Friday, 13 February 1997
     
     
MEMORANDUM FOR The Ada Community
     
From:	Mark W. Skall
	Chief, Software Diagnostics and Conformance Testing Division
     
Subject: Transfer Ada Certification Authority from the NIST to the AJPO
	 AND extend use of ACVC, Version 2.0.1
     
     
The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) announces that it 
is transferring administration of the Ada Validation Program (AVP) to the 
Ada Joint Program Office (AJPO) in the Department of Defense effective 6 
April 1997. The transfer of the NIST Ada Validation Facility (Ada validation 
services) to the AJPO will be effective 6 July 1997. Under this program in 
the past, NIST operated the Ada validation program for AJPO, conducted 
validation testing for the Ada Programming Language (ANSI/ISO/IEC 
8652:1995), issued certificates of validation for Ada compilers tested and 
developed Version 2.1 of the Ada Compiler Validation Capability (ACVC) test 
suite.  
     
NIST is refocusing its programs for information technology to provide 
technical leadership in the development of tests that permit traceability to 
basic metrics and standards. To support these goals, NIST is concentrating 
on the development of conformance tests for new, emerging information 
technologies and not on the operation of software testing services and the 
issuance of certificates.   
     
In addition, NIST announces that the use of the Ada Validation Test Suite, 
ACVC Version 2.0.1, has been extended to 6 July 1997.  Ada implementations 
may be validated with either ACVC Version 2.1 when it becomes available on 
or about 6 April 1997 or with ACVC Version 2.0.1.  AJPO will require the use 
of the Ada Validation Test Suite, ACVC Version 2.1, on and after 6 July 
1997.  The expiration dates for Ada Validation Certificates based upon ACVC 
Version 1.11, ACVC Version 2.0, and ACVC Version 2.0.1 remain unchanged and 
shall expire 31 March 1998. Concurrently with the release of ACVC Version 
2.1, will be the release of the Ada Validation Procedures, Version 5.0 for 
Ada validations using ACVC Version 2.1.
     
The Beta release of ACVC Version 2.1 is available for review and comment 
from the URL servers listed below.  The Beta release is identified as ACVC 
Version 2.1-Beta and is NOT the final version.  The NIST is currently making 
changes to the Beta release of ACVC Version 2.1 to correct tests such as 
those that have been recently withdrawn.  Ada Validations MUST use the final 
ACVC Version 2.1 (without the suffix of "-Beta").  The final ACVC Version 
2.1 will be available from the sources below. 
     
For information about the AJPO Ada Programs, including the latest Ada 
Validation Test Suite WITHDRAWN test list, the ACVC Version 2.1, and the Ada 
Validation Procedures Version 5.0, use AJPO Universal Resource Locator 
(URL):  http://sw-eng.falls-church.va.us/AdaIC/compilers, or contact the Ada 
Information Clearinghouse:
     
      for standard mail:
     
	Ada Information Clearinghouse
 	P.O. Box 1866
	Falls Church, VA  22041-1866
	USA

     for express mail:

	Ada Information Clearinghouse
	CODE JEXAA
	5600 Columbia Pike
	Falls Church, VA  22041
	USA
	Telephone:  800-232-4211

     
For information about the NIST Conformance Test Programs--test suites, 
validation procedures, and validated products--, use the NIST Universal 
Resource Locator (URL): ftp://speckle.ncsl.nist.gov/vpl/intro.htm.
For questions about this announcement contact L. Arnold Johnson by 
phone 301-975-3247 or by email johnson@speckle.ncsl.nist.gov.