White Paper

w w w. m r c y. c o m WHITE PAPER 2 Mercury Systems and Open Systems Architectures - OpenVPX "Mercury Systems, with strong partnerships, drove Open- VPX, helping to standardize embedded computing within defense electronics. We are now determined to do the same for RF and Microwave systems for EW and SIGINT…" Didier Thibaud- President, Mercury Commercial Electronics. For most of modern history, embedded computing solutions and subsys- tems used in defense electronics were a patchwork quilt of technolo- gies. Lacking in interoperability, standardization, clear performance criteria, adequate connector bandwidth or support for multi-processing systems- the embedded processing space within defense electronics was ripe for a change. Customers were frustrated, costs were rising, program integrity and timing was constantly put at risk, and each vendor was marching to the beat of its own drummer. In the first decade of the 21st Century- Mercury Systems (then Mercury Computer Systems) saw this unacceptable situation and took steps to fix it. Working with the very customers who were voicing their frustra- tion, Mercury set up a working group of industry participants: partners, customers themselves, and other players within defense electronics including competitors, to build a true standard so processing subsys- tems could interoperate. The governing body, VITA (VME International Trade Association) was critical to helping build a true open standard for embedded processing within defense electronics. With that said, VITA is only as good as the participants involved and only as strong an in- fluencer as the working group that gets established. Mercury Systems led the formation of the OpenVPX working group, today made up of 28 industry participants. The process could have taken years. But Mercury knew customers, the DoD and other commercial and government entities didn't have years to wait. With that in mind, Mercury Systems led the establishment of an OpenVPX working group in January 2009. By June 2010 ANSI, the globally recognized non-profit group with standards governance credibility, formally ratified OpenVPX as a true open architecture and standard. The time between early standards development, formation of a working group and final ratification often takes 10 years or more. The timing of OpenVPX, from concept to completion, reflects Mercury's commitment, strong participation by other industry players and clear evidence that it was meeting an urgent unmet need. In the ensuing years Mercury Systems leadership with OpenVPX has helped establish a robust ecosystem of technology providers which, when taken as a whole, have begun to reduce internal R&D (IRAD) and force better cost certainty within the prime contractor base as well as the DoD itself. There is still much work to be done here, but without the OpenVPX open standard, progress on this front would be far slower and innovation far more halting. Today, there is better interoperability, cost certainty, risk mitigation, affordability, and technology innovation in part because of the rise and adoption of the OpenVPX standard. Open Systems and the Department of Defense The open systems initiative within DoD began in earnest November, 1994 when the Office of the Secretary of Defense directed that all DoD agencies use open systems and standards for acquisition for weapon systems and programs. The Open Systems Joint Task Force (OSJTF) was set up to promote open systems and standards within the defense industrial base. The preferred approach for implementation of open systems, previously called Modular Open Systems Approach (MOSA), is now called simply Open Systems Architecture (OSA). While some modest progress has been made in the twenty years that have elapsed since the 1994 open systems directive, a key measure was taken to add more traction to this key initiative when in June 2013, an OSA "Contract Guidebook for Program Managers" was published. This guidebook was prepared by the Department of Defense Open Systems Architecture Data Rights Team and provides the first prescriptive "paint by the numbers" approach on how open architec- tures should be developed and rolled-out for key defense programs. Within the contract guidebook an Open Architecture is defined as; "a technical architecture that adopts open standards supporting a modular, loosely coupled and highly cohesive system structure that includes publishing of key inter- faces within the system and full design disclosure. A key enabler for open architecture is the adoption of an open business model, which requires doing business transpar- ently to leverage the collaborative innovation of numer- ous participants across the enterprise permitting shared risk, maximize asset reuse and reduce total ownership costs. The combination of open architecture and an open business model permits the acquisition of Open Systems Architectures that yield modular, interoperable systems allowing components to be added, modified, replaced, removed and/or supported by different vendors throughout the life cycle in order to drive opportunities for enhanced competition and innovation." The OSA guidebook does an ex- cellent job of laying out specifical- ly what is expected of commercial entities who support the defense industrial base as it relates to open system architectures. Right- fully so however, it is left to the industry participants themselves, to drive the necessary innovation and standards activities, to make it a reality. Open Systems Architecture adoption has been directed by DoD for some time, but why haven't they been leveraged in the RF and Microwave realm? OSA Guidebook Office of the Secretary of Defense

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