Abstract
This document is designed to be a quick reference for those people using the Validation Testing Laboratory of the National PDES Testbed located at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) in Gaithersburg, Maryland. This document is not intended for those wishing to learn about the tools in the Testbed, but is rather for those who already have a working knowledge of the programs and terminology.
The Testbed was initiated in 1988 under the sponsorship of the U.S. Department of Defense Computer-aided Acquisition and Logistic Support (CALS) program. A major goal of the Testbed is to provide technical leadership in a national effort to implement a complete and useful specification for the exchange of product data. This specification must be designed to meet the needs of the U.S. industry and the CALS program.