AdaSAGE is a development environment designed to facilitate rapid and professional construction of systems in Ada by application developers. Management information systems (MIS) developers in each of the Services are turning to AdaSAGE to help them get their Ada applications on line quickly and reliably.

What is AdaSAGE?

AdaSAGE is an application development tool for Ada programmers, implemented as a set of some sixty to seventy Ada Packages -- a total of more than 350K lines of code, a set of executable programs used during application development and fielding, and complete documentation -- including a tutorial and HTML versions of the manuals. AdaSAGE provides developers with a comprehensive set of reusable application development tools combined synergistically to form a highly efficient persistent object applicaiton development paradigm.

Originally developed 10 years ago by EG&G Idaho, Inc. (under contract to the Idaho National Engineering Laboratory (INEL), a Department of Energy (DoE) laboratory) as SAGE, a tool for FORTRAN programmers, the tool was transitioned to Pascal and then Modula-2. (Of the original implementation languages, Modula-2 is still supported.) In 1987, under sponsorship of the Marine Corps, it was converted to Ada and called AdaSAGE. Although it originated as a DoE effort, AdaSAGE has been transitioned to the DoD via the Technology Transfer initiative.

The packages include libraries for sorting, data movement, file operations, report generation, and other functions. Many of them are independent and can be used within any Ada system without requiring the inclusion of the user-interface or database facilities.

AdaSAGE supports both single-user and multi-user applications. MultSAGE is a SAGE library component that provides the tools required to engineer a multi-user system. In general, MultSAGE provides capabilities for locking and unlocking records and relations within an application's schema, as well as a general purpose semaphore control system.

Multi-user support utilities include CONFIGUR, which allows dynamic configuration of an AdaSAGE system across a network environment, and MONITOR, which provides the multi-user database administrator with monitoring and recovery capabilities.

User Experiences

MPMIS

John Taylor, Chief of the Military Police Branch within the Information Systems Software Command (ISSC) in Washington, D.C., reports that his office has implemented a Military Police Information Management System (MPMIS) using MultSAGE over a Novell Network. MPMIS is used for vehicle registration, offense reporting, corrections reporting, POW information, and security control. MPMIS was developed for a 386 PC running MS-DOS. The entire system is approximately 250K LOC.

CIMS

Using AdaSAGE, Ken McCook, a programmer with the 1926th Communications Computer Systems Group at Robins AFB, Ga., has developed a Corrosion Information Management System (CIMS) that enables the Air Force to identify corrosion problems and to design product improvements. Because of the commonality of metals and corrosion treatments in military aircraft and artillery, CIMS has found acceptance throughout the Air Force and, more recently, in the DoD. McCook credits AdaSAGE and its large repository of reusable code for enabling him to develop and implement quickly -- with the added confidence of Ada libraries that have been tested and debugged.

Fleet Readiness

David Cuneo, chief of the TYCOM Readiness Branch at the Naval Computer and Telecommunications Area Master Station, Atlantic (NCTAMSLANT), reports that his personnel are currently developing their first system in Ada. After looking around for PC-based Ada tools, Cuneo said he could not find tools that compared favorably with AdaSAGE. NCTAMSLANT is currently using AdaSAGE in their conversion of a COBOL-based information system that provides the status on fleet readiness to a PC local-are network (LAN) application.

Marine Corps Applications

Capt. Gerald DePasquale of the USMC -- whose office is coordinating enhancements to AdaSAGE -- reports that the Marine Corps has developed over 25 standard business applications with AdaSAGE. These range in size from 1,000 LOC to 143,000 LOC. Marine Corps experience with AdaSAGE dates back to 1987 when they converted all Marine Corps systems written in Event Driven Language (EDL) and COBOL to AdaSAGE PC applications. Today, AdaSAGE and Ada are used for most microcomputer applications within the Marine Corps.

AdaSAGE Overseas

1st Lt Lloyd Biggs, of the Marine Corps Logistics Base in Albany, Ga., reports that three AdaSAGE systems were employed in Desert Storm to manage logistics. SASSY (Supported Activities Supply System), MIMMS (Marine Corps integrated Maintenance Management System), and SEMS (Standard Embarkation Management System) are implemented on a ruggedized 286-based PC; they helped to account for individual and unit combat equipment, major end items, and repair parts, and to develop ship-loading plans. Biggs states that his personnel have developed 12 systems with AdaSAGE since they first began using it in 1987. Two of these applications, an Executive Information System and a personnel-reporting system, are network applications running under BANYAN VINES.

AdaSAGE is a non-proprietary government-domain product, and does not require a license for development or application sites. Copies are occasionally distributed at conferences, etc., and you may be able to obtain copies from current holders. The enhanced AdaSAGE program and libraries are available through a number of sources. Some of these come with support and charge a fee; others do not charge.

NCTC
For disk copies of AdaSAGE, send thirteen 3-1/2" high-density (1.44-MB) diskettes for the Alsys version or ten 3-1/2" high-density (1.44-MB) diskettes for the Meridian version.

Code N912.4
Naval Computer and Telecommunications Area
Master Station, Atlantic
9456 Fourth Avenue, Suite 200
Norfolk, VA 23511-2199

NCTC also sponsors an Ada Technical Support Bulletin Board Service. The main purpose of the system is to offer assistance to DOS-Ada programmers in the Services and with government contractors; the system includes an AdaSAGE Question and Answer Service. (This support does not include distribution of copies of AdaSAGE itself.)

NCTC Ada Technical Support Bulletin Board
(2400-16.8Kbps; HST/V.32b; None.8.1)
data: 804/444-7841 (Autovon: 564-7841)
DSN 564-7841;
FIDONET: 1:275/1

Asset Source for Software Engineering Technology (ASSET)
An account is required to obtain AdaSAGE from ASSET. For information on user accounts, contact:

Phone:304/594-1762
Fax: 304/594-3951
Email: librarian@source.asset.com

Defense Software Repository System (DSRS)
An account is required to obtain AdaSAGE from DSRS. To request an account on DSRS, contact:

DoD Center for Software Reuse Operations
Customer Assistance Office
500 North Washington Street, Suite 101
Falls Church, VA 22046
Tel: 703/536-7485
Fax: 703/536-5640

Public Ada Library (PAL)
The Public Ada Library (PAL) is available to Internet users via FTP. To access the PAL:

ftp://wuarchive.wustl.edu
Once connection is achieved, log on as
anonymous
and submit your e-mail address as the password.

For more information on the PAL, see the AdaIC flyer entitled, "The Public Ada Library".

Walnut Creek
The Walnut Creek CDROM company produces and distributes a two-disk set of Ada CDROMs, which include AdaSAGE. For information, contact Walnut Creek CDROM at:

Walnut Creek CDROM
Suite 260
1547 Palos Verdes Mall
Walnut Creek, CA 94596
Tel: 510/674-0783
Fax: 510/674-0821
Email: info@cdrom.com

Department of Energy
The Department of Energy's Energy Science and Technology Software Center (ESTEC) is a cost-reimbursable activity; the price ranges from $140- $780, and varies according to platform and type of organization.

Department of Energy
Energy Science and Technology Software Center (ESTEC)
P.O. Box 62
Oak Ridge, TN 37831-1020
Tel: 615/576-2606

The Department of Energy's Idaho National Engineering Laboratory (INEL) provides AdaSAGE support. The charge is approximately $1600 for the first platform and an additional $200 for each additional platform; there may be other charges required by DoE. Besides the latest version of AdaSAGE, the charge includes technical support, software library updates, an electronic bulletin board, a newsletter, and an annual users group meeting in Idaho. (For an additional charge, INEL offers training at either its own site in Idaho or at customer sites.) The service lasts for one year and includes any updates of AdaSAGE released during the year. For more information, contact:

AdaSAGE Users Group
Idaho National Engineering Laboratory
Tel: 208/526-0656

Air Force

Air Force Defense Software Reuse System
Contact: Ms. K. Tarver or Su Chen
Tel: 205/416-5857 ; DSN 596-5857

Army

SGT Stephen St. Esprit
Tel: 703/285-6342; DSN 356-6342

Marine Corps

Marine Corps Defense Software Reuse System
Contact: Richard Lowell
Tel: 703/640-2533 ; DSN 278-2533

Navy

Navy Defense Software Reuse System
Contact: Jim Wheeler
NCTS Washington, D.C.
Tel: 301/238-2471 (ask for Reuse Center)