DDC Open Systems-An Overview

Abstract

The DOC market is global and is filled with multi-national custom-
ers and service providers. This article gives a broad perspective on is-
sues at hand.
As you will see in this and the articles that follow, there are com-
mon needs for communication and control on the part of building own-
ers worldwide . As these individuals seek to address these needs, the
first thing they encounter is a baffling array of new concepts and tech-
nologies in the area of DOC communication and networking. As with
every paper that I have published on this topic in the last 15 years, my
goal is to address this issue by clarifying both the present, and key mile-
stones in the past that have led us to this point in time . This foundation
will provide a useful framework within which to view What's Ahead .
System owners began to voice concerns in the early 1980's regard-
ing some complexities in the long term management and expansion of
DOC system s. In many respects the DOC industry was in its infancy at
that time, and the rapid pace of product development combined with the
breadth of products in the market presented issues for owners . The ulti-
mate impact of these issues was a significant awareness of the role that
communication played in the long term success of DOC s ystems, and
with that the importance of Protocols and networking. These terms along
with countless communication related product and technology
buzzwords ha ve become critical to system selection in the past three
years