Approval of Federal Information Processing Standards Publication 21-4, COBOL

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Institute of Standards and Technology

[Docket No. 940684-4315]

RIN 0693-AB32

Approval of Federal Information Processing Standards Publication

21-4, COBOL

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

Commerce.

ACTION: The purpose of this notice is to announce that the Secretary of

Commerce has approved a revision of Federal Information Processing

Standard 21-3, COBOL, which will be published as FIPS Publication 21-4.

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SUMMARY: On July 11, 1994 (59 FR 35312-35315), notice was published in

the Federal Register that a revision to Federal Information Processing

Standard 21-4, COBOL, was being proposed for Federal use.

The written comments submitted by interested parties and other

material available to the Department relevant to the revised standard

was reviewed by NIST. On the basis of this review, NIST recommended

that the Secretary approve the revised standard as a Federal

Information Processing Standards Publication (FIPS), and prepared a

detailed justification document for the Secretary's review in support

of that recommendation.

The detailed justification document which was presented to the

Secretary is part of the public record and is available for inspection

and copying in the Department's Central Reference and Records

Inspection Facility, Room 6020, Herbert C. Hoover Building, 14th Street

between Pennsylvania and Constitution Avenues, NW, Washington, DC

20230.

This FIPS contains two sections: (1) An announcement section, which

provides information concerning the applicability, implementation, and

maintenance of the standard; and (2) a specifications section which

deals with the technical requirements of the standard. Only the

announcement section of the standard is provided in this notice.

EFFECTIVE DATE: This revised standard is effective July 17, 1995.

ADDRESSES: Interested parties may purchase copies of this revised

standard, including the technical specifications section, from the

National Technical Information Service (NTIS). Specific ordering

information from NTIS for this standard is set out in the Where to

Obtain Copies Section of the announcement section of the standard.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Mr. Arnold Johnson, telephone (301) 975-3247, National Institute of

Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, MD 20899.

Dated: January 13, 1995.

Samuel Kramer,

Associate Director.

Federal Information Processing Standards Publication 21-4

(Date)

Announcing the Standard for COBOL

Federal Information Processing Standards Publications (FIPS PUBS)

are issued by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST)

after approval by the Secretary of Commerce pursuant to Section 111(d)

of the Federal Property and Adminstrative Services Act of 1949 as

amended by the Computer Security Act of 1987, Public Law 100-235.

1. Name of Standard. COBOL (FIPS PUB 21-4).

2. Cateogory of Standard. Software Standard, Programming Language.

3. Explanation. This publication announces the adoption of American

National Standard COBOL, as specified in ANSI X3.23-1985, X3.23a-1989

and ANSI X3.23b-1993, as a Federal Information Processing Standard

(FIPS). This revision supersedes FIPS PUB 21-3 and reflects corrections

and clarifications to the COBOL specifications. The American National

Standards define the elements of the COBOL programming language and the

rules for their use. The purpose of the standards is to promote

portability of COBOL programs for use on a variety of data processing

systems. The standards are used by implementors as the reference

authority in developing processors and by users who need to know the

precise syntactic and semantic rules of the standard language.

4. Approving Authority. Secretary of Commerce.

5. Maintenance Agency. Department of Commerce, National Institute

of Standards and Technology (NIST).

6. Cross Index.

a. American National Standard for Information Systems--Programming

Language--COBOL, ANSI X3.23-1985, ISO 1989-1985.

b. American National Standard for Information Systems--Programming

Language--Intrinsic Function Module for COBOL, ANSI X3.23a-1989.

c. American National Standard for Information Systems--Programming

Language--Correction and Clarification Amendment for COBOL, ANSI

X3.23b-1993.

7. Related Documents.* [[Page 4400]]

*Refers to most recent revision of FIPS PUBS.

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a. Federal Information Resources Management Regulation (FIRMR)

Subpart 201.20.303, Standards, and Subpart 201.39.1002, Federal

Standards.

b. Federal Information Processing Standards Publication 29,

Interpretation Procedures for Federal Information Processing Standards

for Software.

c. NBS Special Publication 400-117, Selection and Use of General-

Purpose Programming Languages.

8. Objectives. Federal standards for high level programming

languages permit Federal departments and agencies to exercise more

effective control over the production, management, and use of the

Government's information resources. The primary objectives of Federal

programming language standards are:

--to encourage more effective utilization and management of programmers

by insuring that programming skills acquired on one job are

transportable to other jobs, thereby reducing the cost of programmer

re-training;

--to reduce the cost of program development by achieving the increased

programmer productivity that is inherent in the use of high level

programming languages;

--to reduce the overall software costs by making it easier and less

expensive to maintain programs and to transfer programs among different

computer systems, including replacement systems; and

--to protect the existing software assets of the Federal Government by

insuring to the maximal feasible extent that Federal programming

language standards are technically sound and that subsequent revisions

are compatible with the installed base.

9. Applicability.

a. Federal standards for high level programming languages should be

used for computer applications and programs that are either developed

or acquired for government use. FIPS COBOL is one of the high level

programming language standards provided for use by all Federal

departments and agencies. FIPS COBOL is especially suited for

applications that emphasize the manipulation of characters, records,

files, and input/output (in contrast to those primarily concerned with

scientific and numeric computations).

b. The use of FIPS high level programming languages is strongly

recommended when one or more of the following situations exist:

--It is anticipated that the life of the program will be longer than

the life of the presently utilized equipment.

--The application or program is under constant review for updating of

the specifications, and changes may result frequently.

--The application is being designed and programmed centrally for a

decentralized system that employs computers of different makes, models

and configurations.

--The program will or might be run on equipment other than for which

the program is initially written.

--The program is to be understood and maintained by programmers other

than the original ones.

--The advantages of improved program design, debugging, documentation

and intelligibility can be obtained through the use of this high level

language regardless of interchange potential.

--The program is or is likely to be used by organizations outside the

Federal Government (i.e., State and local governments, and others).

c. Nonstandard language features should be used only when the

needed operation or function cannot reasonably be implemented with the

standard features alone. Although nonstandard language features can be

very useful, it should be recognized that their use may make the

interchange of programs and future conversion to a revised standard or

replacement processor more difficult and costly.

d. It is recognized that programmatic requirements may be more

economically, and efficiently satisfied through the use of report

generation, database management, or text processing languages. The use

of any facility should be considered in the context of system life,

system cost, data integrity, and the potential for data sharing.

e. programmatic requirements may be also more economically and

efficiently satisfied by the use of automatic program generators.

However, if the final output of a program generator is a COBOL source

program, then the resulting program should conform to the conditions

and specifications of FIPS COBOL.

f. When it is determined that a programming language that has been

adopted as a FIPS is to be used for an application or program, a

processor conforming to the FIPS programming language shall be used, if

available. It is not intended that existing programs be rewritten

solely for the purpose of conforming to a FIPS programming language. If

a program is to be part of an existing application written in a

programming language not conforming to a FIPS, the language processor

used for the existing application may be used for the new program.

10. Specifications. FIPS COBOL specifications are the same as

American National Standard COBOL as specified in ANSI X3.23-1985 ANSI

X3.23a-1989 and ANSI X3.23b-1993.

ANSI X3.23-1985, ANSI X3.23a-1989 and ANSI X3.23a-1993 specify the

form of a program written in COBOL, formats for data, and rules for

program and data interpretation.

The standards do not specify limits on the size of programs,

minimum system requirements, the means of supervisory control of

programs, or the means of transforming programs internally for

processing.

In addition, the following requirements apply:

a. For purposes of FIPS COBOL, the modules defined in ANSI X3.23-

1985 and ANSI X3.23a-1989 are combined into three subsets and four

optional modules. The three subsets are identified as Minimum,

Intermediate, and High. The four optional modules are Report Writer,

Communication, Debug, and Segmentation. These four optional modules may

be associated with any of the subsets.

The high subset is composed of all language elements of the highest

level of all required modules. The intermediate subset is composed of

all language elements of level 1 of all required modules except the

Intrinsic Function module. The minimum subset is composed of all

language elements of level 1 of the Nucleus, Sequential I-O, and Inter-

Program Communication modules.

The following table reflects the composition of the required

subsets and the relationship of the subsets and the optional modules.

The numbers in the table refer to the level within a module as

designated in ANSI X3.23-1985 and ANSI X3.23A-1989, and a dash denotes

the corresponding module is omitted or may be omitted.

[[Page 4401]]

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COBOL Subsets

Modules --------------------------------------------------

Minimum Intermediate High

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Required:

Nucleus............ 1.............. 1.............. 2

Sequential I-O..... 1.............. 1.............. 2

Relative I-O....... ............... 1.............. 2

Indexed I-O........ ............... 1.............. 2

Inter-Program 1.............. 1.............. 2

Communication.

Sort-Merge......... ............... 1.............. 1

Source Text ............... 1.............. 2

Manipulation.

Intrinsic Function. ............... ............... 1

Optional:

Report Writer...... -, or 1........ -, or 1........ -, or 1

Communication...... -, 1, or 2..... -, 1, or 2..... -, 1, or 2

Debug.............. -, 1, or 2..... -, 1, or 2..... -, 1, or 2

Segmentation....... -, 1, or 2..... -, 1, or 2..... -, 1, or 2

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b. A facility must be available in the processor for the user to

optionally specify monitoring of the source program at compile time.

The monitoring may be specified for a FIPS COBOL subset, for any of the

optional modules, for all of the obsolete language elements included in

the processor, or for a combination of a FIPS COBOL subset, optional

modules, and all obsolete elements. The monitoring may be specified for

any FIPS COBOL subset at or below the highest subset for which the

processor is implemented and for a level of an optional module at or

below the level of the optional module for which the processor is

implemented. The monitoring is an analysis of the syntax used in the

source program against the syntax included in the user selected FIPS

COBOL subset and optional modules. Any syntax used in the source

program that does not conform to that included in the user selected

FIPS COBOL subset and optional modules will be diagnosed and identified

to the user through a message on the source program listing. Any syntax

for an obsolete language element included in the processor and used in

the source program will also be diagnosed and identified through a

message on the source program listing. The determination of the need to

flag any given source program syntax in accordance with these

requirements cannot be logically resolved until the syntactic

correctness of the source program has been established. The message

provided will identify:

--The level indicator, clause, statement or header that directly

contains the nonconforming or obsolete syntax. (For the purpose of this

requirement the definitions of level indicator, clause, statement and

header contained in American National Standard COBOL, ANSI X3.23-1985,

Section III, Glossary, and the definition of syntax contained in

American National Dictionary for Information Processing Systems,

(ANDIS), ANSI X3.172-1990, apply.)

--The source program line and an indication of the beginning location

within the line of the level indicator, clause, statement or header

which contains the nonconforming or obsolete syntax.

--The syntax as ``nonconforming standard'' if the nonconforming syntax

is included in the processor but is not within the user selected FIPS

COBOL subset or optional modules unless monitoring is selected for the

obsolete category; in that case obsolete language elements are only

flagged as ``obsolete''.

--The syntax as ``nonconforming nonstandard'' if the nonconforming

syntax is a nonstandard extension included in the processor.

--The syntax as ``obsolete'' if the syntax identified in the obsolete

category within a FIPS COBOL subset or optional module included in the

processor.

11. Implementation. The implementation of FIPS COBOL involves three

areas of consideration: acquisition of COBOL processors, interpretation

of FIPS COBOL, and validation of COBOL processors.

11.1 Acquisition of COBOL Processors. This publication is

effective July 17, 1995. COBOL processors acquired for Federal use

after this date should implement at least one of the required subsets

of FIPS COBOL. If the functionality of one or more of the optional

modules meets programmatic requirements, then those optional modules

also should be acquired. Each optional module that is needed to meet

programmatic requirements should be explicitly cited as a requirement

in the order for the processor. Conformance to FIPS COBOL should be

considered whether COBOL processors are developed internally, acquired

as part of an ADP system procurement, acquired by separate procurement,

used under an ADP leasing arrangement, or specified for use in

contracts for programming services.

A transition period provides time for industry to produce COBOL

processors conforming to the standard. The transition period begins on

the effective date and continues for one (1) year thereafter. The

following apply during the transition period:

a. The provisions of FIPS PUB 21-3 apply to processors ordered

before the effective date but delivered subsequent to the effective

date.

b. The provisions of this publication apply to orders placed after

the effective date; however, a processor conforming to FIPS PUB 21-4,

if available, may be acquired for use prior to the effective date. If a

conforming processor is not available, a processor conforming to FIPS

PUB 21-3 may be acquired for interim use during the transition period.

11.2 Interpretation of FIPS COBOL. NIST provides for the

resolution of questions regarding FIPS COBOL specifications and

requirements, and issues official interpretations as needed. All

questions about the interpretation of FIPS COBOL should be addressed

to:

National Institute of Standards and Technology

ATTN: COBOL Interpretation

Technology Building, Room B-154

Gaithersburg, MD 20899

11.3 Validation of COBOL Processors. NIST provides a service for

the purpose of validating the conformance to this standard of

processors offered for Federal procurement. The validation system

reports the nature of any deviations that are detected. This service is

offered on a reimbursable basis. Further information about the

validation service can be obtained from the Software Standards

Validation Group. COBOL Validation, National Institute of

[[Page 4402]] Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, MD 20899 (301)

975-3247.

12. Waivers. Under certain exceptional circumstances, the heads of

Federal departments and agencies may approve waivers to Federal

Information Processing Standards (FIPS). The head of such agency may

redelegate such authority only to a senior official designated pursuant

to section 3506(b) of Title 44, United States Code. Waivers shall be

granted only when:

a. Compliance with a standard would adversely affect the

accomplishment of the mission of an operator of a Federal computer

system, or

b. Cause a major adverse financial impact on the operator which is

not offset by Government-wide savings.

Agency heads may act upon a written waiver request containing the

information detailed above. Agency heads may also act without a written

waiver request when they determine that conditions for meeting the

standard cannot be met. Agency heads may approve waivers only by a

written decision which explains the basis on which the agency head made

the required finding(s). A copy of each such decision, with

procurement-sensitive or classified portions clearly identified, shall

be sent to: National Institute of Standards and Technology; ATTN: FIPS

Waiver Decisions, Technology Building, Room B-154; Gaithersburg, MD

20899.

In addition notice of each waiver granted and each delegation of

authority to approve waivers shall be sent promptly to the Committee on

Government Operations of the House of Representatives and the Committee

on Governmental Affairs of the Senate and shall be published promptly

in the Federal Register.

When the determination on a waiver applies to the procurement of

equipment and/or services, a notice of the waiver determination must be

published in the Commerce Business Daily as a part of the notice of

solicitation for offers of an acquisition or, if the waiver

determination is made after that notice is published, by amendment to

such notice.

A copy of the waiver, any supporting documents, the document

approving the waiver and any supporting and accompanying documents,

with such deletions as the agency is authorized and decides to make

under 5 U.S.C. Sec. 552(b), shall be part of the procurement

documentation and retained by the agency.

13. Where to Obtain Copies. Copies of this publication are for sale

by the National Technical Information Service, U.S. Department of

Commerce, Springfield, VA 22161. (Sale of the included specifications

document is by arrangement with the American National Standards

Institute.) When ordering, refer to Federal Information Processing

Standards Publication 21-4 (FIPSPUB21-4), and title. Payment may be

made by check, money order, or deposit account.

[FR Doc. 95-1612 Filed 1-20-95; 8:45 am]

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