Describe Platforms, Equipments, and Packaged Solutions

Define the platform configurations, including major equipment and pre-packaged solutions that are used across the Agency.

Introduction

Activities

Roles and Responsibilities

Artifacts

Additional Resources

	A-TARS - Integrated Technology Descriptions - Technology Boundaries Descriptions - Agency-Wide System Properties - Platform, Equipment, Solutions Reference Set - TRM Descriptions - AIS Design and Implementation Info. - Ancillary Design Info. - Technical Architecture Work Plans and Direction - Strategic Analysis and Data - Changes
Develop Configuration Descriptions Update Configuration Descriptions		- A-TARS: Platform, Equipment, Solutions Reference Set - Ancillary Design Info. - Status - Changes
	- Platform or Solution Specialists - Other Technical Specialists

Introduction

These activities create and update the Platform, Equipment, and Solutions Reference Set. This portion of the A-TARS establishes the requirements, assumptions, and guidelines for configuring the main types of platforms, associated equipment, and packaged solutions. These building block items may be commercially available, already in the HS Agency inventory, or will be built to requirements established by these descriptions. These items are the major subassemblies that are used as common reusable elements from which the Agency IT systems can be composed.

These items are described based on the context established in the technology boundaries and the integrated technology descriptions. Those descriptions identify configurations and how they will be used within each environment. A Web server, for example, could be identified in the integrated technology descriptions, along with the services it provides. Descriptions presented in the Platform, Equipment, and Solutions Reference Set would detail that server in terms of the major elements, such as devices, or prepackaged software it should have (e.g., processor, memory, disk storage, or operating system). The information in the Platform, Equipment, and Solutions Reference Set allows the architects to manage the proliferation of configurations and plan overall acquisition and expected lifetimes to address technology upgrading and obsolescence.

TANF Example: Over decades, a State HS Agency can accumulate a large and eclectic collection of computing platforms, equipment and software applications. These items can number in the tens of thousands, from a few mainframes, to hundreds of specialty servers, and thousands of desktops, printers, and 3270 terminals, all from different vendors and manufacturers. Adding to this mix is networking equipments (routers, switches) and suites of application and non-application specific software packages (e.g., e-mail, office suites, network management tools). Each one of these items must be maintained, requiring highly skilled and knowledgeable support staff, either within the Agency or outsourced. Multiple funding sources across many HS programs may have paid for these equipments, complicating the ability to upgrade items in unison.

The maintenance of these items consume a significant part of the IT budget. These equipments cannot be easily replaced, as changing one piece may involve upgrading others, such as swapping out controllers to update DASD devices - requiring the re-sysgen/IPL of systems. One may even need to retire or replace systems when they can no longer scale. In many cases newer technology may be more cost effective, but inertia and the budget processes may make it easier to pay more to maintain older equipment, than purchase newer, more cost effective items.

The Architects will establish definitions for common platforms, equipments and applications in this portion of the A-TARS. This will allow them to gain control and manage the proliferation of items and influence their operational lifetime. Architects specify key characteristics, and indicate which items are to be introduced (sunrise) or should be retired (sunset). This helps the HS programs budget for the lifecycle management of these items by gauging when they should budget for upgraded items.

Many state agencies already manage the lifecycles of some of their key IT platforms consistent with this portion of the A-TARS. One example where change occurs frequently is the user workstations. For example, end user workstation configurations (CPU, disk, or screen size) are specified for typical usage scenarios (eligibility worker or "power user" workstations). Procurement groups then use this information to set minimum criteria for obtaining discount and volume pricing from competing vendors. Express or preferred products lists and purchase agreements are then available for the HS programs to use to refresh their inventory.

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Activities

Consolidated guidelines are available to perform the following key activities:

Develop Configuration Descriptions. These actions build descriptions of the platforms, unique equipment and devices, or prepackaged solutions by performing the following:
- Specify the platform configurations for each of the processing entities identified in the boundaries and the integrated descriptions. The configuration descriptions address the key characteristics of the platforms to ensure that conforming items can provide the required functional capabilities and meet the criteria established in the system properties (see: Establish Agency Systems Properties activities). This covers programmable as well as non-programmable information appliances.
- Specify the key equipment or devices that will be integrated into a platform when needed, such as minimum hard disk size or use of legacy devices (e.g., parallel port printers).
- Specify key prepackaged solutions that will be included in the platform configurations, when necessary. These reflect underlying assumptions about the capability of the platform and services available without having to specify each service separately. Guidelines on how to use the solutions as a basis for developing other applications should be provided (e.g., use of application-to-application interfaces).
- Produce guidelines for selecting, configuring, and using the platforms, equipment, or prepackaged solutions. These guidelines can be consolidated and published with the other technology guidelines (see Develop Technical Guidelines activities).
- Compile, review, and publish drafts and final versions of the descriptions. Formal technical reviews, such as peer reviews ( CMS SEI 1995), can be used to review the descriptions. The individual descriptions should be placed under a version control process to track changes.
Update Configuration Descriptions. As the business grows-performance or other limits are reached, new technologies become available, standards evolve, or products from vendors change-the items described in this guide will change. Some items will be retired from the inventory, others added. Changes may ripple through to other parts of the A-TARS and should be evaluated (e.g., a network API no longer being supported by vendors). Changes to the description must be evaluated, dependencies between definitions made, and changes synchronized between this and other parts of the A-TARS.

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Roles and Responsibilities

The key roles and their responsibilities are as follows:

Platform or Solutions Specialists. These individuals are responsible for producing the configuration descriptions, either as authors or technical managers. They are members of the Core or Extended Team. They should have firsthand experience using and developing applications for items similar to what they are describing.
Other Technical Specialists. These individuals support the definition of the configurations, either as authors or Subject Matter Experts. Individuals from the IT projects may participate, as well as experts in using or applying the various technologies.

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Artifacts

The following information is used or produced by these activities. Templates, examples, and checklists for identifying and documenting items are available through the Additional Resources section at the end of this page.

A-TARS. The previous version of the A-TARS (if it exists) is used to determine the scope of the changes for an iteration of these activities. The following key parts are used:
- Technology Boundaries Descriptions. The descriptions of the usage environment guide the decisions about the end-user platforms and equipment needs as well as any commercially or Agency-unique products to be accessed.
- Agency-Wide System Properties. These properties are used to guide the design or selection of the configurations, such as reliability, availability, and throughput.
- Integrated Technology Descriptions. These descriptions provide the context for defining the configurations, showing how they relate to one another at the application and system level. The items in the Integrated Technology Descriptions should reference the configurations (e.g., Agency functional worker-client platforms)
- TRM Description. This description guides the identification of the configurations, especially when considering commercially available products to implement elements of the TRM. Solutions can be organized against the TRM, as needed.
- Platform, Equipment, and Solutions Reference Set. These descriptions are the main product of these activities, updating the previous version, if it exists.
Technical Architecture Work Plans and Direction. These work plans guide the execution of these activities, coordinating the individuals performing these activities with other technical architecture tasks and the IT projects.
AIS Design and Implementation Info. An understanding of the existing technology is used when establishing these descriptions, especially if the existing legacy systems will be retained in the next version of the A-TARS. This provides a ready source of detailed implementation information for using existing IT assets.
Ancillary Design Information. Information associated with the descriptions is retained, as needed (e.g., results of architectural studies such as performance appraisals). This information may be used to produce some guidelines that users of the descriptions can reference for additional understanding.
Strategic Analysis and Data. The strategic direction, specifically the decisions to keep, replace, renovate, or build on existing IT assets, guides the choice of technology and the integration of legacy system elements into the overall technical architecture.
Changes. Changes provided to these activities represent those things in the current A-TARS descriptions that must change. Changes for other parts of the A-TARS also can be generated, such as updates to the TRM, boundary, integrated descriptions, services, data stores, or networking.
Status. Progress and issues in developing the descriptions are forwarded to the management activities to ensure coordination between these activities and other technical architecture and IT project activities.

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Additional Resources

Items that can be used to perform these and other activities are consolidated in the Resources portion of the IT Planning and Management Guides. Resources specific to this activity are cataloged below.

Consolidated Guidance: Describing the Platforms, Equipment, and Solutions
Guidance for organizing and describing the configurations. 9-18-01

Consolidated Guidance: Technical Reference Models
Guidance for developing descriptions for a TRM, including sources for examples and a sample top-level TRM organization. 7-30-01

Consolidated Information: Standards Organizations
A list of some organizations that promote or verify IT-related standards. 7-30-01

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