[Federal Register Volume 59, Number 127 (Tuesday, July 5, 1994)] [Unknown Section] [Page 0] From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov] [FR Doc No: 94-16113] [[Page Unknown]] [Federal Register: July 5, 1994] ----------------------------------------------------------------------- DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE [Docket No. 940670-4170] RIN 0693-AB26 Proposed Revision of Federal Information Processing Standard (FIPS) 125-1, MUMPS (Massachusetts General Hospital Utility Multi- Programming System) AGENCY: National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), Commerce. ACTION: Notice; Request for comments. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- SUMMARY: This proposed revision of Federal Information Processing Standard (FIPS) 125-1, MUMPS (Massachusetts General Hospital Utility Multi-Programming System), will adopt the revised voluntary industry specifications, ANSI/MDC X11.1-199X. The American National Standard for M (also known as MUMPS, [MASSACHUSETTS GENERAL HOSPITAL UTILITY MULTI- PROGRAMMING SYSTEM]) specifies the form and establishes the interpretation of programs written in the M programming language. Prior to the submission of this proposed revision to the Secretary of Commerce for review and approval, it is essential to assure that consideration is given to the needs and views of manufacturers, the public, and state and local governments. The purpose of this notice is to solicit such views. This proposed FIPS contains two sections: (1) An announcement section, which provides information concerning the applicability, implementation, and maintenance of the standard; and (2) a specifications section which deals with the technical requirements of the standard. Only the announcement section of the standard is provided in this notice. Interested parties may obtain copies of the technical specifications (ANSI/MDC X11.1-199X) from the MUMPS Development Committee (MDC) Secretariat, 1738 Elton Road, Suite 205, Silver Spring, MD 20903, (301) 431-4070, FAX (301) 431-0017. DATES: Comments on this proposed revision must be received on or before October 3, 1994. ADDRESSES: Written comments concerning the proposed revision should be sent to: Director, Computer Systems Laboratory, ATTN: Proposed FIPS 125-2, M, Technology Building, Room B-154, National Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, MD 20899. Written comments received in response to this notice will be made part of the public record and will be made available for inspection and copying in the Central Reference and Records Inspection Facility, Room 6020, Herbert C. Hoover Building, 14th Street between Pennsylvania and Constitution Avenues, NW., Washington, DC 20230. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Dr. William H. Dashiell, National Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, MD 20899, (301) 975-2490. Dated: June 27, 1994. Samuel Kramer, Associate Director. Proposed Federal Information Processing Standards Publication 125-2 (Supersedes FIPS PUB 125-1--1993 June 10) (date) Announcing the Standard for M (Also Known as MUMPS [MASSACHUSETTS GENERAL HOSPITAL UTILITY MULTI-PROGRAMMING SYSTEM]) Federal Information Processing Standards Publications (FIPS PUBS) are issued by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) after approval by the Secretary of Commerce pursuant to Section 111(d) of the Federal Property and Administrative Services Act of 1949, as amended by the Computer Security Act of 1987, Public Law 100-235. 1. Name of Standard. M (also known as MUMPS [MASSACHUSETTS GENERAL HOSPITAL UTILITY MULTI-PROGRAMMING SYSTEM]) (FIPS PUB 125-2). 2. Category of Standard. Software Standard, Programming Language. 3. Explanation. This publication announces the adoption of American National Standard for M, ANSI/MDC X11.1-199X, as a Federal Information Processing Standard (FIPS). The American National Standard for M, ANSI/ MDC X11.1-199X, specifies the form and establishes the interpretation of programs written in the M programming language. The purpose of the standard is to promote portability of M programs for use on a variety of data processing systems. The standard is for use by implementors as the reference authority in developing compilers, interpreters, or other forms of high level language processors; and by other computer professionals who need to know the precise syntactic and semantic rules adopted by ANSI. This publication is a revision of FIPS PUB 125-1 and supersedes that document in its entirety. 4. Approving Authority. Secretary of Commerce. 5. Maintenance Agency. U.S. Department of Commerce, National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), Computer Systems Laboratory (CSL). 6. Cross Index. American National Standard for Information System-- Programming Language--M (also known as MUMPS [MASSACHUSETTS GENERAL HOSPITAL UTILITY MULTI-PROGRAMMING SYSTEM]), ANSI/MDC X11.1-199X. 7. Related Documents.* --------------------------------------------------------------------------- *Refers to most recent revision of FIPS PUBS. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- a. Federal Information Resources Management Regulations subpart 201-20.303, Standards, and subpart 201-39.1002, Federal Standards. b. FIPS PUB 29-3, Interpretation Procedures for Federal Information Processing Standards for Software. c. NBS Special Publication 500-117, Selection and Use of General- Purpose Programming Languages. d. NIST, Validated Products List, (republished quarterly). Available by subscription from the National Technical Information Service (NTIS). 8. Objectives. Federal standards for high level programming languages permit Federal departments and agencies to exercise more effective control over the production, management, and use of the Government's information resources. The primary objectives of Federal programming language standards are: --To encourage more effective utlilization and management of programmers by ensuring that programming skills acquired on one job are transportable to other jobs, thereby reducing the cost of programmer retraining. --To reduce the cost of program development by achieving the increased programmer productivity that is inherent in the use of high level programming languages; --To reduce the overall software costs by making it easier and less expensive to maintain programs and to transfer programs among different computer systems, including replacement systems; and --To protect the existing software assets of the Federal Government by ensuring to the maximal feasible extent that Federal programming language standards are technically sound and that subsequent revisions are compatible with the installed base. Government wide attainment of the above objectives depends upon the widespread availability and use of comprehensive and precise standard language specifications. 9. Applicability. a. Federal standards for high level programming languages are applicable for computer applications and programs that are either developed or acquired for government use. FIPS M is one of the high level programming language standards provided for use by all Federal departments and agencies. FIPS M is suitable for the data processing applications which include but are not limited to: --Those involving the creation and manipulation of string-oriented or text-oriented collections of data; --Those requiring interactive data management. b. The use of FIPS high level programming languages applies when one or more of the following situations exist: --It is anticipated that the life of the program will be longer than the life of the presently utilized equipment. --The application or program is under constant review for updating of the specifications, and changes may result frequently. --The program is to be understood and maintained by programmers other than the original ones. --The advantages of improved program design, debugging, documentation and intelligibility can be obtained through the use of this high level language regardless of interchange potential. --The program is or is likely to be used by organizations outside the Federal Government (i.e., State and local governments, and others). --The program is being used for ``cooperative'' processing across multiple processing platforms (e.g., desktops, servers, and mainframes). c. Nonstandard language features should be used only when the needed operation or function cannot reasonably be implemented with the portable features alone. Although nonstandard language features can be very useful, it should be recognized that their use may make the interchange of programs and future conversion to a revised standard or replacement processor more difficult and costly. d. Programmatic requirements also may be more economically and efficiently satisfied by the use of automatic program generators. However, if the final output of a program generator is a M source program, then the resulting program should conform to the conditions and specifications of FIPS M. 10. Specifications. FIPS M (also known as MUMPS [MASSACHUSETTS GENERAL HOSPITAL UTILITY MULTI-PROGRAMMING SYSTEM]) specifications are the language specifications continued in American National Standard for Information System--Programming Language--M (also known as MUMPS, [MASSACHUSETTS GENERAL HOSPITAL UTILITY MULTI-PROGRAMMING SYSTEM]), ANSI/MDC X11.1-199X. a. The ANSI/MDC X11.1-199X document specifies the representation, syntax, and semantics for M programs; the representation of input and output data processed by M programs; and the restrictions and limitations imposed by an implementation of M conforming to the ANSI/ MDC X11.1-199X standard. b. The standard does not specify: --The mechanisms by which M programs are transformed or invoked for use by a data processing system; --The mechanisms by which input data are transformed for use by a M program or output data are transformed after being produced by a M program; --The limits on program size or complexity except when and where applicable to an application as specified in Part 2: M Portability Requirements of ANSI/MDC X11.1-199X; --The results when the rules of the standard fail to establish an interpretation; --The minimal requirements of a data processing system that is capable of supporting a conforming implementation. 11. Implementation. The implementation of FIPS M involves four areas of consideration: the effective date, acquisition of M processors, interpretation of FIPS M, and validation of processors. 1.1 Effective Date. This revised standard becomes effective six (6) months after the publication in the Federal Register announcing approval by the Secretary of Commerce. M Processors acquired for Federal use after this date should conform to FIPS PUB 125-2. A transition period provides time for industry to produce M language processors conforming to the standard. The transition period begins on the effective date and continues for 90 days thereafter. The provisions of FIPS PUB 125-2 apply to orders placed after the effective date of this publication. If, during the transition period, a processor conforming to FIPS PUB 125-2 is not available, a processor conforming to FIPS PUB 125-1 may be acquired for interim use during the transition period. This transition period is intended to give implementations time to make the enhancements necessary to enable conformance to FIPS PUB 125- 2. No further transitional period is necessary. 11.2 Acquisition of M Processors. Conformance of FIPS M should be considered whether M processors are developed internally, acquired as part of an ADP system procurement, acquired by separate procurement, used under an ADP leasing arrangement, or specified for use in contracts for programming services. Recommended terminology for procurement of FIPS M is contained in the U.S. General Services Administration publication Federal ADP & Telecommunications Standards Index, Chapter 4 Part 1. 11.3 Interpretation of FIPS M. The National Institute of Standards and Technology provides for the resolution of questions (see FIPS PUB 29-3, Interpretation Procedures for FIPS Software, 29 October 1992) regarding the specifications and requirements, and issues official interpretations as needed. All questions about the interpretation of this standard should be addressed to: Director, Computer Systems Laboratory, Attn: FIPS M Interpretation, National Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, MD 20899, Voice: 301-975-2490, Fax: 301-948-6213, E-mail: [email protected]. 11.4 Validation of M Processors. Implementations of FIPS M shall be validated in accordance with the NIST Computer Systems Laboratory (CSL) validation procedures for FIPS M. Recommended procurement terminology for validation of FIPS M is contained in the U.S. General Service Administration (GSA) publication Federal ADP & Telecommunications Standards Index, Chapter 4 Part 2. This GSA publication provides terminology for three validation options: Delayed Validation, Prior Validation Testing, and Prior Validation. The agency shall select the appropriate validation option and shall specify whether a Validation Summary Report or Certificate of Validation is required. The agency shall specify appropriate time frames for validation and correction of nonconformities. The agency is advised to refer to the NIST publication Validated Product List for information about the validation status of M products. This information may be used to specify validation time frames that are not unduly restrictive of competition. The agency shall specify the criteria used to determine whether a Validation Summary Report (VSR) or Certificate is applicable to the hardware/software environment of the M implementation offered. The criteria for applicability of a VSR or Certificate should be appropriate to the size and timing of the procurement. A large procurement may require that the offered version/release of the M implementation shall be validated in a specified hardware/software environment and that the validation shall be conducted with specified hardware/software features or parameter settings; e.g. the same parameter settings to be used in a performance benchmark. An agency with a single/license procurement may review the Validated Products List to determine the applicability of existing VSRs or Certificates to the agency's hardware/software environment. M implementations shall be evaluated using a NIST approved test suite. For further information contact: Director, Computer Systems Laboratory, Attn: FIPS M Validation, National Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, MD 20899, Voice: 301-975-2490, Fax: 301- 948-6213, E-mail: [email protected]. 12. Waivers. Under certain exceptional circumstances, the heads of Federal departments and agencies may approve waivers to Federal Information Processing Standards (FIPS). The head of such agency may redelegate such authority only to a senior official designated pursuant to section 3506(b) of title 44, U.S. Code. Waivers shall be granted only when: a. Compliance with a standard would adversely affect the accomplishment of the mission of an operator of a Federal computer system, or b. Cause a major adverse financial impact on the operator which is not offset by Government wide savings. Agency heads may act upon a written waiver request containing the information detailed above. Agency heads may also act without a written waiver request when they determine that conditions for meeting the standard cannot be met. Agency heads may approve waivers only by a written decision which explains the basis on which the agency head made the required finding(s). A copy of each such decision, with procurement sensitive or classified portions clearly identified, shall be sent to: National Institute of Standards and Technology; Attn: FIPS Waiver Decisions, Technology Building, Room B-154; Gaithersburg, MD 20899. In addition, notice of each waiver granted and each delegation of authority to approve waivers shall be sent promptly to the Committee on Government Operations of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Governmental Affairs of the Senate and shall be published promptly in the Federal Register. When the determination on a waiver applies to the procurement of equipment and/or services, a notice of the waiver determination must be published in the Commerce Business Daily as a part of the notice of solicitation for offers of an acquisition or, if the waiver determination is made after that notice is published, by amendment to such notice. A copy of the waiver, any supporting documents, the document approving the waiver and any supporting and accompanying documents, with such deletions as the agency is authorized and decides to make under 5 U.S.C. 552(b), shall be part of the procurement documentation and retained by the agency. 13. Special Information. Agencies should consider adopting programming guidelines on the use of standard language features where determined appropriate. It is recommended that agencies assess changes that may be forthcoming in future revisions of the ANSI/MDC X11.1-199X standard. For information on revisions to this standard, contact the M Development Committee at: M Development Committee Secretariat, 1738 Elton Road, Suite 205, Silver Spring, Maryland 20903 U.S.A., Telephone: (301) 779-6555, Fax: (301) 779-7674. 14. Where to Obtain Copies. Copies of this publication are for sale by the National Technical Information Service, U.S. Department of Commerce, Springfield, VA 22161. (Sale of the included specifications document is by arrangement with the American National Standards Institute.) When ordering, refer to Federal Information Processing Standards Publication 125-2 (FIPSPUB125-2), and title. Payment may be made by check, money order, or deposit account. [FR Doc. 94-16113 Filed 7-1-94; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 3510-CN-M