FEDERAL INTERNETWORKING PANEL ISSUES FINAL REPORT
In its May 1994 report, the Federal Internetworking Requirements
Panel (FIRP) concluded that no single networking protocol suite
meets the full range of government requirements for data
internetworking.  Established by NIST to recommend actions which
the federal government can take to address the issues of
interworking and convergence of networking protocols, the FIRP
recommended that federal agencies select standards based on their
interoperability needs, existing infrastructure, costs,
marketplace products, and status as standards.

Paper copies of the report are available from Joan Wyrwa, Tech.
Bldg., Room B217, NIST, Gaithersburg, MD 20899; telephone (301)
975-3643; fax (301) 590-0932.  The document is available
electronically through anonymous FTP:  ftp to osi.ncsl.nist.gov
(129.6.48.100); respond to the "login:" prompt with user name
"anonymous" (do not type quotes); use your e-mail address for the
"password:"; use "cd" to change directory to ./pub/firp.; use
"ls" or "dir" to get directory listings; use "get" to transfer
the file.  Files are named firp-report.* and f-report.*.

Patent Agreement Reached in Federal Use of Key Escrow Encryption 
CSL has reached a licensing agreement in principle with Silvio
Micali of Brookline, Massachusetts, for two of his inventions
that relate to key escrow encryption.  In February 1994, the
Secretary of Commerce approved Federal Information Processing
Standard (FIPS) 185, Escrowed Encryption Standard (EES), as a
voluntary key escrow encryption system which provides strong
security for voice, fax, and data communications over telephone
lines while allowing lawful government access.  The agreement in
principle grants the government non-exclusive licenses to
Micali's patented inventions for current implementations of the
escrowed key process -- including those generally known as
Clipper and Capstone technologies -- and for future
implementations that may be developed using those inventions.  

Office of Enterprise Integration Established
NIST has established a new Office of Enterprise Integration (OEI)
within CSL to serve as a focal point for efforts throughout the
NIST laboratories that provide technical underpinnings for
applications of information technology in areas such as
manufacturing, construction, healthcare, and government services. 
The OEI will provide an initial point of contact for policy
makers and researchers in industry, academia, and government
interested in learning more about NIST activities related to
enterprise integration and electronic commerce.  

For further information, contact the Office of Enterprise
Integration, Computer Systems Laboratory, NIST, Bldg. 415, Room
102, Gaithersburg, MD 20899; telephone (301) 975-4529; fax (301)
948-7242.  

FEDERAL INFORMATION PROCESSING STANDARDS (FIPS) ACTIVITIES
Spatial Data Transfer Standard (SDTS) Revised
The Secretary of Commerce recently approved a revision of FIPS
173, SDTS, to be published as FIPS 173-1.  The standard provides
specifications for the organization and structure of digital
spatial data transfer, definition of spatial features and
attributes, and data transfer encoding; the revision adds
Topological Vector Profile (TVP) to these specifications.  To be
effective December 30, 1994, FIPS 173-1 will facilitate the
transfer of digital spatial data between dissimilar computer
systems.

FIPS Proposed for Application Profile for the Government
Information Locator Service (GILS)
The proposed FIPS for GILS describes an application profile based
primarily on the American National Standard for Information
Retrieval Application Service Definition and Protocol
specification for Open Systems Interconnection (ANSI/NISO Z39.50-
1992), developed by the National Information Standards
Organization.  GILS is a decentralized collection of servers and
associated information services that will be used by the public
either directly or through intermediaries to find public
information throughout the federal government.

We are interested in learning the views of federal agencies,
vendors, and the public on the proposed GILS standard, copies of
which are available through our FIPS Office at (301) 975-2816. 
Address your written comments to Director, CSL, ATTN:  Proposed
FIPS for GILS, Tech. Bldg, B-154, NIST, Gaithersburg, MD 20899. 
The comment period ends October 3, 1994.

Proposed Revision of FIPS 125-1, MUMPS
A proposed revision of FIPS 125-1, MUMPS (Massachusetts General
Hospital Utility Multi-Programming System), known as M, would
adopt the revised voluntary industry specifications ANSI/MDC
X11.1-199X.  The American National Standard for M specifies the
form and establishes the interpretation of programs written in
the M programming language.  

To be received by October 3, 1994, written comments should be
addressed to the Director, CSL, ATTN:  Proposed FIPS 125-2, M,
Tech. Bldg., B-154, NIST, Gaithersburg, MD 20899.  You may
purchase a copy of the technical specifications (ANSI/MDC X11.1-
199X) from the MUMPS Development Committee Secretariat, 1738
Elton Road, Suite 205, Silver Spring, MD 20903, (301) 431-4070,
fax (301) 431-0017.  

FIPS 119, Ada, Being Revised
A proposed revision to FIPS 119, Ada, would adopt the revised
voluntary industry specifications, American National Standard and
the International Organization for Standardization Reference
Manual for the Ada Programming Language, ANSI/ISO/IEC 8652:1994. 
The revised standard specifies the form and meaning of programs
written in Ada.  

Copies of the technical specifications may be obtained from the
Ada 9X Mapping/Revision Team, Intermetrics, Inc., 733 Concord
Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02138, (617) 661-1840.  Address written
comments to the Director, CSL, ATTN:  Proposed FIPS 119-1, Ada,
Tech. Bldg., B-154, NIST, Gaithersburg, MD 20899, by October 11,
1994.

Advanced Data Communications Control Procedures Withdrawn
FIPS 71, Advanced Data Communications Control Procedures (ADCCP),
and FIPS 78, Guideline for Implementing Advanced Data
Communications Control Procedures (ADCCP), have been withdrawn.
The technical specifications contained in these FIPS are obsolete
and are no longer supported by industry.  

UPDATE ON NEW PUBLICATIONS
CSL publishes the results of studies, investigations, and
research.  The reports listed below may be ordered from the
following sources as indicated for each:

*Superintendent of Documents
U.S. Government Printing Office (GPO)
Washington, DC 20402
Telephone (202) 783-3238

*National Technical Information
Service (NTIS)
5285 Port Royal Road
Springfield, VA 22161
Telephone (703) 487-4650

The Second TEXT REtrieval Conference (TREC-2)
D.K. Harman, Editor
NIST Spec. Pub. 500-215
March 1994
SN003-003-03255-7        $30.00
Order from GPO

This report constitutes the proceedings of the second Text
REtrieval Conference (TREC-2) held in Gaithersburg, Maryland,
August 31-September 2, 1993.  .

Proceedings of the Digital Systems Reliability and Nuclear Safety
Workshop (NUREG/CP-0136)
D.R. Wallace, B.B. Cuthill, L.M. Ippolito, and L. Beltracchi,
Editors
NIST Spec. Pub. 500-216
March 1994
SN003-003-03254-9        $23.00
Order from GPO

This report presents the results of the workshop sponsored by the
U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, in cooperation with NIST, in
September 1993, in Rockville, Maryland.

North American ISDN Users' Forum Agreements on Integrated
Services Digital Network
Daniel P. Stokesberry and Tish A. Antonishek, Editors
NIST Spec. Pub. 823-5
March 1994
SN003-003-03248-4        $23.00
Order from GPO

This document compiles the existing North American ISDN Users'
Forum (NIUF) agreements for an ISDN developed and approved in the
NIUF as of October 1992.

Putting the Information Infrastructure to Work:  Report of the
Information Infrastructure Task Force Committee on Applications
and Technology
Kathleen Roberts, Editor
NIST Spec. Pub. 857
May 1994
SN003-003-03267-1        $ 7.00
Order from GPO

This document presents a collection of papers which describe a
national vision for the National Information Infrastructure
(NII).  The goal of the document is to express how improvements
in the technical foundation upon which modern communications rest
can benefit all Americans. 

Security of SQL-Based Implementations of Product Data Exchange
Using STEP
By Lawrence E. Bassham and W. Timothy Polk
NISTIR 5283
October 1993
PB94-139649              $17.50 paper
Order from NTIS          $ 9.00 microfiche

This report examines the security implications of the versions of
the SQL standard as used to implement using the Standard for the
Exchange of Product Model Data (STEP), an emerging international
standard.  

General Procedures for Registering Computer Security Objects
Noel A. Nazario, Editor
NISTIR 5308
December 1993
PB94-134897              $17.50 paper
Order from NTIS          $ 9.00 microfiche

This publication describes the object-independent procedures for
operating the Computer Security Objects Register (CSOR) which
services organizations and individuals seeking to use a common
set of tools and techniques in the area of computer security.

Unconstrained Handprint Recognition Using a Limited Lexicon
By Michael D. Garris
NISTIR 5310
December 1993
PB94-168051              $17.50 paper
Order from NTIS          $ 9.00 microfiche

This report presents a word recognition system designed to read
free-formatted text paragraphs containing handprinted characters. 
The system was used to process the 2,100 different writers'
handprinted versions of the Preamble to the U.S. Constitution
contained in NIST Special Database 1.

Conformance Assessment of Transport Layer Security
Implementations
Wayne A. Jansen, Editor
NISTIR 5325
December 1993
PB94-164373              $17.50 paper
Order from NTIS          $ 9.00 microfiche

This paper presents a framework for evaluating conformance of a
protocol implementation to the Security Protocol at layer 4 (SP4)
of the Open System Interconnection (OSI) reference model.  SP4 is
one element of the Secure Data Network System (SDNS)
architecture, used to provide security services at the Transport
layer.

Computer Systems Laboratory Annual Report 1993
By Elizabeth Lennon, Shirley Radack, and Ramona Roach
NISTIR 5342
February 1994
PB94-162518              $27.00 paper
Order from NTIS          $12.50 microfiche

This report describes the computer and related telecommunications
activities and accomplishments of the laboratory for 1993.

Evaluating Form Designs for Optical Character Recognition
By Michael D. Garris and Darrin L. Dimmick
NISTIR 5364
February 1994
PB94-168044              $27.00 paper
Order from NTIS          $12.50 microfiche

This report documents research performed by CSL for the Internal
Revenue Service involving the evaluation of a set of redesigned
test tax forms using the NIST Model Recognition System and the
NIST Scoring Package.

Computer Graphics Metafile (CGM):  Procedures for NIST CGM
Validation Test Service
By Lynne S. Rosenthal and Jacki A. Schneider
NISTIR 5372
February 1994
PB94-161809              $17.50 paper
Order from NTIS          $ 9.00 microfiche

This document provides general procedures for NIST's CGM
Validation Test Service which is designed to maximize the
probability of successful interchange of CGMs between conforming
systems.

Distributed Supercomputing Software:  Experiences with the
Parallel Virtual Machine - PVM
By Richard D. Schneeman
NISTIR 5381
March 1994
PB94-163086              $17.50 paper
Order from NTIS          $ 9.00 microfiche

The Parallel Virtual Machine (PVM) is a distributed system
consisting of a portable suite of software designed for use by
parallel and supercomputing application engineers.  This report
focuses on defining the profile requirements culminating from
NIST's PVM assessment and provides reference material for those
involved in evaluating distributed system software for the
supercomputing domain.

Proceedings of the Workshop on the Federal Criteria for
Information Technology Security
By J. Cugini, P. Toth, G. Troy, L. Ambuel, F. Mayer, T. Mayfield,
M. Abrams, L. Fraime, and V. Gilgor
NISTIR 5386
March 1994
PB94-162583              $19.50 paper
Order from NTIS          $ 9.00 microfiche

The publication presents the proceedings of a Federal Criteria
Workshop co-sponsored by NIST and NSA in June 1993 to address
comments received on the first draft of the Federal Criteria made
public in January 1993. 

The Design and Development of An Information Retrieval System for
the EAMATE Data (two volumes)
By Natalie Willman and Laura L. Downey
NISTIR 5394
April 1994
PB94-168390              $52.00 paper
Order from NTIS          $19.50 microfiche

This publication describes work which CSL performed for the
Social Security Administration to design and develop a prototype
information retrieval system for employee wage records received
electronically from large employers (EAMATE reports). 

User's Guide for the PHIGS Validation Tests (Version 2.1)
By Kevin Brady, John Cugini, and Qiming Wang
NISTIR 5398 (supersedes NISTIRs 4349, 4953, and 5238)
April 1994
PB94-165206              $27.00 paper
Order from NTIS          $12.50 microfiche

This document describes the general rules and procedures for
using the Programmer's Hierarchical Interactive Graphics System
(PHIGS) Validation Test (PVT) suite.  

Validated Products List 1994 No. 2
Judy B. Kailey and Peggy N. Himes, Editors
NISTIR 5414 (supersedes NISTIR 5354)
April 1994
PB94-937302              $36.50 paper
Order from NTIS         $146.00 subscription

This document, published quarterly, identifies the COBOL,
FORTRAN, Pascal, C, MUMPS, and Ada programming language
processors with current validation certificates and the SQL
language processors with registered test reports.  Also included
are GOSIP Conformance Testing Registers, NIST POSIX Testing
Laboratories and Validated Products, Graphics, and Computer
Security testing programs.

UPCOMING TECHNICAL CONFERENCES

Information Systems Security...and You
This one-day course will address fundamental security concepts,
new technology and trends, laws, public policy, and strategies to
assist federal managers is selecting appropriate controls and
developing effective approaches to information security
management.  The course is open to all federal employees and
contractors who manage or support federal programs.
Dates:  August 25, 1994, and again on August 26, 1994
Registration Deadline:  August 12, 1994
Place:  NIST, Gaithersburg, MD
Contact:  Dennis Gilbert
(301) 975-3872
E-mail:  dgilbert@csmes.ncsl.nist.gov

Open System Environment (OSE) Implementors Workshop (OIW)
This workshop is part of a continuing series to develop
implementation specifications from international standard design
specifications for computer network protocols.
Sponsors:  NIST and the IEEE Computer Society
Dates:  September 12-16, 1994
        December 12-16, 1994
Place:  NIST, Gaithersburg, MD
Contact:  Brenda Gray
(301) 975-3664
E-mail:  gray@osi.ncsl.nist.gov

Federal Wireless Users Forum (FWUF)
This users group was established to address wireless digital
interface issues in the federal government.  Although focusing on
the requirements of federal wireless telecommunication users, the
forum encourages the participation of state and local government,
other interested users, product providers, and service providers. 
Sponsors:  NIST and the National Communications System (NCS)
Dates:  October 5-7, 1994
        January 24-26, 1995
        May 23-25, 1995
        October 24-26, 1995
Place:  NIST, Gaithersburg, MD
Contact:  Tish Antonishek
(301) 975-2922
E-mail:  tish@dsys.ncsl.nist.gov

North American ISDN Users' Forum (NIUF)
The NIUF addresses many concerns over a broad range of Integrated
Services Digital Network (ISDN) issues and seeks to reach
consensus on ISDN Implementation Agreements.  Participants
include ISDN users, implementors, and service providers.
Dates:  October 3-7, 1994
Place:  NIST, Gaithersburg, MD
Contact:  Dawn Hoffman
(301) 975-2937
E-mail:  dawn@isdn.ncsl.nist.gov

17th National Computer Security Conference
This year's conference will focus on security issues relating to
new Presidential initiatives such as the Information Highway and
the National Information Infrastructure (NII).
Sponsors:  NIST and NSA's National Computer Security Center
Date:  October 11-14, 1994
Place:  Baltimore Convention Center, Baltimore, MD
Contacts:  Irene Gilbert Perry (301) 975-3360
           E-mail:  igilbert@csmes.ncsl.nist.gov
           Dennis Gilbert (301) 975-3872
           E-mail:  dgilbert@csmes.ncsl.nist.gov

Lecture Series on High Integrity Systems
This lecture series addresses problems and solutions for
developing and operating high integrity systems.
Date:  Lecture series resumes in October 1994.
Place:  NIST Green Auditorium
Time:  2:00 p.m.
Contact:  Dolores Wallace
(301) 975-3340
E-mail:  wallace@swe.ncsl.nist.gov

Applications Portability Profile (APP)/Open Systems Environment
(OSE) Workshop
This workshop is designed as a user's forum to discuss the latest
developments in the APP/OSE.
Dates:  November 15-16, 1994
        May 9-10, 1995
        November 7-8, 1995
Place:  NIST, Gaithersburg, MD
Contact:  Joe Hungate
(301) 975-3368
E-mail:  hungate@swe.ncsl.nist.gov