Developing an online vending standard

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Developing an online vending standard

• Kobus van den Berg
• SAPW 2003

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(No Transcript)
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Standards???
SSL
STS
IEC
XML
ECML
SOAP
OAG
CIM
BLUE TOOTH
html
IEC 61970
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Overview

• Introduction
• Why standards
• Vending in South africa
• STS User Group initiative
• Required functionality
• Proposed protocols and security
• Progress
• Future developments
• Conclusion

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Introduction

• Prepayment status
• STS
• Restructuring of EDI
• Integration of systems
• STS User Group

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Why standards?

• International trend
• Can be confusing
• Cost and manufacturing
• User expectation
• Inter-operability
• Integration of different products

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Vending in South africa

• First generation systems
• Single PC driven
• Second generation off-line systems
• System master station (SMS)
• Credit dispening unit (CDU) distributed
• Third generation on/off-line systems
• Off line mode
• Online communications
• Required inter-compatible fourth generation
  systems
• Centralised database
• Real time communications
• Multi vendor supply

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STS User Group initiative

• Consists of prepayment users
• Address collective needs, requirements
• Established under auspices of ESLC
• Facilitates the compilation of online vending
  standards
• Supported by NRS process
• Final product to be incorporated in NRS 009
  specification

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Off-line vending process
SMS
CDUs Generate STS token
DATA Customer Transaction
STS Token
STS standard
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Online vending processPhase one specification
Token request
STS Token
GPRS Internet X25
Vending Server STS token generation
POS Terminals
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What do we want to accomplish?Standard interface
protocol
Internet Radio PSTN X25 GPRS GSM Modem
Vending Server
Point of sales
Standard protocol
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Required functionality

• Protocol independent of communications medium
• System to include all pre-paid encoding
  technologies
• Ensure security, performance interoperability
  standards
• Use existing industry standards
• Type of POS should not influence XML language

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Progress

• Compiled scan report (Eskom TSI)
• Reports from external consultants
• Draft specification compiled
• Use cases revised and expanded
• WG 1- messaging ( XML, SOAP)
• WG2 security ( SSL and other)
• Documents on www.sts.org.za/usergroup/

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Time frames

• WG 1 XML / SOAP message structure
• Use cases
• XML messages
• WG2 Security
• Pilot schemes

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Proposed protocols and security

• XML ( Extensible Markup Language)
• SOAP (Simple Object Access Protocol)
• SSL ( Secure Socket Layer)
• TCP/IP ( Network Protocol)

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Protocol implementationPhase one
Security
Messaging format
SSL Box
SOAP Box
Vending Server
POS
STS Token
Commands
Data
TCP/IP
Transport
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The Messaging Proposal

• XML -gt public standard for data
• Self-describing / Extensible
• Platform neutrality
• W3C controlled
• SOAP (Simple Object Access Protocol)
• XML-based messaging
• Service request protocol
• Platform neutrality / security support
  certificates
• W3C / B2B integration

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Use of XML for Network and Service Management

• XML's use in system and network management tools
  promises to more richly integrate management data
  from disparate sources
• XML increases flexibility in creating links
  between management applications and managed
  objects, and enables management applications from
  different vendors to interoperate
• XML provides a method of representing and
  sharing information between applications, network
  services, and network elements

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SOAP(Simple Object Access Protocol)

• XML-based messaging framework
• Specifically designed for exchanging formatted
  data across the internet
• Simple,easy to use, and completely neutral with
  respect to OS, programming language, or
  distributed computing platform

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The Security ProposalSSL

• Security issues to be addressed by SSL
• Authentication
• Access Control
• Data confidentiality
• Data integrity
• Non-Repudiation
• Availability

Secure data exchange environment
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Future developments

• Phase 2- Integration into Utility IT structure
• Phase 3 - Interfaces to banking systems

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Online vending processPhase two specification
Financial system
C I M
GPRS Internet X25
Vending Server STS token generation
POS Terminals
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Point-to-point Integration (Result of Ignoring
the Problem)
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A Common Model for Management Data

• Model (CIM) in 1996 to provide a common way to
  share management information enterprise wide
• The CIM specification is the language and
  methodology for describing management data
• The CIM schema provides models for various
  implementations to describe management data in a
  standard format
• The CIM is being widely adopted

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CIM

• CIM is an implementation neutral schema for
  describing overall management information
• CIM facilitates the common understanding of
  management data across different management
  systems
• CIM facilitates the integration of management
  information from different sources
• CIM today is a data model not an implementation
• MOF syntax supports sharing information across
  management systems
• CIM provides models for both instrumentation and
  management

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Dist Wires Model
Grid Wires Model
DAC
VRU
OMS
EMS
...
Event History
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Emerging IEC standards

• IEC 61850 Communications Networks and Systems in
  Substations,
• IEC 61970 Energy Management System Application
  Programming Interface (EMS-API),
• IEC 61968 System Interfaces for Distribution
  Management.
• IEC 62055 Electricity metering Payment systems

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CIM and the IEC
The IEC standards provide the common language
among applications, which is based on semantics
defined in the Common Information Model (CIM)
that is being jointly standardized by IEC TC 57
WG13 (Energy Management System) and WG14.
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International Standards
IEC TC57 Working Group 14 System Interfaces For
Distribution Management
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DMTF vs OAG

• DMTF (Distributed Management Task Force)
• Developed CIM to integrate data from different
  technical IT systems in utilities)
• OAG ( Open Applications Group)
• Developed integration for ERP( Enterprise
  Resource Planning )
• IEC CIM model accommodates OAG systems

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Online vending
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Online vending processPhase three specification
Bank
GPRS Internet X25
Vending Server STS token generation
POS Terminals
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Interface to banking systems

• Enable online payments
• Direct link to bank via banking terminal
• Link between vending server and bank
• Mechanisms and requirements to be clarified
  between banks and STS UG

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Conclusion

• A national standard is required for online
  vending
• A collective effort is in progress by all role
  players
• Accepted industry standards are proposed (XML,
  SOAP,SSL and TCP/IP)
• Integration into utility and banking systems
  needs to be investigated
• Seek IEC acceptance after completion

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References
1 Choong Seon HONG, XML-based Network and
Service Management 2 Cover pages website
http//xml.coverpages.org/ 3 DMTF website
http//www.dmtf.org/ 4 French Smith Susan,
GIS, Work Management and ERP integration 5 IEC
TC 57 WG 14 website www.wg14.com 6 Jones
Phillip, Strategies, standards and technologies
for integration of information systems 7
Kostic Tatjana, Otto Preiss, Christian Frei,
Towards the formal integration of two
upcoming standards IEC 61970 and IEC 61850 8
OAG website www.openapplications.org 9
Penzhorn W T, G B Hearn, Investigation of
security protocols for on-line vending systems
for STS 10 Robinson Greg, Model driven
integration 11 Solms F,On-Line Vending
Protocol Requirements and Proposal 12
Subramoney Kennedy, Notes of joint NRS 009
working group/manufacturers interest group
meeting. 13 Subramoney Kennedy, Online vending
- industry trends towards a industry
specification 14 Subramoney Kennedy, Online
Vending Specification Use Cases 15 Wiseowl,
Utility Application Integration Standards,
website http//www.wiseowl.com/