ENCLOSURE (1) to COMDTINST 5230.59
DECEMBER 1999
U.S. Coast Guard Common Operating Environment (USCG COE)
- Portability - All systems shall be designed to allow maximum portability between software
operating system environments. All system resource interfaces to the target environment
shall be designed to be configurable to the maximum extent possible.
These concepts will improve the quality, and reduce the cost and elapsed time of the following life
cycle phases of CG Enterprise
Applications:
- Acquisition - Contract vehicles providing broad access to Commercial Off The
Shelf/Government Off The Shelf (COTS/GOTS) products need only be competed once
through flexible, open, procurements. Common functionality modules only need to be
procured once. Systems are portable avoiding the need to convert when migrating to a new
platform. Data is shared so a module to access particular information need only be acquired
or developed once.
- Development - COE components only need to be developed once. Those components are
shared with future applications leaving one less module to develop. A standard toolset is
used to develop systems. Lessons learned and best practices are accrued.
- Deployment - Application configurations are standardized. The target environment
configuration is known. Less testing and configuration is required. Applications are
installed, they work, and they co-exist peacefully without affecting other applications.
- Training - All applications have a similar look and feel. Each application uses the same
keystrokes to do the same thing. All applications become more intuitive, requiring less
instruction to operate.
- Operation and Support - As the Coast Guard moves towards a centralized, web-enabled
application architecture, applications are fielded from a centralized site. Data resides in a
standard Relational Database Management System (RDBMS) installed on a standard server
platform running a standard operating system. Users access the application over the Coast
Guard Data Network (CGDN+) with a common browser running on a standard desktop
workstation. This requires less time to trouble shoot problems. Standard procedures are
developed for backup, recovery and contingency for all applications. A standard
configuration is maintained throughout the entire Information Architecture.
- Maintaining - The USCG COE provides a well-defined baseline environment. Standard
tools are defined, to be used to design, develop, document, test, and monitor change.
Wherever possible, a given set of functionality is developed once, then reused in all other
applications requiring that same set of functionality. When that module is revised, or
enhanced, the same one module is then available to all applications employing it. The time
and cost to update each application is avoided.
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