IEEE and The Open Group Launch POSIX Certification Program.

Business Editors/High-Tech Writers

PISCATAWAY, N.J. & SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nov. 3, 2003

The IEEE and The Open Group today launched a new program to certify products to the 2003 edition of IEEE 1003.1(TM)-2001, "Standard for Information Technology--Portable Operating System Interface (POSIX)(R)," which incorporates the IEEE 1003.1 Corrigendum.

Under the POSIX: Certified by the IEEE and The Open Group Program, suppliers can substantiate claims of conformance to POSIX based on defined test suites so buyers gain assurance that products they specify and procure meet the standard and are warranted by the vendor to do so. POSIX certification complements certifications for other products that draw on the POSIX standard, such as those for the UNIX(R) system, the COE Platform and LSB(TM).

The POSIX certification program is a voluntary program, but is required of suppliers who wish to use the POSIX trademark. POSIX certification is open to any product meeting the conformance requirements and is not restricted to any particular operating system implementation. The program includes a product standard for each type of product that can be certified within the POSIX Certification Program. In this initial iteration of the certification program these are as follows:

- 1003.1-2003 Base Product Standard: This is a profile product standard that comprises the mandatory functionality from IEEE Std 1003.1(TM), 2003 Edition. It is comprised of two component product standards.

- 1003.1(TM)-2003 System Interfaces Product Standard: This is a component product standard for the mandatory system interfaces and headers related functionality from IEEE Std 1003.1(TM).

- 1003.1(TM)-2003 Shell and Utilities Product Standard: This is a component product standard for the mandatory shell and utilities related functionality from IEEE Std 1003.1(TM).

A product can be certified against one or more product standards and the program allows for two levels of certification: Platform Specific Certification, which applies to a single defined hardware and software environment, and Product Family Certification, which applies to all members of a binary-compatible family.

"The new POSIX certification program is affordable and practical for products associated with many systems, including UNIX and Linux," said Allen Brown, President and CEO of The Open Group. "Given the broad acceptance that POSIX now enjoys, we anticipate the new program will be widely accepted in government, industry and elsewhere."

Jerry Peterson, IEEE-SA President, notes that suppliers who state their products conform to POSIX will be expected to warranty that compliance. "They will have to guarantee that their products conform to the standard throughout their life," he says. "Any certified product that falls out of conformance will have to be fixed promptly under the warranty."

"The objective of the POSIX Certification Program is to encourage and facilitate the development and market availability of products that meet the standards. The test suites we have developed will greatly help developers and quality assurance teams to ensure that their product meets the standards. This will allow only for eligible products to be marketed as compliant," says Andrew Josey, Director of Certification for The Open Group.

IEEE-SA will license the POSIX trademark for use with certified products. The Open Group is the certification authority and administers the web-based certification system and the two test suites needed for certification.

The POSIX trademark can be optionally licensed for use in association with certified products meeting the 10003.1-2003 Base Product Standard. The POSIX certification system is a web-based workflow system designed to lead applicants through the process to submit a product for certification. The two POSIX Conformance test suites, VSX-PCTS2003 and VSC-PCTS2003, are freely available to organizations that register to apply for certification.

More information about the program, including all supporting documentation is found at http://posixcertified.ieee.org/.

About IEEE 1003.1

The 2003 edition of IEEE 1003.1 was developed by the Austin Group, a joint working group of the IEEE, The Open Group and ISO/IEC JTC1/SC22/WG15. It includes IEEE 1003.1-2001 and IEEE 1003.1-2001/Cor 1-2002. This edition replaces IEEE 1003.1-1996, "IEEE Standard for POSIX--Part 1: System Application: Program Interface (API) (C Language)," and IEEE 1003.2-1992, "IEEE Standard for POSIX--Part 2". The 2003 edition is also simultaneously referred to as ISO/IEC 9945:2003 and The Open Group Technical Standard Base Specifications Issue 6.

About the POSIX Conformance Test Suites

Two new test suites have been introduced as indicators of compliance for the product standards within the certification program. VSX-PCTS2003 is the indicator of compliance for the 1003.1-2003 System Interfaces Product Standard, and tests the mandatory C language system interfaces and headers. VSC-PCTS2003 is the indicator of compliance for the 1003.1-2003 Shell and Utilities Product Standard, and tests the mandatory utilities and the shell command language. Both test suites follow the methods defined in the IEEE 2003 standard and use the Test Environment Toolkit (TET), an open-source multi-platform test execution management system created by The Open Group.

About The Open Group

The Open Group, a vendor-neutral and technology-neutral consortium, has a vision of Boundaryless Information Flow(TM) achieved through global interoperability in a secure, reliable and timely manner. The Open Group's mission is to drive the creation of Boundaryless Information Flow by working with customers to capture, understand and address current and emerging requirements, establish policies, and share best practices; working with suppliers, consortia and standards bodies to develop consensus and facilitate interoperability, to evolve and integrate specifications and open source technologies; offering a comprehensive set of services to enhance the operational efficiency of consortia; and developing and operating the industry's premier certification service and encouraging procurement of certified products. More information on our organization can be found at www.opengroup.org

About the IEEE Standards Association 

The IEEE Standards Association, a globally recognized standards-setting body, develops consensus standards through an open process that brings diverse parts of an industry together. These standards set specifications and procedures to ensure that products and services perform as intended. The IEEE-SA has a portfolio of more than 870 completed standards and more than 400 standards in development. Over 15,000 IEEE members worldwide belong to IEEE-SA and voluntarily participate in standards activities. For further information on IEEE-SA see: http://www.standards.ieee.org/.

About the IEEE

The IEEE has more than 380,000 members in approximately 150 countries. Through its members, the organization is a leading authority on areas ranging from aerospace, computers and telecommunications to biomedicine, electric power and consumer electronics. The IEEE produces nearly 30 percent of the world's literature in electrical and electronics engineering and in computer science. This nonprofit organization also sponsors or cosponsors more than 300 technical conferences each year. Additional information about the IEEE can be found at http://www.ieee.org.

Notes to editors:

The Open Group is a trademark of The Open Group.

UNIX is a registered trademark of The Open Group in the US and other countries.

POSIX is a registered trademark of the IEEE Inc.

LSB is a trademark of the Free Standards Group.