Accredited Standards Committee*	X3, Information Technology

NEWS RELEASE

Doc. No.:	PR/95-0124
Reply to:	Lynn Barra at lbarra@itic.nw.dc.us 


X3 Announces the Public Comment Period for 
X3.286:199x, Abstract Test Suite for FDDI Station Management 
Conformance Testing (FDDI SMT ATS) 


Washington D.C., December 1995 -- Accredited Standards Committee 
X3, Information Technology is announcing the public comment period for 
X3.286:199x.  The public review extends from January 19, 1996 to 
March 19, 1996.

This draft standard contains the abstract Test suites for the FDDI token 
ring Station Management (SMT) layer protocol.  The SMT Protocol is 
extensive and very complex.  In the development process, the protocol was 
broken into six separate areas.  Those areas dealt with Physical Connection 
management (PCM), Entity Coordination Management (ECM), Ring 
Management (RMT), Configuration Management (CMT), Frame Based 
Management (FBM) and Management Information Base (MIB).

This SMT ATS is divided along the same boundaries, with the exception 
that PCM and ECM are combined.  Those two concepts are tested together.  
The formal description language used for Abstract Test Suite (ATS) 
development is Tree & Tabular Combined Notational (TTCN) and is defined 
in ISO 9646, Information Technology OSI Conformance Testing 
Methodology and Framework.  TTCN is intended for higher layer protocol 
testing and requires the use of discreet Protocol Data Units (PDUs).  The 
TTCN notation is used in the test cases for RMT, RBM, and MIB.  It cannot 
be used for PCM, ECM and CFM.  These three protocols use line states as the 
method of conveying information.

Submit all comments to:  X3 Secretariat, Attn.:  Lynn Barra, 1250 Eye 
Street, NW, Suite 200, Washington, DC  20005.  Send a copy to:  ANSI, 
Attn.:  BSR Center, 11 West 42nd Street, New York, NY  10036.

A call for possible patents and pertinent issues (copyrights, trademarks) is 
also being issued.  Please submit information on these issues to the X3 
Secretariat at 1250 Eye Street NW, Suite 200, Washington DC  20005. 
Email: x3sec@itic.nw.dc.us   FAX:  (202)638-4922.

The document can be purchased from Global Engineering Documents, 15 
Inverness Way East, Englewood, CO  80112. Telephone:  303-792-2181; 
Fax:  303-792-2192.


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