Spectral Autonomy

FACE: The Standard for Portable Avionics Software

Part of the Open Architecture Field Guide. All information is derived from unclassified, publicly releasable (Distribution A) sources.

FACE, the Future Airborne Capability Environment, is an open standard for portable avionics software. A component built to the FACE interfaces runs on any conformant platform without being rewritten. It is governed by The Open Group FACE Consortium and is complementary to OMS and UCI, with no content overlap.

What it does

Avionics software has usually been written for a specific aircraft's computing environment. Moving it to another platform means porting it to a different operating system, different device drivers, and different services. The software is capable, but it does not travel.

FACE defines a standard computing environment and a set of interfaces between software segments: the operating system, input and output services, transport services, and the portable components themselves. Software written against those interfaces does not depend on the underlying platform. FACE also defines profiles for general-purpose, safety, and security needs, so a component can be built to the assurance level its function requires.

A FACE component runs on two conformant platformsOne FACE software component runs on two different FACE-conformant platforms without being rewritten, because it is built against the standard FACE interfaces rather than a specific platform's operating system, drivers, and services.FACE software componentFACE interfaces: OS · I/O · transportPlatform AFACE interfaces: OS · I/O · transportPlatform B
Spectral Autonomy
A FACE component runs on two different FACE-conformant platforms without a rewrite, because it targets the standard FACE interfaces rather than one platform's OS and drivers.

Where it sits

FACE governs the software platform. It is separate from the mission-messaging standards and works alongside them. A platform can be built to the FACE standard while also using OMS as its mission abstraction layer and UCI as its message set. FACE handles portability of the software; OMS and UCI handle how mission systems talk to each other.

FACE is governed by a consortium with published specifications and a formal ballot process, which makes it one of the more durable standards in the landscape. It originated in naval aviation and is now used across the services and in civil aviation.

The software and interface stackMission software runs on top of the OMS abstraction layer, which carries UCI messages, commonly transported over DDS. FACE governs software portability alongside them, with no content overlap.FACEsoftware portabilityMission softwareUnits of ReplaceabilityOMSmission abstraction layerUCImessage schemaDDSpublish-subscribe transport
Spectral Autonomy
How the software family fits: FACE governs software portability alongside OMS, which carries UCI, commonly over DDS.

Where this fits

FAQ

What are FACE profiles?
FACE defines general-purpose, safety, and security profiles, so a component is built to the assurance level its function requires.
How is FACE different from OMS and UCI?
FACE is about software portability. OMS and UCI are about mission-system messaging. They cover different problems, are used together, and have no overlap.
Who governs FACE?
The Open Group FACE Consortium, a multi-stakeholder body with a published standard and a ballot process.

Sources