00-2 Conformance Testing is next - Working Groups
Conformance Testing is next -
Working Groups for the future
The Working Group principle
As mentioned in the statutes, Working Groups may be formed to action specific tasks on behalf of the Management Committee of the DLMS User Association. In an earlier report I informed you about the starting phase of the WG VAS "Value Added Services". It is now time to report on the final findings of this WG. During the meeting of the Management Committee end of February 2000 the new Working Group WG CT has been founded. It has to define conformance testing, and the first meeting was held a short time ago.
WG VAS "Value Added Services"
The scope of WG VAS is:Enhance Customer Services by selecting relevant applicationsDefining the objects to provide the selected Value Added Services Focus is on remote control applications and event reporting
The result of five meetings and a lot of homework is now defined as "COSEM Extensions for Value Added Services, version 1.0". The newly defined objects/Interface Classes (IC) are Event (is activated when a specified threshold is reached or an external contact is activated), Remote Digital Control (switch array inside the logical device), Remote Analogue Control (setpoint table inside the logical device), and Tunnel (container service).
WG CT "Conformance Testing"
The first meeting brought already some guidelines into existence. The Convenor presented the proposed Scope of the Working Group: "To develop a conformance tests scheme for the COSEM protocol suite and to feed back experience to standardisation".
The activities of the WG shall include:
- definition of the scope of the conformance test and test level steps
- development of a legal framework
- definition of selection criteria of prospective providers of the conformance testing tool
- definition of criteria for self-testing by implementers of the COSEM specification
- setting up rules for operating the conformance testing scheme
- definition of criteria for self certification
- technical consultation with a possible subcontractor
- Feedback of experience during the development of conformance testing and test campaigns to DLMS UA and international standardisation.
The child is young, but its prospect is good! We certainly will hear more from it later.