{{redirect-distinguish|SA Forum|Something Awful#Forums}} {{Multiple issues|{{Notability|Companies|date=June 2012}} {{refimprove|date=October 2011}} {{primary sources|date=June 2012}} }} {{Infobox company | name = Service Availability Forum | type = [[Private company|Private]] 501(c)(6) | logo = | foundation = 2001 | location = [[Beaverton, Oregon]], USA | key_people = | industry = [[Technology]] | homepage = [https://www.associationvoice.com/16627 https://www.associationvoice.com/16627] | }}
The '''Service Availability Forum''' ('''SAF''' or '''SA Forum''') is a [[consortium]] that develops, publishes, educates on and promotes open specifications for [[carrier-grade]] and [[mission-critical]] systems. Formed in 2001, it promotes development and deployment of [[commercial off-the-shelf]] (COTS) technology.
==Description== Service availability is an extension of high availability, referring to services that are available regardless of hardware, software or user fault and importance.
Key principles of service availability: * Redundancy – "backup" capability in case of need to [[failover]] due to a fault * [[Stateful]] and seamless recovery from failures * Minimization of mean time to repair (MTTR) – time to restore service after an outage * Fault prediction & avoidance – take action before something fails
The traditional definitions of high availability have their roots in hardware systems where redundancy of equipment was the primary mechanism for achieving uptime over a specific period. As software has come to dominate the landscape, the probability of failure is often much higher for applications than it is for hardware and so these concepts have been extended encompass an overall view of service availability where downtime, irrespective of its cause, is an exceptionally rare event. Services and applications should always be available, whether it is during abnormal system operation, scheduled maintenance, or software upgrade, for example.{{Citation needed|date=October 2011}}
[[Image:COTS Ecosystem Diagram.jpg|thumb|left|300px|COTS "ecosystem" diagram]] SA Forum support commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) technology for uninterrupted service availability, application portability and seamless integration. Collaborating industry organizations include the following:{{Citation needed|date=October 2011}} * CP-TA ([[Communications Platforms Trade Association]]): ensure interoperability on xTCA platforms.{{Citation needed|date=October 2011}} * PICMG ([[PCI Industrial Computer Manufacturers Group]]): develop open specifications that adapt PCI technology for use in high-performance telecommunications and industrial computing applications.{{Citation needed|date=October 2011}} * [[SCOPE Alliance]]: enable and promote the availability of open carrier grade base platforms based on COTS hardware / software and Free and open-source software (FOSS) building blocks, and to promote interoperability between such components.{{Citation needed|date=October 2011}} * [[The Linux Foundation]]: promote, protect, and standardize Linux by providing unified resources and services needed for open source to successfully compete with closed platforms.{{Citation needed|date=October 2011}}
===Specifications=== [[Image:Service Availability Forum enabled COTS platform.jpg|thumb|right|250px|SA Forum enabled COTS platform]] Specifications for carrier-grade service availability include: *Hardware Platform Interface (HPI) *Application Interface Specification (AIS) *Mapping Specifications<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.saforum.org/Mapping-Specifications%7E217407%7E16627.htm |title=Mapping Specifications |first= |last= |work=saforum.org |year=2011 |accessdate=October 4, 2011}}</ref> **Java Mapping Specifications **[[Hardware Platform Interface#HPI to xTCA Mapping Specification|HPI-to-AdvancedTCA Mapping Specifications]]
===Educational resources=== [[File:SAForum Cartoon Series.jpg|thumb|alt=SAFORUM Cartoon Series|The SA Forum’s Walter’s Moments cartoon series helps explain the benefits of service availability to a wider audience.]] The SA Forum free educational materials enable self-guided training the SA Forum specifications: *Application Webcasts<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.saforum.org/Application-Webcast-Series~217305~16627.htm |title=Application Webcast Series |first= |last= |work=saforum.org |year=2011 |accessdate=October 4, 2011}}</ref> *Tutorials<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.saforum.org/Specification-Tutorials~217306~16627.htm |title=Specification Tutorials |work=saforum.org |year=2011 |accessdate=October 4, 2011 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110927205958/http://www.saforum.org/Specification-Tutorials~217306~16627.htm |archivedate=September 27, 2011 }}</ref> *Whitepapers<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.saforum.org/Featured-Whitepaper~217307~16627.htm |title=Featured Whitepaper: The Software Management Framework |first= |last= |work=saforum.org |year=2011 |accessdate=October 4, 2011}}</ref>
==See also==
* [[High availability]] * [[Commercial off-the-shelf]] * [[Advanced Telecommunications Computing Architecture]] (ATCA) * [[Communications Platforms Trade Association]] * [[PICMG]] * [[SCOPE Alliance]] * [[SAFplus]] * [[The Linux Foundation]] * [[OpenSAF]] * [[OpenHPI (Service Availability)|OpenHPI]] * [[Hardware Platform Interface]] * [[Application Interface Specification]]
==References== {{Reflist}}
==External links== * {{official website|http://www.saforum.org}}
[[Category:Technology consortia]]