April - May 1996
Volume 1, Number 3

Heart of the System

The Central Segment (CS) is the heart of the NCIC 2000 system. All main processing is handled within the CS. When finished, the CS will handle 78 transactions per second during peak processing. The CS will provide processing power, memory, and input/output channel speed to accommodate a work load in excess of two million transactions daily. New technologies and software tools will be used to process these transactions, which will include text and images. The CS will include the following capabilities.

• Communications network interface
• ORI validation
• Log of all transactions
• Transaction processing (text and image)
• Access control and intrusion detection
• Data quality validation
• Audit Traces
• Statistics generation
• "Lights out" mode of operation
• Access to external databases

What Is Included in the Central Segment?

The Central Segment consists of five subsystems. They are:

• Communications Subsystem - The communication subsystem will support BiSync, TCP/IP, SNA and X.25 protocols. File transfers, however, will only be available for TCP/IP and SNA.
• Fingerprint Matching Subsystem - The FMS will perform match processing for right index fingerprint inquiries and entries.
• Central Processor - All data validation, message logging, transaction processing and response generation occurs in the Central Processor.
• Integrated Network Management - The INM checks the status of components of the system and reports "up" status as well as system anomalies and failures.
• Security Subsystem - The Security Subsystem monitors system access, produces reports on use and access statistics, and provides unauthorized access auditing.

Status

The CS is comprised of both hardware and software. Harris identified the system architecture that will be used for the CS and presented details of it to the FBI from March 6, 1996 to April 2, 1996. The hardware identified by Harris will use parallel processing to allow multiple processors for increased availability, increased throughput and scalability. The new architecture will employ CMOS (Complimentary Metal Oxide Semiconductor), a multiprocessor hardware complex. It uses several Commercial-Off-the-Shelf (COTS) products. Harris will use DB2, a database management system, and Texas Instrument's Information Engineering Facility case tool for ease of maintenance, reduction of coding errors, and code generation. Digital Service Units (DSUs) and Data Encryption Standard (DES) devices shall be provided to each Control Terminal Agency for connectivity and security.

The FBI and Harris believe this to be the right architecture based upon preliminary analysis. However, in late spring, Harris will conduct an off-site risk reduction benchmark of the processing to ensure that the architecture does meet the needs of the FBI. This benchmark activity will simulate actual processing using the proposed architecture. If this and all other milestones and demonstrations are met and are successful, Harris will begin code development of the Central Processor applications by July 1996.

New Files

Law enforcement officers will have remote access to the NCIC 2000 system to assist them in performing their duties and improve their safety. Thirteen files are now supported by NCIC. They are:

• Person File
• License Plates File
• Foreign Fugitive File
• Violent Felon File
• United States Secret Service Protective File
• Vehicle File
• Violent Gang/Terrorist Members File
• Boat File
• Gun File
• Article File
• Securities File
• ORI File
• Deported Felon File

The new files will be:

• Protection Order File - This file will contain records of individuals who should be prevented from violent or threatening acts or harassment against, or contact or communication with, or physical proximity to, another person, including temporary orders issued by civil or criminal courts. This file will be implemented in NCIC in 1997.
• Convicted Person on Supervised Release - This file will contain records of subjects that are under supervised release (probation or parole). Notifications are issued to the probation officer or supervisor as well as the inquirer there is a hit made on a record in this file. This file will not be implemented prior to the NCIC 2000 implementation.
• Image File - This file contains fingerprints, mugshots, signature and other identifying specialized and generic images. This file will not be implemented prior to the NCIC 2000 implementation.

Pending the Advisory Policy Board's approval, a new file will be added for the implementation of the Brady Bill's National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) as mandated by the United States Congress.

External Interfaces

NCIC 2000 will supply external interfaces to five systems. They are:

• Interstate Identification Index (III)
• Canadian Police Information Centre (CPIC)
• Federal Bureau of Prisons (Sentry)
• National Law Enforcement Telecommunications System (NLETS)
• Uniform Crime Report (UCR) National Incident Based Reporting System (NIBRS)

Future Developments

In June 1996, Harris Corporation is expected to conduct a major system design review. This review will cover all of the aspects of the Harris' detailed design for the Central Processing applications. The July newsletter will contain a synopsis of that review and highlight some of the critical design issues.

The NCIC 2000 is scheduled for completion in August 1999. Under a new contract modification, the Harris Corporation is incentivized to deliver a working system earlier. So far, Harris is on target schedule and has successfully delivered the preliminary system design 12 days ahead of schedule.

This space is provided for authorized criminal justice agencies to provide commentary, questions, or suggestions. We will provide an answer to all questions. If you would like to submit an article, send it to:

Federal Bureau of Investigation
Attn: Ms. Katina Mackall
Room 9504
NCIC 2000 Program Office
935 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20535