RTI Connext DDS Product Suite

The Data Distribution Service is a middleware protocol and API standard for data-centric connectivity from the Object Management Group (OMG).  It integrates the components of a system together, providing low-latency data connectivity, extreme reliability, and a scalable architecture that business and mission-critical applications need.

DDS is the software layer that lies between the operating system and applications, enabling the various components of a system to more easily communicate and share data.  It simplifies the development of distributed systems by letting software developers focus on the specific purpose of their applications rather than the mechanics of passing information between applications and systems.

DDS is uniquely data centric.  DDS knows what data it stores and controls how to share that data.  Programmers using DDS write code that specifies which data to share and when to share data.  DDS directly implements controlled, managed, reliable, and secure data sharing.

DDS conceptually sees a local store of data called the “global data space.”  To the application, the global data space looks like local memory accessed via the API.  Applications write to and read from what looks like a local storage.  In reality, DDS sends messages between participants to update the appropriate stores on remote nodes.

Data is shared with a configurable Quality of Service (QoS) for tuning how data is transferred.  DDS provides dynamic discovery of system participants and scalable architecture, simplifying future system evolution.  DDS also includes a decentralised peer-to-peer security architecture that provide authentication, access control, confidentiality, and integrity to the information distribution.

DDS fosters the development of loosely coupled modular and open architecture systems.  By supporting well-defined interfaces between components and subsystems, DDS eradicates stovepipe, closed and proprietary architectures.  This eliminates complexity to reduce integration, maintenance and upgrade costs; promotes competition at the subsystem and middleware levels; and eases reuse.

• Portability – DDS was designed from the start to support any programming language.  It is the only standard messaging API for C and C++; it also supports Java, C#, Ada, JMS, WSDL/SOAP and REST/HTTP interfaces.
• Wire interoperability – The DDS Real-Time Publish-Subscribe (RTPS) wire protocol provides seamless interoperability across implementations, platforms and programming languages.
• Semantic interoperability – Applications communicate by exchanging discoverable data objects typically described by a standard data model.  The data model can be specified using the OMG Interface Definition Language (IDL), XSD/WSDL, XML or a programmatic interface.  It can also be generated from a Unified Modelling Language model.
• Many implementations – At least 10 unique middleware implementations support the DDS API or wire protocol.

• Data-centricity – Data-centric publish/subscribe messaging provides loose coupling, reduces application and integration logic, and scales to systems of systems.
• Performance – DDS supports the full range of performance requirements from enterprise to high-performance real-time systems.  DDS implementations outperform implementation of other standards by up to 3,000 times.  Connext DDS consistently outperforms other DDS solutions.
• QoS – DDS defines a comprehensive set of Quality of Service (QoS) policies.  These provide control over dynamic discovery, content-aware routing and filtering, fault tolerance and deterministic real-time behaviour.

DDS is an independent connectivity standard that enable the exchange of information, distinct from location, hardware platform, programming language or operating system.  DDS provides application portability (using standard language interfaces) and network interoperability.  DDS was developed by the Object Management Group®.

The OMG is a global, non-profit technology consortium that develops and maintains widely adopted standards for software, systems, and enterprise integration.  Its membership spans hundreds of organisations across industries, including major corporations, government agencies, and academic institutions.

In addition to DDS, OMG also manages the numerous other standards including Unified Modelling Language (UML), Common Object Request Broker Architecture (CORBA) and Systems Modelling Language (SysML).

RTI Connext is the leading framework compliant with the DDS™ standard that delivers high availability, reliability, security and performance essential for highly distributed critical systems.

• Market Leader.  The leading framework compliant with the DDS standard.  Delivers high availability and reliability with no single point of failure.  Ideal for mission-critical systems.
• Mature and Proven Solution.  Provides a data architecture used in over 2000 design and running in more that $1T of total systems worldwide.
• High Performance.  Meets stringent real-time requirements required for precise remote-control applications; distributes high volumes of data with low latency.
• Robust Security.  Provides fine-grained security through standardised authentication, encryption and access control.
• Scalability.  Discovers new and existing data and devices automatically in a system allowing for ease of system scalability without expensive redevelopment.
• Extensive Development Tools.  RTI provide the tools providing visibility into running systems, help troubleshoot application connectivity, solve complex data integration problems and speed time to market.