IEEE P1003.0 Draft 13 - September 1991 Copyright (c) 1991 by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Inc. 345 East 47th Street New York, NY 10017, USA All rights reserved as an unpublished work. This is an unapproved and unpublished IEEE Standards Draft, subject to change. The publication, distribution, or copying of this draft, as well as all derivative works based on this draft, is expressly prohibited except as set forth below. Permission is hereby granted for IEEE Standards Committee participants to reproduce this document for purposes of IEEE standardization activities only, and subject to the restrictions contained herein. Permission is hereby also granted for member bodies and technical committees of ISO and IEC to reproduce this document for purposes of developing a national position, subject to the restrictions contained herein. 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Box 1331 Piscataway, NJ 08855-1331, USA +1 (908) 562-3800 +1 (908) 562-1571 [FAX] P1003.0/D13 GUIDE TO THE POSIX OPEN SYSTEMS _________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________ Figure C-2 - Selected Major Standards and Standards-Influencing Bodies _A_N_S_I_:__A_m_e_r_i_c_a_n__N_a_t_i_o_n_a_l__S_t_a_n_d_a_r_d_s__I_n_s_t_i_t_u_t_e ANSI is the national standards coordinating and approval body for the United States. A voluntary organization founded in 1918, the ANSI performs three major types of functions. First, the ANSI approves standards and accredits standards development groups and certification programs. ANSI does not itself develop standards. Instead, it approves voluntarily-submitted specifications that were developed by technical and professional societies, trade associations, and special interest groups, if these specifications and/or groups meet ANSI criteria for due process and consensus. Copyright c 1991 IEEE. All rights reserved. This is an unapproved IEEE Standards Draft, subject to change. 292 C Standards Infrastructure Description ENVIRONMENT INTERIM DOCUMENT P1003.0/D13 ANSI accredits three types of organizations. One is professional societies, such as the IEEE. The second is committees formed for the exclusive purpose of developing standards, such as X3. The third is accredited by ANSI to use the canvass method to develop standards. Such organizations prepare a standard using their internal procedures. Then they submit that standard to balloting by other organizations representing a variety of interests. Last, they reconcile comments and objections returned. The NIST is an organization accredited to use the canvass process for standards development. ANSI's second major function is to represent and coordinate US interests in international, nontreaty, and nongovernmental standards bodies. ANSI's third function is to be a clearinghouse for national, international, and foreign national standards. ANSI membership is open to manufacturers, organizations, users, and communications carriers. At present, more than 220 professional and technical societies and trade associations that develop standards in the US are ANSI members, as are 1000 companies. For further information, contact American National Standards Institute (ANSI), 1430 Broadway, New York, NY 10018, (212) 354-3300, Telex: 42 42 96 ANSI UI. _B_S_I_:__B_r_i_t_i_s_h__S_t_a_n_d_a_r_d_s__I_n_s_t_i_t_u_t_e BSI is the British national standards body and is responsible for promulgation of national standards. The BSI determines the overall UK view toward international standards and conveys that back to the secretariat of the international committee. For further information, contact British Standards Institute, 2 Park Street, London W1A2BS, United Kingdom, Telephone: 44 1 629 90 00, Fax: 44 1 629 05 06. _C_a_n_a_d_i_a_n__S_t_a_n_d_a_r_d_s__A_s_s_o_c_i_a_t_i_o_n__(_C_S_A_) The Canadian Standards Association (CSA), in conjunction with regulatory agencies and with the provincial and national governments of Canada, provides a single source for consensus-based standards development, conformance testing, and standards-based regulations creation. The CSA has no single counterpart in the US. Instead, the CSA handles selected functions from US testing organizations, the FCC, and ANSI. Membership in the CSA is open to any Canadian citizen, business, or organization. Members of the CSA's technical committees developing standards are volunteers, drawn from consumers, manufacturers, government, labor, and consultants. Membership is based on expertise in the field, and not, as in the US, mainly on having a vested commercial interest. The CSA has over 900 committees handling various aspects of Copyright c 1991 IEEE. All rights reserved. This is an unapproved IEEE Standards Draft, subject to change. C.2 The Formal Standards Groups 293 P1003.0/D13 GUIDE TO THE POSIX OPEN SYSTEMS standards in areas such as the environment, electrical and electronics, communications and information processing, construction, energy, transportation and distribution, materials technology, and production management. CSA programs support Canadian industry and Canadian consumers where safety and quality of merchandise sold or made in Canada are concerned. To assure product quality and safety, the CSA offers fee-based testing services. In performing such services, the CSA assumes that most manufacturers have the facilities to test their products before submitting them to the CSA for certification and approval. If they do not, the CSA provides this service. CSA certification involves the submission of the product or service by the supplier, the verification of that product or capability by the CSA, and then continued follow-up audits by the CSA to ensure that the quality of the product or service is maintained. For further information, contact (Address and phone number TBD). _C_C_I_T_T_:__C_o_m_i_t_e__C_o_n_s_u_l_t_a_t_i_f__I_n_t_e_r_n_a_t_i_o_n_a_l__d_e__T_e_l_e_g_r_a_p_h_i_e__e_t__T_e_l_e_p_h_o_n_i_e An international organization, the CCITT is part of the International Telecommunications Union, which is a United Nations treaty organization formed in 1865. It is now a specialized agency of the United Nations. The CCITT's primary mission is to develop standards supporting the international interconnection and interoperability of telecommunications networks at interfaces with end-user systems, carriers, information and enhanced-service providers, and customer premises equipment. Every four years, the CCITT publishes the results of its work as ``Recommendations.'' Its recommendations are law where communications in Europe are nationalized. Membership and participation in the CCITT are open to private companies; scientific and trade associations; and postal, telephone, and telegraph administrations. CCITT's principal participants are telecommunications administrations and carriers. Scientific and industrial organizations can participate as observers. The US representative is the Department of State. For further information, contact International Consultative Committee on Telegraphy and Telephone, Central Administration Office, CH-1211, 2 rue de Varembe', Geneva, Switzerland, _C_E_N_/_C_E_N_E_L_E_C_/_C_E_P_T The Comite Europeen de Normalisation (CEN), Comite Europeen de Normalisation Electrotechnique (CENELEC), and the European Committee for Post and Telecommunications Administration are European regional Copyright c 1991 IEEE. All rights reserved. This is an unapproved IEEE Standards Draft, subject to change. 294 C Standards Infrastructure Description ENVIRONMENT INTERIM DOCUMENT P1003.0/D13 standards committees responsible for developing and publishing European standards. CEN is an association of EC (European Community) and EFTA (European Free Trade Association) members. It is active in making members' standards into ISO standards and European standards. CENELEC is the counterpart of CEN that deals exclusively with electrotechnical matters. CEPT is the CEN counterpart that deals with telecommunications matters. CEN, CENELEC, and CEPT can be considered the European regional equivalent of ISO for two reasons. First, they have as members the national standards bodies of their eighteen EC and EFTA member states. Second, standards adopted by these organizations must be implemented in full as national standards, regardless of the way in which the member voted, and regardless of any standards that conflict with them must be withdrawn. CEN members, for example, agree to use its published standards in preference to national standards, wherever possible. CEN, CENELEC, and CEPT were created to improve the competitiveness of European enterprise by removing technical barriers to trade and facilitating the free movement of goods within Europe. To accomplish its aims, CEN, CENELEC, and CEPT perform the following tasks: - Create and promote European Standards (EN). - Rapidly create prestandards (ENV) in technology areas in which there is a high level of innovation or where it is felt that future standardization requires basic guidance. ENVs are subjected to an experimental period of up to three years. - Create harmonization documents (HD) that are more flexible than European Standards so that the technical, historical, or legal circumstances pertaining to each country can be taken into account. - Set up a framework for European certification that supports the issuing of a European mark of conformity to certain standards and the mutual recognition of test results and inspections. - Promote the application within Europe of ISO standards and accelerate their production. - Work in liaison with European professional federations and numerous technical organizations to establish priority standards programs and contribute to the technical work. For further information, contact the European Committee for Standardization (CEN), European Committee for Post and Telecommunications Administration, 2 rue Brederode, Buite 5, B-1000 Brussels, Belgium, Telephone: +322 519 6860, Telex: 26257 CENLEC. Copyright c 1991 IEEE. All rights reserved. This is an unapproved IEEE Standards Draft, subject to change. C.2 The Formal Standards Groups 295 P1003.0/D13 GUIDE TO THE POSIX OPEN SYSTEMS _D_I_N_:__D_e_u_t_s_c_h_e_s__I_n_s_t_i_t_u_t__f_u_r__N_o_r_m_u_n_g DIN is the German national standards body. Its functions include those performed by the US's ANSI (e.g., developing national standards and representing Germany in international and European standards bodies such as ISO, the IEC, CEN, and CENELEC), in addition to test and certification functions that are not handled by US consensus standards organizations. Since a key DIN objective is eliminating technical barriers to free trade, DIN plays an active role in the international standards arena to ensure that German products can be used and accepted internationally. DIN standards are not mandatory within Germany. DIN claims that it relies on the technical excellence of its standards to win converts. Further incentive for accepting DIN standards is provided because DIN standards serve as the basis for regulatory technical law in Germany. Also, without the DIN testing and inspection mark, no insurance carrier in Germany will write insurance for a product. DIN members include groups within Germany representing manufacturers, the academic community, user groups, user organizations (e.g., consumer advocate groups), the government, and trade unions. Many DIN staff are supported by organizations or companies, rather than by DIN. DIN presently has over 20000 standards. For further information, contact Deutsches Institut fur Normung, Burggrafenstrasse 6, Postfach 1107, D-1000 Berlin 30, Telephone: 49 30 26 01-1, Fax: 49 30 260 12 31. _I_E_C_:__I_n_t_e_r_n_a_t_i_o_n_a_l__E_l_e_c_t_r_o_t_e_c_h_n_i_c_a_l__C_o_m_m_i_s_s_i_o_n The International Electrotechnical Committee is the equivalent of ISO, but for electrotechnical standards. ISO and the IEC have converged many of their information technology efforts to form JTC1. For further information, contact International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC), 3, rue de Varembe', CH-1211 Geneva 20, Switzerland, Telephone: 41 22 34 01 50, Fax: 41 22 33 38 43. _I_S_O_:__I_n_t_e_r_n_a_t_i_o_n_a_l__O_r_g_a_n_i_z_a_t_i_o_n__f_o_r__S_t_a_n_d_a_r_d_i_z_a_t_i_o_n ISO was established in its present form in 1947 with the aim of reaching international agreement on standards. A voluntary, non-United Nations treaty, ISO's membership consists of delegations from standards bodies in participating nations. ISO solicits comments from other groups as well, including ECMA, the IEEE, the NIST, and the CCITT. ISO has a close relationship with the CCITT, which is, perhaps, the most influential of all the observer groups within ISO. Copyright c 1991 IEEE. All rights reserved. This is an unapproved IEEE Standards Draft, subject to change. 296 C Standards Infrastructure Description ENVIRONMENT INTERIM DOCUMENT P1003.0/D13 ISO is responsible for the development and standardization of the Open Systems Interconnection (OSI) model. It also considers items for standardization that were developed in other standards bodies, such as ANSI. At present, for example, it is considering the core POSIX standard (P1003.1). For further information, contact the International Organization for Standardization, Central Secretariat, 1, rue de Varembe', CH-1211, Geneva, Switzerland-40. _J_I_S_C_:__J_a_p_a_n_e_s_e__I_n_d_u_s_t_r_i_a_l__S_t_a_n_d_a_r_d_s__C_o_m_m_i_t_t_e_e The Japanese Industrial Standards Committee (JISC) is the national standards body of Japan. The JISC represents Japan at ISO and IEC, develops Japanese standards, and monitors and liases with the standards- developing activities of other national organizations, especially those of the US. The goal of the JISC is to ensure that Japanese industry can compete internationally in the information technology and telecommunications industries. The JISC has no true counterpart in other nations since the JISC has a special relationship with the Japanese government and major manufacturers. For example, the JISC's secretariat is the Agency of Industrial Science and Technology, a division of the Ministry of International Trade and Industry (MITI), which plays a central role in Japanese industry. The influence of this centralized national planning structure eliminates many areas of contention, including among companies with multinational branches, and facilitates the ability for Japanese standards groups to gain a consensus. Major Japanese manufacturers help plan and develop standards. Foreign companies' involvement in the JISC is limited because of geographic and linguistic differences and because of restrictions on their meaningful participation. Although large-scale manufacturers may participate, user groups and small manufacturers find participation very difficult. For information, contact Japanese Industrial Standards Committee, c/o Standards Department, Agency of Industrial Science and Technology, Ministry of International Trade and Industry, 1-3-1 Kasumigaseki, Chiyoda-ku, Telephone: 813 501 92 95/6, Fax: 81 3 580 14 18. _J_T_C_1_:__J_o_i_n_t__T_e_c_h_n_i_c_a_l__C_o_m_m_i_t_t_e_e__1 The JTC1, established in 1987, is the first joint committee of the ISO TC97 (Information Processing Systems) and its subcommittees, with the IEC Technical Committee 83 (Information Technology Equipment) and the subcommittee IEC SC47B (Microprocessor systems). The joint committee was formed to eliminate much of the two groups' standardization-activities' overlap and prevent the creation of incompatible standards for the same Copyright c 1991 IEEE. All rights reserved. This is an unapproved IEEE Standards Draft, subject to change. C.2 The Formal Standards Groups 297 P1003.0/D13 GUIDE TO THE POSIX OPEN SYSTEMS device or technology area. Although ISO and IEC are equal partners in the management of JTC1, most of JTC1's standards work grew out of ISO's information processing work. In fact, JTC1 has become one of the most important information technology standards organizations today because so many of the major ISO information technology standards being developed today are actually being produced by JTC1 groups. The JTC1's purpose is to develop international standards in the areas of information technology systems (including microprocessor systems) and equipment. Microprocessor systems include, but are not limited to, microprocessor assemblies, and related hardware and software for controlling the flow of signals at the terminals of microprocessor assemblies. The JTC1 initially organized its standards work into four major groupings, each of which contains subcommittees that, in turn contain working groups. The four main groupings and their subcommittees are: JTC1 Application Elements Group SC1: Vocabulary SC7: Software Engineering SC14: Representation of Data Elements SC22: Languages JTC1 Equipment and Media Group SC11: Flexible Magnetic Media for Digital Data Interchange SC15: Labeling and File Structure SC17: Identification and Credit Cards SC23: Optical Disk Cartridges for Information Interchange SC28: Office Equipment JTC1 Systems Group SC6: Telecommunications and Information Exchange Between Systems SC13: Interconnection of Equipment Copyright c 1991 IEEE. All rights reserved. This is an unapproved IEEE Standards Draft, subject to change. 298 C Standards Infrastructure Description ENVIRONMENT INTERIM DOCUMENT P1003.0/D13 SC18: Text and Office Systems SC21: Information Retrieval, Transfer, and Management for OSI JTC1 Systems Support Group SC2: Character Sets and Information Coding SC24: Computer Graphics SC25: Interconnection of Information Technology Equipment (formerly IEC TC83) SC26: Microprocessor Systems (formerly IEC TC47B) SC27: Security Techniques (grew out of JTC1 SC20: Data Cryptographic Techniques) POSIX standardization work is being done within SC22's Working Group 15 (SC22/WG15). A JTC1 Special Working Group on Strategic Planning is performing a technical study on Application Portability (AP). This study's goal is to identify the standards that need to be written or revised to support application portability between hardware and software environments. The JTC1 is not involved in application-specific information technology areas, such as banking and industrial automation systems, nor is it concerned with microprocessor subsystems covered by the scopes of IEC TC22 on power electronics or TC86 on fiber optics. The JTC1 has liaison relationships with numerous ISO and IEC Technical Committees, as well as with the CCITT. Like ISO, membership in JTC1 consists of delegations from standards organizations in member countries. At present, 23 countries participate in JTC1, and there are another 11 observer countries. The ANSI holds the secretariat for JTC1. For further information, contact: American National Standards Institute (ANSI), 1430 Broadway, New York, NY 10018, (212) 354-3300, Telex: 42 42 96 ANSI UI, or International Organization for Standardization (ISO), Central Secretariat, 1, rue de Varembe', CH-1211, Geneva, Switzerland-40. _S_G_F_S__(_S_p_e_c_i_a_l__G_r_o_u_p__o_n__F_u_n_c_t_i_o_n_a_l__S_t_a_n_d_a_r_d_i_z_a_t_i_o_n_) The Special Group on Functional Standardization (SGFS) is an ISO group, under JTC1, which is responsible for the international standardization process of profiles or functional standards. Copyright c 1991 IEEE. All rights reserved. This is an unapproved IEEE Standards Draft, subject to change. C.2 The Formal Standards Groups 299 P1003.0/D13 GUIDE TO THE POSIX OPEN SYSTEMS C.2.2 Nongovernment Formal Standards Organizations _E_C_M_A_:__E_u_r_o_p_e_a_n__C_o_m_p_u_t_e_r__M_a_n_u_f_a_c_t_u_r_e_r_s__A_s_s_o_c_i_a_t_i_o_n Established in 1961 to develop data processing standards, ECMA is a trade organization, open to any computer firm developing, manufacturing, or selling in Europe. The ECMA has about 20 members, and approximately 13 active Technical Committees. ECMA contributes to the ISO standards development efforts, in addition to issuing its own standards. ECMA is particularly active in the development of higher layer protocols for OSI networking. It also is developing a standard for a Portable Common Tool Environment (PCTE). For further information, contact European Computer Manufacturers Association, 114 rue du Rhone, CH-1204 Geneva, Switzerland, Telephone: 41-22-735-36-34, Telex: 41 3237, Fax: 41 22 786 53 31. _E_I_A_:__E_l_e_c_t_r_o_n_i_c__I_n_d_u_s_t_r_i_e_s__A_s_s_o_c_i_a_t_i_o_n The EIA is a US trade organization, whose membership consists primarily of manufacturers. The EIA has been a standards developer in the areas of electrical and electronic products and components since 1926. Many of its standards have been submitted to ANSI and approved as ANSI standards. The EIA is best known for the RS-232-C standard. For further information, contact John Kinn, Vice President - Engineering, Electronic Industries Association (EIA), 2001 I Street NW, Washington, DC 20036, (202) 467-4961. _I_E_E_E_:__I_n_s_t_i_t_u_t_e__o_f__E_l_e_c_t_r_i_c_a_l__a_n_d__E_l_e_c_t_r_o_n_i_c__E_n_g_i_n_e_e_r_s The IEEE is a professional scientific, engineering, and educational society that develops and publishes standards and specifications in a variety of computer and engineering areas. The standards and specifications published are of three types: true standards, recommended practices, and guides. ``Standards'' are specifications with mandatory requirements. Recommended practices are specifications of procedures and positions preferred by the IEEE. Guides are specifications that suggest alternative approaches to good practice, but make no clear-cut recommendations. The IEEE is accredited by ANSI, and can, therefore, submit its standards directly to the ANSI board of Standards Review. All new and revised IEEE standards are submitted to ANSI for review and adoption as ANSI standards. The IEEE Standards Board authorizes, coordinates, and approves all standards projects, and coordinates cooperation with other standards Copyright c 1991 IEEE. All rights reserved. This is an unapproved IEEE Standards Draft, subject to change. 300 C Standards Infrastructure Description ENVIRONMENT INTERIM DOCUMENT P1003.0/D13 organizations. Standards are proposed and sponsored by technical committees of the IEEE Societies, standards committees, or Standards Coordinating Committees (SCC), depending on the scope of the work. Either these committees or standards subcommittees manage the actual standards development and balloting. The individual draft standards are specified in working groups inside the subcommittees--one working group per standard (see Figure C-3). _H_L_J: _T_h_i_s _i_s _t_h_e _f_i_g_u_r_e _f_r_o_m _p_r_e_v_i_o_u_s _d_r_a_f_t_s. _W_e_n_d_y'_s _i_n_p_u_t _t_o _m_e _d_u_p_l_i_c_a_t_e_d _t_h_e _C-_2 _f_i_g_u_r_e, _w_h_i_c_h _s_e_e_m_e_d _l_e_s_s _c_o_r_r_e_c_t. IEEE membership is open to any dues-paying individuals. Standards participants are individuals, not companies or organizations. IEEE membership is required for voting, but not for participating in the development of draft standards. Approximately 30000 members are active in standards development. More than 500 IEEE standards exist, and more than 800 standards projects are underway. The IEEE also administers the secretariat or cosecretariat of 17 American National Standards committees. The most well known IEEE standards are the IEEE 802.3 CSMA/CD and 802.4 token bus LANS, IEEE-488 bus, the National Electrical Safety Code, and the P1003.n POSIX standards. The 802.3 and 802.4 standards are also approved ISO standards. The core POSIX standard (POSIX.1 {2}) has been approved by ISO, and is now an ISO, as well as an IEEE, standard. The POSIX.0 specifications, with which this document is concerned, will be, in IEEE parlance, a ``Guide'' to a POSIX Open Systems Environment. For further information, contact the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Inc., 345 East 47th Street, New York, NY 10017, USA. _N_I_S_T_:__N_a_t_i_o_n_a_l__I_n_s_t_i_t_u_t_e__o_f__S_t_a_n_d_a_r_d_s__a_n_d__T_e_c_h_n_o_l_o_g_y The National Institute of Standards and Technology (formerly the National Bureau of Standards) was established by an act of the US Congress on March 3, 1901 to advance, and facilitate the application of, US science and technology for public benefit. Toward this end, the Institute for Computer Sciences and Technology (ICST) within the NIST, conducts research and provides technical advisory services to help Federal agencies acquire and apply computer technology. The NIST is a major driving force behind standards development. Through the Institute for Computer Sciences and Technology, the NIST develops and publishes Federal Information Processing Standards (FIPS) for the United States. Federal agencies to use in their computer equipment procurements. Federal agencies are obligated to use these standards, where applicable. Copyright c 1991 IEEE. All rights reserved. This is an unapproved IEEE Standards Draft, subject to change. C.2 The Formal Standards Groups 301 P1003.0/D13 GUIDE TO THE POSIX OPEN SYSTEMS _________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________ Figure C-3 - IEEE Standards Diagram Copyright c 1991 IEEE. All rights reserved. This is an unapproved IEEE Standards Draft, subject to change. 302 C Standards Infrastructure Description ENVIRONMENT INTERIM DOCUMENT P1003.0/D13 Federal computer standards also are widely used by the private sector, and often are adopted as ANSI standards. Besides defining standards, the NIST has defined an Application Portability Profile (APP), which comprises a series of nonmandatory specifications and a guide for US government users to use in developing a portable, interoperable architecture and environment. The development and evolution of both FIPS and the APP is carried out in conjunction with users and vendors through an ongoing series of NIST- conducted Implementor Workshops and User Workshops (e.g., OSI implementors workshops, APP workshops, and Integrated Software Engineering Environment workshops). The workshops provide forums for user and vendor feedback and comments on evolving NIST standards, and help ensure that there is a general commitment among vendors to building products that conform to the evolving NIST specifications. Additionally, the NIST develops test methods and performance measures to help users and vendors implement standards and to test the conformance of vendor implementations to FIPS specifications. Among others, the NIST has test suites for most FIPS programming languages, FIPS Database SQL, and POSIX.1 {2}. The POSIX.1 {2} conformance test suite, however, is based on the conformance-test assertions developed in the POSIX Test and Methods working group (P1003.3.1). Besides developing its own standards, NIST staff members participate in a number of other standards activities and organizations, including the ANSI X3 Committee on Information Processing Systems, ISO/IEC JTC1, CCITT, ECMA, and the IEEE. For further information, contact the National Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, MD 20899, Telephone: (301) 975-2000. The cognizant person for P1003.0 information is Allen Hankinson at (301) 975-3290. _T_1 T1, established in 1984, is an ANSI-accredited standards body that is developing standards and technical reports. The standards and reports are intended to support interconnection and interoperability of telecommunications networks at interfaces with end-user systems, carriers, information and enhanced-service providers, and customer premises equipment. Six T1 technical subcommittees are currently developing these standards and reports under the T1 Advisory Group. The subcommittees also recommend positions on matters under consideration by other North American and international standards bodies. Copyright c 1991 IEEE. All rights reserved. This is an unapproved IEEE Standards Draft, subject to change. C.2 The Formal Standards Groups 303 P1003.0/D13 GUIDE TO THE POSIX OPEN SYSTEMS T1 Membership and full participation is available to all interested parties. For further information, contact Alvin Lai, Exchange Carriers Standards Association, c/o T1 Secretariat, 5430 Grosvenor Lane, Suite 200, Bethesda, Maryland 20814-2122, or call (301) 654-4505. _X_3 X3, established in 1961, is an ANSI-accredited standards body that develops computer, information processing, and office systems standards. X3 also participates in the development of international standards in these areas. In addition, it serves as a Technical Advisory Group (TAG) to ANSI for most of the subcommittees working on international standardization projects within JTC1. The Computer and Business Equipment Manufacturers Association (CBEMA) functions as X3's secretariat. X3 membership is open to all organizations, upon payment of a service fee. The current membership includes computer manufacturers, communications carriers, user groups, and government agencies. More than 3200 volunteers from these organizations participate in the X3 standards work. They are organized into about 85 technical groups, working on 700 projects. Three standing committees report to X3: the Standards Planning and Requirements Committee (SPARC), the Strategic Planning Committee (SPC), and the Secretariat Management Committee (SMC). The following are the major X3 technical committees: Recognition X3A1 Optical Character Recognition Media X3B5 Digital Magnetic Tape X3B6 Instrumentation Tape X3B7 Magnetic Disks X3B8 Flexible Disk Cartridges X3B9 Paper/Forms Layout X3B10 Credit/Identification Cards X3B11 Optical Digital Data Disks Copyright c 1991 IEEE. All rights reserved. This is an unapproved IEEE Standards Draft, subject to change. 304 C Standards Infrastructure Description ENVIRONMENT INTERIM DOCUMENT P1003.0/D13 Data Management and Graphics X3H2 Database X3H3 Computer Graphics X3H3.6 Windowing Interfaces X3H4 Information Resource & Dictionary Languages X3J1 PL/1 X3J2 Basic X3J3 Fortran X3J4 COBOL X3J7 APT X3J9 Pascal X3J10 APL X3J11 C X3J12 Dibol X3J13 Common Lisp X3J14 Forth X3J15 Databus Documentation X3K1 Computer Documentation X3K5 Vocabulary Data Representation X3L2 Codes and Character Sets X3L5 Labels and file Structure Copyright c 1991 IEEE. All rights reserved. This is an unapproved IEEE Standards Draft, subject to change. C.2 The Formal Standards Groups 305 P1003.0/D13 GUIDE TO THE POSIX OPEN SYSTEMS X3L8 Data Representation Communication X3S3 Data Communications Systems Technology X3T1 Data Encryption X3T2 Data Interchange X3T5 Open Systems Interconnection X3T9 I/O Interface Text X3V1 Office and Publishing Systems For more information, contact CBEMA, c/o X3 Secretariat, 311 First Street NW, Suite 500, Washington, DC 20001-2178, Telephone: (212) 626-5740. C.3 The Informal Standards Organizations The following organizations are some of the major trade associations, user groups, and professional bodies active in either promoting, implementing, or reviewing information technology standards. _B_C_S_:__B_r_i_t_i_s_h__C_o_m_p_u_t_e_r__S_o_c_i_e_t_y The BCS is a professional institution that participates in standards work, organizing specialist groups on specific subjects for input to BSI. For further information, contact (information TBD). _C_B_E_M_A_:__C_o_m_p_u_t_e_r__a_n_d__B_u_s_i_n_e_s_s__E_q_u_i_p_m_e_n_t__M_a_n_u_f_a_c_t_u_r_e_r_s__A_s_s_o_c_i_a_t_i_o_n CBEMA is a trade organization whose primary function is to represent large manufacturers of hardware-based information technologies equipment in lobbying about public policy. In addition, it provides education programs, information exchange forums, and deals with the industry's public image. CBEMA has long had an interest in standards. It serves as the secretariat for X3. It also offers a standards and technology program where its members can exchange information on standards issues and industry standards. Copyright c 1991 IEEE. All rights reserved. This is an unapproved IEEE Standards Draft, subject to change. 306 C Standards Infrastructure Description ENVIRONMENT INTERIM DOCUMENT P1003.0/D13 CBEMA's members are mostly large manufacturers because its dues are tied to corporate revenues and structured in a way that makes it too expensive for small companies to join. Members are either American companies or US subsidiaries of non-American companies. For more information, contact CBEMA, 311 First Street, NW, Suite 500, Washington, DC 20001-2178, Telephone: (202) 626-5740. _C_O_D_A_S_Y_L_:__T_h_e__C_o_n_f_e_r_e_n_c_e__o_n__D_a_t_a__S_y_s_t_e_m_s__L_a_n_g_u_a_g_e_s The Conference on Data Systems Language (CODASYL) has been active since 1960 in the development of the COBOL language, through its COBOL Committee (CC). Since 1969, it also has been active in the development of a common Data Description Language for defining schemas and subschemas, and in a data manipulation language, through the DBTG Data Base Task Group of the CC. The activities of the CC are documented in the COBOL Journal of Development, which serves as the official COBOL language specification. In 1969, ANSI (then the United States of America Standards Institute) issued the first COBOL standard. At that time, the X3.4 committee stated that X3.4 recognizes the CODASYL COBOL Committee as the development and maintenance authority for COBOL. In practice, this meant that ANSI agreed not to make any changes to the CODASYL-defined language specification. Although this agreement has been challenged over the years, the CODASYL-ANSI agreement is still strong. As a result, the CODASYL has enormous influence upon the COBOL language. Toward the end of 1971, a new CODASYL committee was established--the Data Description Language Committee (DDLC). The DDLC was formed to serve the same functions for the schema DDL as the CC does for COBOL. That is, since the schema DDL is a conceptual schema and network-model database language for use with many programming languages, not just COBOL, the DDLC continues the schema DDL development and publishes its own Journal of Development documenting the language's current status. The COBOL DML and subschema DDL (for defining an external view) of the DBTG are COBOL-specific and have remained part of the CC under the name ``The COBOL Data Base Facility.'' The CODASYL membership is composed of voluntary representatives, mostly from computer manufacturers and users in industry and the US Federal government. _C_O_S_:__C_o_r_p_o_r_a_t_i_o_n__f_o_r__O_p_e_n__S_y_s_t_e_m_s COS is a US-based, international, nonprofit association of vendors and users, formed in 1985 to promote and accelerate the adoption of interoperable, multivendor products and services based on OSI and ISDN Copyright c 1991 IEEE. All rights reserved. This is an unapproved IEEE Standards Draft, subject to change. C.3 The Informal Standards Organizations 307