A Software as a Service Provider to the North American Railroad Industry
A Presentation of the
RailDOCS / RailDOCS Mobile Configuration Management System
For Railroad Signaling and Communications
Configuration Management
The Law and The Need
The Law - 49 CFR 236.18 and 236 Subpart H
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To "promote the safe operation of processor-based signal and train control systems, subsystems, and components that are safety-critical products." It is imperative in the post-”Vital Relay” era ...
The Need - Operational and Safety Improvements
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To enforce company standards for vital electronics. To assure that proper software is always in service. Remediation of Service Bulletins for vital electronics. Improved quality of life: “Where do I have a spare?” “Do I have enough spare XYZs on my territory?” How many ABC boxes do we have on our property, and where are they?
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The CM law helps the railroads fill their need!
Configuration Management
The Life of a Signal Location
Configuration Management is an ongoing process.... Therefore, Maintenance forces own the day-to-day CM functions!
Weeks/Months Years/Decades
In-Service Events
Lightning, floods, accidents, etc. Service bulletins Minor re-engineering
Event Responses
Cut-over, In-service, As-in-service of plans, etc. Project inception, Estimates, Design, Vital and non-vital application programming, Shop Wiring, etc.
Replacement of cards/modules Upgrades of components or software Cards/modules “sent off for repair” A quality Configuration Management System must assist in all of these events, and be designed to insure that field conditions comply with all standards for safety, through time.
Major Components of the RailDOCS Configuration Management System
Metadata Builder
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Accepts direct OEM contributions of data about their product lines, the related components, and how they fit together. Metadata is imperative for quality data collection.
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Data Collector
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Uses Metadata to insure high quality data collection. Disallows “invalid” or “nonsensical” configurations.
Standards Guardian
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Enforces company standards for vital electronics and the software that resides on them, through time. Used to remediate and abate service bulletin issues. High quality data is a must for reliable standards enforcement.
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Configuration Management System
Metadata Builder Component
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OEMs supply data for their product lines and their related components, and define how they fit together. Metadata defines slots and plugs, and what cards/modules can be used in each. Metadata defines the attributes that need to be collected for each component, and we make heavy use of pick-lists and pattern-restricted data fields. The example to the right shows the first few attributes of the GETS EC4+ chassis. Data Collector uses Metadata to collect high quality data from field workers. Standards Guardian uses Metadata in the authoring and affirmation of standards.
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Configuration Management System
Data Collector Component
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Data Collector uses the OEM-supplied Metadata to provide users with data collection screens that are an exact representation of the equipment they maintain in the field. Because of Metadata, Data Collector knows exactly what attributes need to be collected for each component, provides pick-lists everywhere possible, and uses string patterns for things like serial numbers and Checksums/CRCs (4-digit hex). Data Collector handles the initial data collection, and all subsequent “moves and changes” that occur. Data Collector works with both in-service and out-ofservice (spare) components. RailDOCS keeps a complete history of all changes ever made in the Data Collector, and the differences between any two revisions is easy to retrieve.
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Configuration Management System
Standards Guardian Component
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Standards Guardian uses the OEM-supplied Metadata to provide user interfaces for authoring the logic rules of standards to be enforced. Standards Guardian is “always on” and keeps constant watch over all configurations, flagging any anomalies as soon as they are identified. Anomalies can have different levels of criticality, based on the rules established in each standard, and can be dispatched to each RailDOCS Mobile device that holds the related assets, along with instructions for how to remediate them. Detailed reports are also available that allow managers to have a broad view of outstanding standards anomalies, and to plan remediation work.
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A Standards Guardian Example
Standards Guardian
“Closes the Loop” On Configuration Management
Configuration Management is not just about data collection. Data collection is only part of the process. The goal of Configuration Management is to insure that you know what you have (data collection) and that what you have is what and as it should be (standards enforcement), and to do that through time. Data collection alone is not configuration management!
In Closing, The RailDOCS
Configuration Management System
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Provides exceptional operating efficiency improvements • Total visibility of signal assets at every level of detail • Complete revision history of both hardware and software • Real-time assessment and remediation controls Is designed to exceed FRA requirements • Creates value - not just adding a new cost of compliance Has industry-wide participation among railroads and OEMs • Unprecedented data quality - enhances value and safety! Has high quality, proven, video-based training material • Quick, easy, “Train the Trainer” deployment • Proven content and effectiveness Provides service bulletin control and standards enforcement Is integrated with other RailDOCS™ PMMS components
And Finally, RailDOCS Configuration Management Statistics
(As of 06/10/2008)
Participation of all major railroad signal equipment OEMs • GETS, Safetran, US&S/Ansaldo, Alstom, and others. • Over 4,200 supported OEM components and still growing • See http://www.10east.com/cms-metadata-rr-signals Participation of all 10East customers that need CMS Over 100,000 configured chassis and still growing rapidly Over 18,000 out-of-service components (spares) configured Almost 500 Standards Guardian rules and growing rapidly
Thank You!