Disconnected Operations



In defense operations, air vehicle and inventory assets are deployed from main operating bases (MOBs) to forward operating bases (FOBs) and back again, or assets can be transferred between forward bases. For periods of time, bases might operate without internet connectivity to the central maintenance management system and the central technical records repository.

 When assets are deployed, their baseline and technical records are required at the destination base to ensure the base can maintain assets independently and in compliance with regulations.

If a disconnected base performs maintenance for an extended time, the base might need to do the following:

The Disconnected Operations solution is set-up with multiple instances or installations of IFS Cloud, one for the Central Engineering Authority, one for the central Technical Records Repository, and separate instances for each MOB and FOB that will export or import assets or records. When assets are deployed in the real world, assets, baseline records, and technical records must be exported from one IFS Cloud instance and imported to another.

Each base or location that you intend to export from or import to, including the central Technical Records Repository and the Central Engineering Authority, is modelled as an AIRPORT location. Each base or location that imports shipments of inventory, has a DOCK sub-location to receive shipments.

The following applications and features are part of the Disconnected Operations solution:

Component or application Description
IFS Maintenix Application used to define system, equipment, and baseline configuration, plan maintenance, handle part and tool availability, record maintenance and maintain compliance. Shipments of pack-up kits and loose inventory are created in Maintenix.
Disconnected Operations Workflow Manager Application used to export files from source site and import files at destination site when aircraft and inventory shipments are deployed or resupply shipments, baseline updates, or send technical record updates are sent.
Central Engineering Authority (CEA) An instance of IFS Cloud in which engineers use IFS Maintenix and Allowable Configuration to maintain the maintenance and equipment baselines. Baselines are maintained exclusively in this instance and updates are exported to bases.
Aviation Technical Content Manager-Allowable Configuration Application used by configuration specialists to update part group information based on changes from external sources such as manufacturer's Illustrated Parts Catalog (IPC), Air Worthiness Directives, or Service Bulletins/ Letters. Changes are published to Maintenix in the Central Engineering Authority instance of IFS Cloud. (Part group changes are not made in Maintenix.)
Technical Records Repository (TRR) An instance of IFS Cloud which serves as the central storage location for the technical records of aircraft and other inventory. Each instance of IFS Cloudhas a TRR with a portion of an asset's records, but the full set of records required by planners and others is only available in the central location. Bases keep the central TRR updated by sending technical record updates.

When assets are exported using the Disconnected Operations Workflow Manager, the exporting system archives the asset. This ensures that there is only one active asset record.

Summarizing broadly, the data included in the transfer files when assets or records are exported is as follows:

You might deploy from a MOB to a FOB or from FOB to FOB, FOB to MOB, or MOB to MOB. When deployed aircraft assets complete a mission and return from a FOB to a MOB, or are transferred elsewhere, the export and import process is performed in reverse, exporting from the FOB, and importing to the MOB.

Central Engineering Authority

The Central Engineering Authority creates and maintains the maintenance and equipment baselines in a separate instance of IFS Cloud.

The equipment and maintenance baselines are updated in the IFS Maintenix application with the exception of part group updates which are made in Allowable Configuration and published to IFS Maintenix.

During the initial set-up, the full baseline is created in the Central Engineering Authority instance and in MOB and FOB instances of IFS Cloud.
After the initial set-up, when engineers in the CEA create, update, or delete baselines - for example, they add a new assembly or revise a job card definition, the baseline changes are bundled into batches by a scheduled task. Batches are saved in the CEA instance and are available for export.

The published batches of updates are transferred in the following ways:

Depending on your operation, the CEA might export baseline updates primarily to MOBs. The MOBs in turn might export baseline updates to disconnected FOBs. The transfer of updates to a disconnected FOB might rely on the manual transport of the data on a USB stick carried by a pilot deployed from a MOB to a FOB.

Not all elements of the maintenance and equipment baselines are exported. For example, the Maintenance Program feature in IFS Maintenix that groups all maintenance requirements for an asset, is not supported in the Disconnected Operations solution. Some elements of the baseline, such as Bins, are created, updated, and deleted in the local base instance.

Data transferred with deployments and updates

When aircraft assets and inventory shipments are deployed, or when baseline and technical records updates are sent, data is transferred from one instance of IFS Cloud to another. The following data is exported and imported:

Assets

Current information about aircraft and inventory is transferred (as appropriate for the inventory class)

Attachments for tasks and faults are not transferred.

Technical records

A portion of an asset's technical records is automatically transferred when assets are deployed or when a base sends a technical record update to another base or the Technical Records Repository. By default, the portion is 365 days worth of records before the date on the deployment export file. The number of days is configurable.

When technical records of the the maintenance and usage history are exported, the following historical information is included:

Historical record Aircraft Components
Faults completed and deferred check mark
Tasks completed (BLOCK, REQ, JIC, ADHOC tasks) check mark check mark
Work Packages completed check mark  
Component work packages completed   check mark
Flights completed check mark  
Usage values recorded for completed events and usage corrections (assembly, tracked, and serial parts) check mark check mark
Configuration (component removals and installations on tracked and assembly configuration slots) check mark check mark
Installation (assembly, tracked, and serial parts)   check mark
Reliability notes resolved check mark check mark

Baseline data

For each aircraft or inventory item in a shipment that is selected for deployment, baseline data is automatically included in the export and import. By default, 52 batches of baseline updates are included. The time span covered by one batch of baseline updates, depends how baseline publishing is configured. For example, if batches are created once a week, then 52 batches represents 52 weeks of baseline updates.

When baseline updates are sent separately from assets, all batch updates are sent up to the current batch number in use at the sending location - unless the sender manually selects a particular batch as the starting point for the range of updates. (A base can find the last baseline batch number imported at their location and request an update starting at a specific batch number.)

The following baseline data is included in deployment or update transfers:

Transfer process for deployments and updates

To deploy aircraft and inventory shipments, an administrator in a source location uses the Disconnected Operations Workflow Manager to create and export a file. The exported file is saved on the local machine and the administrator copies it to a file path, address, or device such as a USB stick where the file can be accessed by the destination location. An administrator or crew member at the destination location uses the Disconnected Operations Workflow Manager to access and import items contained in the file. The same process is used to transfer technical records and baseline updates.

Depending on what you need to do, you prepare a full deployment or send an update.

Deployment option Use to Notes
Full deployment
  • Deploy aircraft and shipments
  • Deploy aircraft
  • Deploy shipments (send resupply shipment)
 A portion of the asset's technical records and baseline updates are automatically included in the exported file.
Send update
  • Send technical record updates
  • Send baseline updates
  


Preparing and exporting a file

Creating and exporting a file is a two-step process of preparing the deployment and then exporting a ZIP file. On the Prepare Deployment page, you select the type of deployment, the destination, and the assets. A unique Transfer ID is generated for the export file. After you make your selections, the system starts to prepare the file and guides you to the Export File page. Here you monitor the status of the file and export the ZIP file when it's ready.

The following Transfer ID statuses are used in on the Export File page and with small variations on the Import Files page. The status for the file is based on the status of the items selected. You can expand the file to view a nested list of selected items and their status.

Transfer ID status Description
In Progress The system is preparing the file.
Ready To Export
Ready To Import		 You can export or import the file. After you export or import the file, the Transfer ID is automatically Marked As Done.
Ready With Errors One or more of the selected items has an Error status and is not included in the file. You can proceed to export or import the file, but you must prepare another deployment or import for the remaining items. If you proceed to export or import the file, enable the Mark As Done option.
Partially Exported
Partially Imported		 A file with the Ready With Errors status was exported or imported. Or a subset of items in a file was exported or imported. The file is not yet Marked As Done.
Done The file was exported or imported, manually Marked As Done, or canceled during preparation.
Error The file cannot be exported or imported.

When the system starts preparing the ZIP file, changes that relate to the selected items occur in IFS Maintenix. For example,

The export file is created as an Associated Signature Containers - Extended (ASiC-E) file with a ZIP format. The file includes a folder with XML files for assets, baseline, or records to be exported, and it includes a META-INF header with information, such as the sender, export date, exporting user, intended destination, list of aircraft tail numbers, and list of shipment IDs. The maximum size of the compressed file is 4 GB.

The exported file name includes a date-timestamp, and the source and destination location codes.

Canceling a deployment or update

If you start to prepare a deployment or update but cancel it before you click Finish, inventory records in IFS Maintenix remain unlocked and unarchived. After you click Finish, the system locks and archives the asset records in IFS Maintenix and there is no cancel option. At this point, on the Export File page, before you export, or after you do a partial export, you can enable the Mark As Done option. Inside the transfer file (in the nested list), the asset files that were not exported change status to canceled but you must manually unarchive the asset records in IFS Maintenix.

Security

When you export a file, you enter a password and the file is encrypted. Files exported using the Disconnected Operations Workflow Manager can only be imported using the Disconnected Operations Workflow Manager. To import a file, the data administrator must enter the same password that was used to export the file.

Placing a file in accessible location

After the file is exported out of IFS Cloud, it is saved in the local system. The administrator copies the file to a file path, USB stick, or drop box where the destination location can access and import the file.

Importing a file

In an instance of IFS Cloud, a member of the deployed crew or an administrator uses the Disconnected Operations Workflow Manager to navigate to the location where the exported file is saved, upload the file, select what to import, and import the selected files. The same process is used by any FOB, MOB, or Technical Records Repository instance that is importing files.

During import, the system decrypts the file, verifies signatures, and extracts the file. The contents of the imported file are extracted with separate folders for aircraft, inventory shipments, technical records, and baseline updates. Note that when importing assets, the baseline and technical records files are hidden from view.
During import, the file categories are processed in the following order:

  1. Baseline data for selected aircraft and shipments
  2. Aircraft
  3. Shipments of loose inventory
  4. Technical records for selected aircraft and shipments

The data in the import file is treated as the source of truth if there are differences between the data in the import file and the data in the import location system.

When assets are imported successfully, the following changes occur in the destination instance of IFS Cloud: