The practice this part continues.
- 2000 Common standards, many builders
- Since Argo started in 2000, its profiling floats have been built by companies and research institutions alike, all held to common standards set by an international steering team. Replaceable providers behind one shared contract is the arrangement the protocol makes normative. [1]
- 2023 Attested identity
- The IETF RATS architecture (RFC 9334) describes how one party appraises evidence about the state of another. The protocol’s Join and Admit functions apply that model to instruments: a participant begins untrusted and is admitted on evidence, not on assertion. [2]
Five conformance profiles.
Each profile names the functions an implementation of that kind must provide.
- OBSP-NODE
- Node agents and devices: Join, Describe, Time, Observe, Qualify, Orchestrate (apply), Exit.
- OBSP-SITE
- Site controllers: OBSP-NODE plus Admit (local), Orchestrate (plan), Correct, Prove (verifier).
- OBSP-GRID
- Cluster and grid control planes: OBSP-SITE plus Federate and Exchange.
- OBSP-PROVIDER
- Hardware, software, model and data providers: Admit, Describe, Exit.
- OBSP-CONSUMER
- Applications reading products: Exchange, Correct (subscribe).
Four levels, each reached on evidence.
A level is reached only with the evidence the profile names, produced by the open conformance tool or a qualified laboratory. “Conformant” describes a tested scope only; it is never a certification.
- 1 DeclaredReached only with the evidence the profile names.
- 2 Self-testedReached only with the evidence the profile names.
- 3 Lab-testedReached only with the evidence the profile names.
- 4 QualifiedReached only with the evidence the profile names.
- 5 SuspendedA level may be suspended or withdrawn.
- 6 WithdrawnA level may be suspended or withdrawn.
What a conformance test covers.
12 function areas and 11 state-machine areas.
Function
Join
8 object types, 0 roles, 5 standard references.
Function
Admit
5 object types, 0 roles, 4 standard references.
Function
Describe
4 object types, 0 roles, 5 standard references.
Function
Time
3 object types, 0 roles, 4 standard references.
Function
Observe
4 object types, 0 roles, 4 standard references.
Function
Qualify
5 object types, 0 roles, 3 standard references.
Function
Federate
4 object types, 0 roles, 3 standard references.
Function
Orchestrate
6 object types, 0 roles, 5 standard references.
Function
Correct
4 object types, 0 roles, 1 standard references.
Function
Exchange
4 object types, 0 roles, 6 standard references.
Function
Prove
2 object types, 0 roles, 3 standard references.
Function
Exit and decommission
4 object types, 0 roles, 0 standard references.
State machine
Node enrolment
10 states and 42 typed transitions.
State machine
Provider admission
10 states and 35 typed transitions.
State machine
Data source admission
9 states and 25 typed transitions.
State machine
Site connectivity and reconciliation
5 states and 6 typed transitions.
State machine
Physical site lifecycle
10 states and 9 typed transitions.
State machine
Site formation
7 states and 6 typed transitions.
State machine
deployment plan compilation phases
14 states and 16 typed transitions.
State machine
Reference component promotion
7 states and 6 typed transitions.
State machine
Engineering promotion ladder
10 states and 9 typed transitions.
State machine
Evidence and claim chain
11 states and 10 typed transitions.
State machine
Model lifecycle
9 states and 8 typed transitions.
References
Sources for the historical and standards statements on this page.
- Argo Program. “About Argo.” argo.ucsd.edu/about/
- Birkholz, H., et al. (2023). RFC 9334, “Remote ATtestation procedureS (RATS) Architecture.” IETF. www.rfc-editor.org/rfc/rfc9334
- Bradner, S. (1997). RFC 2119, “Key words for use in RFCs to Indicate Requirement Levels.” IETF. www.rfc-editor.org/rfc/rfc2119
- Leiba, B. (2017). RFC 8174, “Ambiguity of Uppercase vs Lowercase in RFC 2119 Key Words.” IETF. www.rfc-editor.org/rfc/rfc8174