As the transition to Itanium® architecture-based systems draws nearer, OEMs, IHVs, ISVs and OSVs must look ahead to both the opportunities and challenges these new platforms will present. Now is the time to define a common baseline hardware interface for programmers developing Itanium architecture solutions. It's an opportunity to build a strong, sustainable new platform and to anticipate issues that could cause legacy problems as the architecture evolves in the future.

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The Developer's Interface Guide for Itanium® Architecture (DIG64) is a document under development to set the guidelines for systems in the emerging Itanium architecture-based environment. The DIG64 is an industry initiative promoted by Intel and the leading OEMs (Compaq, HP, IBM, NEC and Siemens) whose purpose is to arrive at a common definition of compatibility between Itanium architecture server hardware and system-level software (OS hardware interfaces and device drivers).

The DIG64 specification is expected to define a common set of baseline building blocks and interfaces for Itanium architecture-based servers and will provide the confidence and consistency needed to accelerate development of the foundation system for ISVs. Most importantly, the DIG64 specification is to provide the necessary framework to support concurrent development of Itanium architecture-based solutions at all levels.

The DIG64 specification is intended to be a key reference covering baseline hardware architecture, programming conventions, test criteria, test suites and development tools. The promoters of the specification plan to include ample detail about the system and programming architecture to provide a thorough contextual basis for developing interoperable software programs and server systems.

The DIG64 specification is aimed at reducing time-to-market for mission-critical, Itanium architecture-based products, software and devices. In the near term, its key value is to enable developers of such solutions to work from a set of low-level definitions that will ensure arrival at the same goal—flexible, interoperable hardware and software products—in a timely manner. The DIG64 specification will lay the groundwork for a clean, well-supported industry transition to Itanium architecture-based solutions.

The guidelines in the DIG64 specification ensure stable processor/chipset interfaces underlying the development of OS elements, drivers and applications. This will reduce development costs and enable all levels of Itanium architecture solutions to evolve in step with the system architecture. It all adds up to longer design life and easy design reuse for products that comply with the DIG64 specification.

In addition, the DIG64 guidelines, because they clarify low-level components, support more effective RAS solutions across the breadth of Itanium architecture-based products.

Benefits for IT Departments and Users
The DIG64 specification provides a higher degree of standardization at the base system level. This increases reliability and confidence in deployment. It reduces qualification effort for Itanium architecture-based solutions, and provides a much broader choice of products.

Improved standardization, combined with the DIG64's pre-emptive effort to forestall legacy problems, means higher levels of compatibility and lower upgrade and maintenance costs.

Benefits for OEMs
The DIG64 specification defines stable, testable hardware interfaces. Simply having this degree of resolution will shorten time-to-market for Itanium architecture-based systems and reduce design and testing costs. As noted previously, informed management of legacy issues will reduce design cycles. These guidelines will make it easier for all vendors involved with the Itanium architecture-based platforms to design products confidently. This will accelerate the arrival of the full range of needed Itanium architecture solutions, helping the Itanium architecture market to reach "critical mass" quickly. It adds up to faster return on investment. With fewer interface variables to plan and design for, OEMs can concentrate on adding differentiating features for users in their products.

Benefits for ISVs
The DIG64 specification will ensure a better match of hardware to application requirements, and in turn higher performance and simplified development efforts. With a common baseline platform, ISVs will have early access to stable system interfaces from all the leading server manufacturers' products, providing a broader customer base for their solutions software. A common focus for platform evolution will result in shorter time-to-market and increased design longevity. Because legacy problems will be minimized, application upgrade and maintenance engineering costs will be reduced.

Benefits for OSVs
The standard hardware interfaces defined in the DIG64 specification will shorten time-to-market for Itanium architecture operating systems and reduce porting efforts to multiple vendor platforms. Furthermore, these interfaces will provide additional system-level support of OS RAS capabilities. Standard hardware interfaces can streamline porting efforts for ISV applications, broadening potential markets. And as with ISVs, OSVs will benefit from the reduced legacy problems as the Itanium architecture-based platform evolves in the future. Legacy issues will be "managed" rather than random. OSVs can anticipate legacy issues, rather than reacting to them as they emerge. This will reduce development and maintenance engineering efforts going forward.

Benefits for IHVs
The DIG64 specification ensures that core OS functionality will work across a broad set of Itanium architecture-based systems. This minimizes porting efforts and provides stable, testable hardware interfaces that will shorten time-to-market for Itanium architecture systems, and reduce design and testing efforts.

The Developer's Interface Guide for Itanium architecture is designed to establish consistent guidelines for developments in the Itanium architecture-based environment. Because the goal is to define a common set of baseline building blocks and interfaces for Itanium architecture-based, it will hasten and smooth the industry's transition to the Itanium architecture environment. This goal will provide a means whereby OSVs, ISVs, IHVs and OEMs can concurrently develop efficient, interoperable Itanium architecture-based solutions.

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