U.S. Department of Agriculture eGovernment Program Existing Agency Architecture Assessment October 2003

U.S. Department of Agriculture

eGovernment Program

eGovernment ProgramExisting Agency Architecture Assessment

October 2003

eDeployment Initiative

United States Department of AgricultureeGovernment Program

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Table of Contents

I. Overview

II. Results



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Overview

An assessment of existing agency architectures was conducted as input to the new eGovernment architecture. This assessment is important so we can understand:

Existing “net-centric” architectures

Previous application development experience

Skills of IT staff based on previous development efforts or existing architectures

Leveragable assets



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Overview

The survey focused on the following areas: Server configuration and hardware

• What operating systems are running on agency web and application servers?

• What web servers/web application servers are currently in use within your agency?

• What database management server (s) are currently in use?

• What server hardware is currently in use to support your web-based applications?

Web application languages and frameworks• Do you currently use either J2EE framework or .NET platform for your web based applications?

• What scripting technologies are used in agency web applications (Active Server Pages, Java Server Pages, CGI, PHP etc)?

Integration Areas• What agency legacy, program delivery, and back-office applications require integration with the

eGovernment components (portal, content management, and document management).

Hosting and network environment• Where are your agency web-based and non-web-based applications primarily hosted?

• What is the available bandwidth being used by your agency applications (T1, T3, Fiber, etc.)?

• Are you using an LDAP or LDAP-compliant directory?

The main input to the assessment was a survey completed by each agency:



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Overview

Fifteen agencies responded directly to the eDeployment Existing Architecture survey:

•APHIS

•ARS

•DA

•ERS

•FAS

•FNS

•FS

•FSA

•GIPSA

•NASS

•NRCS

•OC

•OCE

•OIG

•RD

For those agencies that did not respond, their data was derived from other surveys:

Resource Agencies

OCIO Existing Architecture Survey CSREES, FAIM, NITC, SC

USDA Enterprise Architecture Document AMS, CCE, CSREES, FCS, FSIS, NFC, WSC



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Table of Contents

I. Overview

II. Results



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Results – Server Configuration & Hardware

USDA agency web server operating systems are comprised of eight different systems:

• Windows NT/2000

• Solaris

• Novell

• HP-UX

• AIX

• Linux

• OS390web

• OS2

Of the responding agencies, the most prevalent operating system for servers is the Windows platform (either NT or 2000).

Novell, Solaris and HP-UX platforms are also highly represented at the agency level.

All twenty-five agencies are represented in the resulting statistics.

Operating Systems

What operating systems are currently used to run your web-based server applications?

Win NT/ 200036%

Solaris17%

AIX9%

HP-UX12%

Linux9%

Novell12%

OS390w eb3%

OS22%



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Web Servers

What web servers/web application servers are currently in use within your agency?

USDA agency web servers are comprised of five different products:

• Microsoft IIS, Apache, Novell Novonics, Web Star (MAC), Lotus Domino

Microsoft IIS and Apache were the most prevalent web server currently at agencies.

USDA agency web application servers are comprised of four products but more than half of the respondents use Oracle.

• Oracle

• IBM Websphere

• Netscape Enterprise Server – Live Wire

• TomCat

The fifteen agencies who responded to the eDeployment Existing Architecture survey are represented in these resulting statistics.

Web Star (MAC)4%

Apache39%

Microsoft IIS49%

Novonics (Novell) 4%

Lotus Domino 4%

Web Application Servers

Oracle51%

Tom Cat/Chilisoft 8%

IBM Websphere33%

Netscape Enterprise Server/Live Wire (Both)

8%



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Database Management Systems

What database management servers are currently in use?

USDA agency database management systems are comprised of eight different products:

• Microsoft SQL Server

• Oracle

• Sybase

• DB2

• Informix

• IBM/Red Brick

• Web Focus

• MySQL

Microsoft SQL Server and Oracle are the two predominant database management systems currently in use by agencies at USDA, comprising more than half of the total number of dB systems.

The fifteen agencies who responded to the eDeployment Existing Architecture survey are represented in these resulting statistics as well as; NITC, CSREES, FAIM, SC & UTN.

Oracle26%

My SQL5%

Sybase12%

Web Focus2%Informix

7%

DB210%

MS SQL36%

IBM/Red Brick2%



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Server Hardware

What server hardware is currently in use to support your web-based applications?

USDA agency server hardware are comprised of nine different products:

• Dell

• Compaq

• IBM

• Hewlitt Packard

• Sun

• Micro Client Pro

• Macintosh

• Data General

• Micron

The top three products that represent almost 70% of all the servers at USDA agencies are Compaq, Dell and IBM.


SUN9% Micro Client Pro

3%

HP12%

Data General3%

Dell25%

Micron3%

Compaq24%

IBM18%

Macintosh3%



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Results – Web Application Languages & Frameworks

What scripting technologies are used in agency web applications?

Do you currently use either J2EE framework or .NET platform for your web based applications?

USDA agency web scripting languages are comprised of nine different types:

• ASP

• JSP

• CGI

• PHP

ASP and JSP are the most common scripting languages being used by agency web applications with the seven other web scripting languages ranging from CGI to LotusScript.

The effects of non-standard web-scripting languages can be seen in the framework survey results.

• The most common framework, if applicable, was the Microsoft .NET frame work with 8 responding agencies indicating either using or planning to use .NET in the next year.

• J2EE was also mentioned as being used as a framework by four agency respondents.

• Five agencies also indicated that they do not have a standard framework or plan to have a standard framework in the next year.

Framework Number of Agencies

.NET 8

J2EE 4

None 5

Web Scripting Languages

•PERL

•LotusScript

•CFML

•PL/SQL

ASP27%

LotusScript2%

CGI19%

CFML2%

PHP14%

PL/SQL2%

PERL10%

JSP24%



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Results – Integration Areas

Agency Comments

APHIS National Finance Center Applications, Lotus Notes, Oracle Forms, Oracle iAS Forms (web based), HTML/CGI/Java, Specialized web application servers.

ARS Non-citizen Tracking System, Scientific Data Retrieval System, Genomic, Agricultural Research Information System (ARIS) (custom Oracle forms), ASP driven applications.

DA Applications generated with Microsoft Office products (databases, forms, spreadsheets, etc.) and Web Design Tools to generate Custom Databases and PDF/HTML forms.

ERS Projects done in the IT shop include Foreign Agricultural Trade of the US (FATUS) and Farm Income based on the Agricultural Resource Management Survey (ARMS) survey. Both meta-data and a significant amount of detail content are delivered to the public Web site dynamically from SQL Server, Access, GIS, and SAS databases through custom application code. Both commercial and custom developed Extranet software are used. An agency intranet is also supported.

FAS PS&D and USTrade (trade statistics systems, GSM (grants), Unified Export Strategy System. All are custom C++ applications.

FNS Regional Office Administrated Program, National Data Bank, Integrated Data Warehouse, Electronic Disqualified Recipient Subsystem (.NET). Integrated Program Accounting System, Internet, Intranet and Extranet (Cots). Electronic Commodity Ordering System (CRM – ATG Dynamo). Electronic Benefit Transfer (VB – Delphi).

FS Oracle 9iAS, Lotus, Quickplace and Sametime applications. Also, Forest Inventory and Analysis and several Fire Interagency applications.

FSA Producer Payment Summary, Electronic Load Deficiency Payments, Other electronic access program delivery systems on the drawing board (JAVA based).

GIPSA GIPSA is currently redesigning its legacy system for eventual removal.

NASS NASS Web Server (HTML, Java, PERL, CGI), Electronic Data Reporting (HTML, PERL, PHP, Java), Quick Stats On-Line Database (HTML, CGI, PERL), ListServer.

NRCS WebTGAS

OC COTS: SchedulAll, Digasystem, SpectelA

OCE N/A

OIG None

RD DLOS, RULSS, GLS, CPAP, PLAS, ,PFCS (using custom C++, Java and Visual Basic)



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Results – Hosting & Network Environment

Hosting Facilities

Where are your agency web-based and non-web-based applications primarily hosted?

USDA agencies responded that their web based on non-web based applications are hosted by:

• Agency

• NITC

• USDA Service Centers

• Other (Universities)

NITC hosting was primarily used for hosting non-web based applications where as agencies used either USDA Service Centers or Agency Servers for housing their web based applications.


NITC32%

USDA Service Centers

18%

Agency36%

Other14%



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What is the available bandwidth being used by your agency applications?

Agency Bandwidth Comments

APHIS Riverdale, MD – Available bandwidth – 200MB (2 separate 100MB Fiber links) – Average utilization – 10%

Ft. Collins, CO – Available bandwidth – 101.5 MB (1 100MB Fiber link and T1 1.54MB) – Average utilization – 10%

ARS 3 to 6 mps – Also use T1 & T3 – utilization varies from 20 – 50%

DA Modem dial-up – 56k, average connect 28.8k to 32 k

ERS T1 lines – utilization unknown

FAS 128KB minimum

FNS Tricon 1536/768 kbps – utilization 35%, 10 meg Ethernet – utilization 5%

FS 5 – 8 MB/s averaging 6MB/s of a possible 45Mb/s or USDA’s limit

FSA T1 lines (1.5 megs/second)

GIPSA T1, 384K

NASS 128K dedicated T1 lines – utilization 50%

NRCS Frame Relay using 13% utilization

OC 5.2 mbps

OCE 100 MB Full Duplex; 10% utilization

OIG Unknown

RD 100 mbps in the closets; 10 mbps on the desktops with future plans to upgrade to 100 mbps



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Directories

Are you using an LDAP or LDAP-compliant directory?

USDA agencies who answered the eDeployment Existing Architecture survey all responded that they use LDAP or LDAP-compliant directories including:

• Active Directory

• Novell

• Oracle

• Domino

Almost half of the respondents replied that they use Active Directory.


Active Directory49%

Novell25%

Domino13%

Oracle13%



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Results - Summary

Operating Systems – • Servers – Over 50% of the agencies run Microsoft based OS for their web and

application servers

• Client – the majority of client computers are running Windows 95 or higher

Programming Languages-• Application development – the use of the four main programming languages

shows no favoritism within the USDA agencies; none are used in more than 30% of the agencies

• Web development – while the majority of agencies use HTML and Java in support of their web applications, there is a strong .NET and ASP presence

Database Management-• Database Servers – Oracle and Microsoft SQL are used the most within the

USDA agencies

Although the USDA agencies use a variety of platforms and languages to support their efforts, the majority run proven technologies.

Documents

U.S. Department of Agriculture eGovernment Program Existing Agency Architecture Assessment October 2003