This just in. I haven't seen it posted so I thought I would. ===========================begin forwarded message========================= IBM-Led Consortium Signs Federal Contract to Develop NII Protocol Sept. 16 CONTRACTS/VENTURES HPCwire ============================================================================= A news release from IBM Corporation -- Somers, N.Y. -- A consortium of organizations led by IBM has been awarded a contract by the U.S. government to develop open industry software protocols that will integrate computing environments across the U.S. manufacturing base. The protocols, based on object-oriented technology using Distributed System Object Model (DSOM) and System Object Model (SOM), will make it easy for organizations of any size to share the same information so they can work more cooperatively and efficiently on projects together. The Cooperative Agreement that was just signed with the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) calls for the development of National Industrial Information Infrastructure Protocols (NIIIP) as part of the Technology Reinvestment Project (TRP). NIIIP will allow disparate systems of different manufacturers to be linked and exchange information real-time so companies can work as a single, integrated "virtual enterprise" to address a business opportunity. Much of the NIIIP work will be consolidating and "harmonizing" the many sets of existing protocols, and then doing pilot projects and demonstration work to prove the efficacy of the recommended approach. The NIIIP protocols are viewed by the DoD's Advanced Research Projects Agency (ARPA) as one of the fundamental building blocks of the National Information Infrastructure (NII). Since all U.S. manufacturing companies will be able to use the NIIIP protocols, the government expects that American industry's competitiveness will increase with their use. The TRP is designed to link the best of America's defense and commercial industries. TRP projects are intended to create "dual use" technologies that have both military and commercial applications. They help defense firms make the transition to commercial markets, prepare defense engineers and workers for the manufacturing industries of the future, and help prepare commercial firms to provide defense products in case of national emergencies. The $60 million project is made up of federal matching funds and existing and incremental development costs, as well as in-kind funds from the consortium members. The consortium members will invest more than half of the total project costs. In addition to IBM, the other members of the consortium are: STEP Tools, Inc.; Enterprise Integration Technologies; UES, Inc.; the University of Florida; Texas Instruments Incorporated; Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute; Digital Equipment Corporation; Lockheed Aeronautical Systems Company; MESC Electronic Systems, Inc.; International TechneGroup Incorporated; Taligent; CAD Framework Initiative, Inc.; General Dynamics, Electric Boat Division and the National Institute of Standards and Technology. The NIIIP proposal was sponsored by the IBM Manufacturing Industry and also includes participation by the IBM Microelectronics Division, Software Solutions Division, and the Networking Software Division. Their products include a broad array of software, hardware, and integration services to provide concurrent engineering and computer-integrated manufacturing (CIM) that help manufacturers reduce time to market, improve product quality and lower unit costs, while meeting environmental and other international standards. As overall Program Manager, IBM will manage the system design, development, and integration, as well as the establishment of commercial channels for delivery of the project's resultant software products, planned for completion in 1998. IBM also will be responsible for skills transfer through its CIM in Higher Education Alliance, a nationwide IBM-sponsored organization consisting of 97 U.S. colleges, universities and technical institutions. Selection of the IBM-led consortium's proposal from among the 2,850 proposals submitted is a significant endorsement of IBM's leadership in the field of information technology with proven experience in creating open software products, providing technical software support, and managing a broad array of distribution channels. The DoD announced earlier this year that it had selected this consortium to develop NIIIP under the TRP, but it held off formally approving the deal until the Cooperative Agreement was reached. ***************************************************************************** H P C w i r e S P O N S O R S Product specifications and company information in this section are available to both subscribers and non-subscribers. *900) Ampex 915) Genias Software 916) MasPar Computer 912) Avalon Computer *930) HNSX Supercomputers 905) Maximum Strategy 921) Cray Research Inc. 902) IBM Corp. 906) nCUBE 907) Digital Equipment 904) Intel SSD *932) Portland Group 909) Fujitsu America 928) Kendall Square Res 935) Silicon Graphics *Updated information within last 30 days ***************************************************************************** Copyright 1994 HPCwire. To receive the weekly HPCwire at no charge, send e-mail without text to "trial@hpcwire.ans.net". =========================end forwarded message=============================== Any thoughts? (In a vain attempt to attract people from RE: HIT MEN) _/_/_/ _/_/_/ _/ _/ _/_/_/ _/ _/ Disobedience is the true _/ _/ _/ _/ _/ _/ _/_/ _/ foundation of liberty. _/_/_/ _/ _/ _/ _/ _/_/_/ _/ _/ _/ The obedient must be slaves. _/ _/ _/ _/ _/ _/ _/_/_/_/ _/ _/_/_/ _/_/_/ _/_/_/ _/_/_/ _/ _/ _/_/_/ "Civil Disobedience" _/ (Thoreau)