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SECURE TECHNOLOGY APPLICATION EXECUTION

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STAX is a cloud capability for hosting DoD Java and Microsoft .NET web services. STAX is a key enabler of the DoD cloud computing vision for acquiring and operating the most innovative, efficient, and agile IT in support of the DoD's mission anywhere, anytime, and on any authorized device. With STAX, DISA provides development, test, and production environments that include computing, storage, network infrastructure, and software (middleware) from a secure facility under a single pricing model.

STAX is built on a configurable, multi-tenant web services environment with the following characteristics:

  • Self-service enabled: Partners are able to place an order, access the development and test environments, and migrate to production through a self-service portal. It provides anywhere, anytime access for developing and deploying applications and services for the warfighter's mission.
  • Elastic: Dynamically scales server resources to meet the application usage requirements to maximize resource allocation and keep infrastructure costs to a minimum.
  • Metered: Utility-based pricing that is based on the usage of the deployed applications.
  • Managed: Managed by DISA for the DoD with shared situational awareness. DoD Components are responsible for managing the application code they develop and deploy to STAX.
  • COOP Built-in: COOP is built into the basic service offering and I price includes a 24-hour maximum restoral time for technology and data.

STAX provides, certifies, and sustains the necessary technology infrastructure required to develop, test, execute, and operate the partner's application, and for end-users to access the applications according to DoD policies and standards. STAX assumes the responsibility of ensuring the hosting infrastructure (operating system, application server, and databases) are compliant with DoD Information Assurance (IA) requirements and current with all patches and security updates.

STAX aims to simplify the acquisition, development, and deployment process; to provide maximum flexibility and scalability; and to put more self-directed choices in the hands of the partner for scalability and durability. Through clustering features, STAX partners are able to scale their applications and provide highly available content services for their end-users.

Although STAX provides a development toolkit that ensures all STAX technologies are fully interoperable, partners are allowed to use their favorite development libraries as long as they comply with the STAX technology standards and that the partners purchase any necessary software licenses. Additional information about the STAX, the technologies it supports, and the development toolkit is available online via the STAX Community Forge at https://community.forge.mil//group/PaaS.

STANDARD FEATURES

  • Standards-based application engine – DISA provides both a 100% standards compliant Java execution environment that maintains strict compliance to portability and a Microsoft .NET environment
  • Integrated Web Framework – Combines popular web frameworks into a single solution for Java applications. Provides certified support for RichFaces, JavaServer Faces (JSF), Spring, Apache Struts, and Google Web Toolkit.
  • Common access control & authorization – All applications deployed on STAX use a common access control and authorization service that is based on industry standards and supports the DoD enterprise identity management goals
  • Data-store – Provides data persistence to relational databases and open standard integration services between the business/transaction layer and the data layer
  • Protocol mediation –Allows web applications/services to consume data from legacy data sources
  • Database Management – DISA provides database management support activities such as patch management and database administration for the databases supported under STAX
  • Clustering –Allows partners to scale their STAX applications/services and configure them with increased durability and availability for their end-users
  • COOP –STAX environments are physically distributed to multiple DECCs. Web applications deployed on STAX feature replication of application code and data to at least one remote DECC for COOP. DISA is responsible for COOP planning, testing and execution for STAX.
  • Shared situational awareness – Situational awareness about the health and status, including performance, of STAX components and the partner application are shared with the partner through situational awareness dashboards, widgets, and web services
  • Logging – To assist with operations, Partner Service Desk personnel, and application developers, detailed log data is collected and exposed for each STAX web application. Log data is exposed via a DISA-provided web query tool
  • Development tools and community support – STAX leverages Forge.mil to provide community-based development support, code management, and a technical library

OPTIONAL FEATURES

  • Clustering – The clustering option allows partners to order additional application servers to increase durability and performance of their web application/service for their end-users. Additional application servers will be clustered and load balanced. By default, STAX will dynamically provision additional application servers to meet surge demand, but this option makes the additional application server(s) permanent.
  • High-Availability (HA) – Partners can increase the service availability to their end-users by ordering the HA option, which provisions a second STAX instance in a clustered configuration at both the primary and secondary STAX locations
  • Pre-production – The pre-production/production support environment is identical to production and used to validate application function and operational readiness. The Certificate of Networthiness must be provided to DISA prior to promotion to this environment. Partners may opt to retain this environment after an application has moved into production in order to support ongoing application sustainment and enhancement activities.
  • Protocol Mediation – The optional protocol mediation service allows partners to consume data from external legacy data sources using web services to legacy protocol mediation. Protocol mediation services enable data access using the following protocols:
  • Secure File Transfer Protocol (SFTP)
  • Secure Copy (SCP)
  • Hyper-text Transfer Protocol Secure (HTTP/S)
  • Message Queue (MQ)
  • Legacy Database – The default database included in the STAX price is MySQL. The legacy database option allows the partner to order Oracle or MS SQLServer as the database for an additional charge that includes licensing and sustainment.
  • Storage – Each STAX instance receives 5 GBs of storage for the database. Partners can request additional storage in 10 GB increments.