[Federal Register Volume 62, Number 67 (Tuesday, April 8, 1997)]
[Notices]
[Pages 16788-16789]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 97-8961]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Institute of Standards and Technology
[Docket No. 970326070-7070-01]
RIN 0693-XX31


Notice of Termination of Validation Services for Federal 
Information Processing Standards (FIPS)

AGENCY: National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), 
Commerce.

ACTION: Notice; termination of validation services.

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SUMMARY: The NIST is terminating validation services for: FIPS 127-2, 
Database Language SQL, and FIPS 128-2, Computer Graphics Metafile, 
Continuous Acquisition and Life-Cycle Support Profile (CGM (CALS)), and 
considering terminating validation services for FIPS 21-4, COBOL; FIPS 
69-1, Fortran; FIPS 128-2, Computer Graphics Metafile, Air Transport 
Association Profile (CGM (ATA)); FIPS 151-2, POSIX; and FIPS 160, C. 
Comments are solicited.
    NIST announced by Department Organization Order 30-2B the formation 
of the Information Technology Laboratory (ITL). Under the new ITL 
organization, NIST is refocusing its program for information 
technology, concentrating on the development of conformance tests for 
emerging information technologies rather than the operation of software 
testing services.
    Therefore, the NIST is terminating validation services for FIPS 
127-2, SQL, and FIPS 128-2, CGM (CALS), effective July 1, 1997. The 
NIST is considering terminating validation services for FIPS 21-4, 
COBOL; FIPS 69-1, Fortran; FIPS 128-2 CGM (ATA); FIPS 151-2, POSIX; and 
FIPS 160, C, effective September 30, 1997. Advance notice of this 
termination is given so that interested parties may establish testing 
services if they wish to do so. Federal, state, and local government 
agencies requiring validation of implementations for conformance to the 
above standards

[[Page 16789]]

may specify their own testing or adopt other techniques for evaluating 
conference to these specifications.
    Information on the test methods and procedures for conformance 
testing are available in the Validated Products List (VPL) on the 
internet Universal Resource Locator (URL) address ftp://
speckle.ncsl.nist.gov/vpl/intro.htm. NIST test suites and testing 
procedures are distributed freely via the World Wide Web (WWW) 
Universal Resource Locator (URL) http://www.nist.gov/div897/ctg.

DATES: The effective date for terminating validation services for FIPS 
127-2, SQL, and FIPS 128-2, CGM (CALS), is July 1, 1997. Comments on 
terminating validation services for FIPS 21-4, COBOL; FIPS 69-1, 
Fortran; FIPS 128-2, CGM (ATA); FIPS 151-2, POSIX; and FIPS 160, C, 
must be received no later than May 8, 1997.

ADDRESSES: Written comments concerning the termination should be sent 
to: Director, Information Technology Laboratory, Attn: Validation 
Services, Building 820, Room 562, National Institute of Standards and 
Technology, Gaithersburg, MD 20899. Electronic comments should be sent 
to: [email protected].

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION OR COMMENTS CONTACT:
Ms. Lynne Rosenthal, National Institute of Standards and Technology, 
Gaithersburg, MD 20899, telephone (301) 975-3283, email [email protected].

    Authority: Federal Information Processing Standards Publications 
(FIPS PUBS) are issued by the National Institute of Standards and 
Technology after approval by the Secretary of Commerce pursuant to 
Section 5131 of the Information Technology Management Reform Act of 
1996, Public Law 104-106, and the Computer Security Act of 1987.
Elaine Bunten-Mines,
Director, Program Office.
[FR Doc. 97-8961 Filed 4-7-97; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-CN-M