Overview
ISO/IEC 10164-13:1995 - Summarization Function defines the Summarization Function as a systems-management function positioned in the application layer of the OSI reference model. It specifies generic definitions and services used to observe and report attribute values and to compute statistics across sets of managed objects (statistics calculated across objects at the same time, not over time). The text is identical to ITU‑T Recommendation X.738 and describes the model, management requirements, CMIS mapping, MAPDU parameters and abstract syntax used to represent summarization objects and their behavior.
Key topics and requirements
- Summarization model and scheduling - model for summarization objects and rules for when and how summaries are generated.
- Observation and reporting methods - mechanisms to collect attribute values from managed objects and to produce summary reports and statistical aggregates.
- Statistics semantics - clear statement that statistics are computed across managed objects at defined points in time (not time-series aggregation).
- Managed object definitions - Annex A contains managed object class definitions, calculation/package definitions, attributes, notifications, actions and ASN.1 templates.
- Service mapping and protocol elements - mapping of Summarization services onto CMIS (Common Management Information Service) and specification of MAPDU parameters, service elements (scan report, statistical report, buffered reports, activation procedures) and abstract syntax.
- Conformance and testing - conformance classes and requirements for implementations, including negotiation of functional units.
- Interoperability references - relies on OSI systems management framework (ISO/IEC 7498‑4), CMIS/CMIP protocols and related ISO/IEC 10164 parts.
Practical applications
- Network and systems management platforms that need to produce consolidated views of multiple devices or resources (e.g., performance summaries, aggregated counts, state summaries).
- Management Information Systems (MIS) and Network Management Systems (NMS) that use OSI-based CMIS/CMIP protocols to request and receive summarized attribute data.
- Instrumentation and monitoring agents that must expose managed objects and support standardized summarization reporting and notifications.
- Use cases: cross-device performance snapshots, aggregated inventory/statistics reporting, summary alerts and automated management actions based on aggregated metrics.
Who uses this standard
- NMS and EMS vendors implementing OSI/CMIP-based management functions.
- Systems integrators and architects designing standardized management solutions.
- Test laboratories and conformance bodies verifying compliance with OSI systems-management functions.
- Organizations maintaining legacy OSI/CMIP environments or requiring standards-based summarization semantics.
Related standards (selected)
- ISO/IEC 10164 (Parts 1–16) - Systems Management multipart standard (Object, State, Alarm, Event, Metric objects, etc.)
- ISO/IEC 10040 (Systems management overview)
- ISO/IEC 9595 / 9596‑1 (CMIS and CMIP)
- ITU‑T Recommendation X.738 (identical text)
Keywords: ISO/IEC 10164-13, Summarization Function, OSI, systems management, CMIS, managed objects, statistical report, summarization scheduling, ASN.1, conformance.