Common modules: a developer´s exchangeability viewpoint

The author presents an overview of Unisys´ development of YF-23 ATF baseline models for the DAMES simulation efforts. Unisys is developing a set of advanced computer modules to meet the DOD airborne processing needs of the next decade. The system baseline for the modules is the Air Force´s Pave Pillar Architecture. The architecture is a distributed processing system with intersubsystems communications via a fiber-optic high-speed data bus. Within each subsystem, backplane communication is via the parallel interface bus and the test and maintenance bus. Since these three buses are the key to the success of interoperability and exchangeability of DOD modules from different vendors, the Joint Integrated Avionics Working Group has chartered the DAMES program to identify the ambiguities and shortcomings of these bus specifications. The simulation phase is described, and details of the module verification phase are presented