Wind River VxWorks 653 is now in line with the standard FACE (Future Airborne Capability Environment). What this means for our customers in the rest of the world ?
Download the free guide
Boost your gains
VxWorks 653 has been certified to conform to the “Safety Base Profile” of the party operating system (OSS Operating System Segment) FACE. First commercial product (COTS) to take this important step of certification in the FACE, it can now be quickly integrated with other software components that are also certified compliant with the standard.
But what is FACE exactly ? The page FACE on the website of the Open Group provides us with a definition, ” The approach is a standard software but also a business strategy developed in partnership between government entities and industry to facilitate the acquisition of affordable systems that promotes innovation and rapid integration of functionality reusable on different defense programs. “Therefore, it is an approach that brings together a number of standards within a single framework, and adds a strategy for the acquisition of systems in the FACE. Like all open standards, the existence of an authority in charge of conformance testing is essential to ensure interoperability.
It is not surprising that VxWorks 653 is the first real-time kernel to get compliance because of its reputation and innovations that it brings to commercial aviation, in accordance with the standard ARINC 653. During its development, Wind River has invested in features that go further than the support ARINC 653 in particular on the separation of roles according to the descriptions of the standard EUROCAE ED-124 (RTCA DO-297 in the United States).
To return to compliance with the standard FACE, it is already required in a number of programs, and the goal is that it be respected for ALL future american aircraft. All suppliers to the Us Defense Department will therefore need to take this into account, whether they are based in the United States or not. This standard is available free of charge on the website of the Open Group, and with the availability of commercial products(COTS) that comply as VxWorks 653, it is simple to access and use.
In addition, given that the american planes are selling in the world, and given the increasing adoption of FACEin these aircraft, it would be absurd on the economic plan that the manufacturers align to different standards. A number of factors must be taken into account, starting with the national security of the United States. Systems reserved to the u.s. territory (as militarily classified) will not be included in the aircraft exported, and local systems must therefore be installed in place. However, in all cases, the use of FACEwill be a valuable aid ; let us not forget that among the objectives of this standard figure “the rapid integration of features reusable”.
This approach could be proven in contexts such as that of NATO, where interoperability between nations is essential vis-à-vis commitments of the coalition. And of course, this would push other nations to adopt the standard FACE, or at least to include systems compliant in the FACE in their aircraft.
Finally, the success of this standard is that it begins to influence other sectors of activity. And rightly so : there is nothing in its objectives is not restricted to a use in aviation. The work underway in the framework of the Open Process Automation Forum (another initiative of the Open Group) are a good example ; the objectives being to develop an architecture of process control systems and automation standards-based, open, secure and interoperable. The FAQ of the forum indicates, moreover, that ” the approach adopted by the consortium FACEon the comprehensive plan will be very important (focusing on the creation of a win-win situation both for vendors and for users) “.
To summarize, the standard for FACEhas beautiful days in front of it, and his progression is far from being limited to the sector of avionics.
About Wind River
Wind River, subsidiary of Intel® Corporation (NASDAQ : INTC) is a world leader in software for the Internet of things. The company is at the forefront of computer-embedded devices since 1981 and its technology is found in the heart of more than 2 billion products. Wind River offers a complete portfolio of solutions to seize the opportunities and face the challenges of the Iot. This range of solutions based on professional services and international world class, on-time customer support award-winning, as well as a broad ecosystem of partners. Wind River delivers the technology and software to innovation and deployment of intelligent systems safe, secure, and reliable. For more information, visit windriver.com.
# # #
Download the free guide
Boost your gains
