doclistm.cgi (member's only), select year and mars and then hit search. Resulting list will be displayed in reverse document number order. ===== MARS Technology Roadmap ===== The latest MARS Roadmap can be found at the MARS home page [[http://mars.omg.org]]. Two versions are posted: * A //**public**// version that requires no password to open. It provides links to issued RFPs, RFCs, and RFIs and adopted submissions (adopted during the current and previous year); all material available to the public. Published as a PDF file only. * A //**member's only**// version that needs a userid and password to access. Published in two formats: an editable Excel file and a nominally non-editable PDF file. Reproduced below is the OMG technology process as captured in the MARS Roadmap. {{technology_process.jpg|}} As of December 2014, both include a Statistics tab, which contains graphical depictions of the //Cumulative Technology Process State// and //MARS Technology Process State by Year//. Both work with data recorded since November 2002 and are updated after each TC meeting. ===== Useful Links ===== MARS **//collaborates//** with a number of other Task Forces (C4I, Robotics, Systems Assurance, Government) and SIGs (DDS, Telecoms, Ontology, BlockChain). For example: * The IEF WG represents a collaboration between MARS and C4I with as needed involvement of Gov DTF and Ontology PSIG. IEF WG maintains an active dialog with Gov DTF's Info Sharing WG. As needed, the two WGs also meet jointly during the TC meeting week. * DDS PSIG serves as the incubator for the many DDS related technology processes handled by MARS; its membership is very active in the IDL WG. * MARS, the BlockChain PSIG, and Finance DTF are collaborating in the area of BlockChain technologies. As appropriate, the products of this collaboration will be formally managed by either MARS or FDTF. Right now, it's mostly MARS. (new since 2018) * The Cloud WG is working closely with MARS in order to publish revisions to many of the white papers previously published by the Cloud Standards Customer Council (CSSC). * Any technology processes relating to security aspects of specifications previously developed by MARS (e.g., DDS Security) are managed by the Systems Assurance PTF but developed in collaboration with MARS. Links to the respective home pages for these TFs, SIGs, and WGs are provided below: * C4I (Consultation, Command, Control, Communications, and Intelligence) DTF: [[http://c4i.omg.org/]] * Robotics DTF: [[http://robotics.omg.org/]] * Systems Assurance PTF: [[http://sysa.omg.org/]] * Government DTF: [[http://gov.omg.org/]] * Finance DTF [[http://www.omg.org/fdtf/]] * Data Distribution Services (DDS) PSIG: [[http://portals.omg.org/dds/]] * Ontology PSIG: [[http://ontology.omg.org/]] * BlockChain PSIG: [[http://www.omg.org/blockchain/]] * Cloud WG: [[http://www.omg.org/cloud/]] Other links: * MARS TF home page: [[http://mars.omg.org]] * Available OMG Specifications: [[http://www.omg.org/spec/]] * OMG Technical Meeting Resource Hub, an excellent resource for all Technical Committee (TC) reports and any special event presentations from previous and all past meetings (back to September 2003): [[http://www.omg.org/members/TMResourceHub/]] **//Note://** All these sites, except for the Meeting Resource hub, are __//public sites//__ .. __**//no password required to access//**.__