From: pc@hillside.co.uk (Peter Collinson)
Newsgroups: comp.std.unix
Subject: Standards Update, P1224: X.400 API
Date: 9 Sep 1992 14:35:34 -0700
Organization: Hillside Systems, 61 Hillside Avenue, Canterbury, Kent CT2 8HA
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Submitted-by: pc@hillside.co.uk (Peter Collinson)

USENIX Standards Watchdog Committee
Stephen R. Walli <stephe@usenix.org>, Report Editor
P1224: X.400 API


Steve Trus <trus@duke.ncsl.nist.gov> reports on the July 13-17, 1992
meeting in Chicago, IL :

Introduction

The Chicago meeting was productive for the P1224 working group, and we
are very near the completion of the standardization of the P1224 and
P1224.1 documents.

At the Chicago meeting the group:

   - planned the next P1224 ballot resolution meeting,

   - reviewed the JTC1 recommendations for the International
     Standardization of the IEEE X.400, POSIX.17 Directory Services,
     and Object Management APIs,

   - planned future work for the P1224 group,

   - presented the status of the IEEE balloting of P1224,

   - presented the status of the IEEE balloting of P1224.1,

   - resolved the ballot objections and reviewed the ballot
     comments for the P1224 and P1224.1 documents, and

   - planed the recirculation of the P1224 and P1224.1
     documents.

P1224 Next Ballot Resolution Meeting

The group will not meet with the other TCOS groups at the October
meeting in Utrecht, NL.  We agreed to meet November 16-20 at NIST
(Gaithersburg, MD).

International Standardization of the APIs

JTC1 has recommended that the IEEE P1224 and P1003.17 working groups
split each of the X.400, X.500 and Object Management API documents
into four separate documents (Language Independent Specification, Test
Methods for Language Independent Specification, C Language Binding, and
Test Methods for C Language Binding).  Additionally, JTC1 has
recommended that the IEEE submit the X.400, X.500 and Object
Management API documents to JTC1 for fast-track when they are approved
IEEE standards, and that members of the P1224 and POSIX.17 working
groups solicit international support for these IEEE standards in order
to increase the likelyhood of a successful fast-track.  The P1224 group
agreed to follow these JTC1 recommendations.

P1224 Working Group Status and Future Plans

The first recirculation of the P1224 document began on May 20 and it
ended on June 19.  The balloting pool consists of 73 members.  The
balloting for the P1224 document closed with 81% of the ballots
returned and 78% of the eligible voters approved the document.

Plans for standardizing future X.400 related APIs were discussed.  The
X.400 API Association and X/Open will have stable base documents for a
P7 and an EDI API by the end of 1992.  Tentatively, we would like to
begin converting these documents into IEEE standards at the January
1993 meeting.

P1224.1 Balloting Status

The P1224.1 balloting period began May 6 and it ended June 5.  The
balloting pool consists of 50 members.  The balloting for the P1224.1
document closed with 77% of the ballots returned and 82% of the
eligible voters approved the document.

P1224 and P1224.1 Ballot Resolution and Recirculation

The group spent three days resolving the ballot objections and
reviewing the ballot comments for the P1224 and P1224.1 documents.
The technical editor will incorporate the changes into the document.

A 10 day recirculation of the P1224 document was scheduled to begin
October 4 and end October 14.  A 30 day recirculation of the P1224
document was scheduled to begin October 10 and end November 9.

Summary

The progress of the P1224 working group is very good.  We hope to have
the P1224 and P1224.1 standards complete early 1993.  The primary
function of the November meeting will be P1224 and P1224.1 ballot
resolution.

Volume-Number: Volume 29, Number 27