RTI Connext^® software includes the world's leading implementation of the Object Management Group (OMG) Data Distribution Service (DDS^TM) standard. DDS is the only open standard for messaging that supports the unique needs of both enterprise and real-time systems. Its open interfaces and advanced integration capabilities slash costs across a system's lifecycle, from initial development and integration through ongoing maintenance and upgrades.

What is DDS?

Connectivity requirements have grown over time and a quick review of the evolution of connectivity design options helps to demonstrate how the need for DDS arose and how it works.

Open Interfaces

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 Modeling Language (UML) model.
Many implementations – At least 10 unique middleware implementations support the DDS API or wire protocol.

Advanced Integration Capabilities

DDS standardizes powerful messaging semantics that reduce development and integration costs while improving system scalability and robustness.

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 3,000x. Connext 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 behavior.

A Versatile Framework

Across many industries, DDS is the chosen or required connectivity standard for mission- and safety-critical applications. Learn more from these examples:

Open Standardization Process

DDS is a truly open standard. The OMG is one of the largest computer industry consortiums with hundreds of member organizations including IBM, Microsoft, Oracle, Red Hat and Tibco. In addition, OMG manages the Unified Modeling Language (UML) and other popular software standards. Any organization can join and participate in the OMG standardization process. Adopted standards are freely available on the OMG web site.