An OSI communication system for the public administration of the state Nordrhein-Westfalen

Abstract

Nordrhein-Westfalen (NRW) is a federal state of the Federal Republic of Germany with about 17 million inhabitants and with important business, trade and industry. The offices of the state administration spread over the area of NRW today use several hundreds of dp-systems covering a wide range of size, supplied by 14 different vendors. The most frequently used communication applications are: file transfer, interactive data processing, information retrieval, office automation. For 8 years these numerous dp-systems work together in a multiple vendors OSI-like communication system, called DVS. A test, service and maintenance center as well as electronic mail and a dp-based information system provide the technical means for DVS-management, compatibility and sufficient user acceptance. New DVS-functions e.g. message handling are fully based on ISO standards and CCITT recommendations. However, it is not an easy task with technical and organizational concerns to replace former national or DVS-specific prestandards by ISO-protocols. In DVS this will be done by an overlay concept taking into account a 24 hrs/day service, cost, user acceptance and no break in further DVS-development. A survey will be given on the DVS state of the art, ISO protocol activities in DVS and further developments.