Background on POSIX Certification

• Microsoft Windows NT operating system version 3.1

SUMMARY

The portable operating system interface (POSIX) standard was developed by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) to ensure portability of applications across different platforms. POSIX certification encompasses both the specific hardware and the operating system. For Windows NT version 3.1, Microsoft is obtaining National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) certification on a "vanilla" Intel machine. Original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) that have bids pending for POSIX certification with Windows NT will then proceed with the certification of NT on their hardware.

Government Request for Proposals (RFPs) require both the operating system and the specific hardware to be certified. Companies submit an RFP to a systems integrator or vendor to propose a solution based on their software. The issues addressed in such a request include what the operating system can do, the topology, and which features and functions are supported.

MORE INFORMATION

There are at least three POSIX conformance test suites for POSIX.1:

• NIST Portable Conformance Test Suite (PCTS).

  This suite is made up of approximately 2000 assertions (that is, testable statements). To be NIST certified, the vendor must not only pass these tests, but must also submit a Portable Conformance Document (PCD) that explains how each feature or function was implemented. Testing is done by an NIST-approved testing company.

• Verification Suite for X/Open (VSX).

  This suite is part of X/Open's base X/Open Portability Guide (XPG) branding. When the product passes the base operating system tests, which include POSIX.1, utilities (POSIX.2 level), C libraries, and internationalization, each box has the right to display a sticker that indicates that it has been approved to receive the X/Open brand (for example, SCO's ODT product).

  Note: Branding does not imply certification because it is not tied to a particular hardware platform.

• IBM PCTS written by Mindcraft.