Overview
ISO/IEC 10165-5:1994 - Information technology - Open Systems Interconnection - Structure of management information: Generic management information defines reusable, generic managed object classes and related information types for OSI systems management. Published jointly with ITU‑T as Recommendation X.723, this part of the SMI/GDMO family supplies superclass templates (using the template notation from CCITT Rec. X.722 / ISO/IEC 10165‑4) and ASN.1 type definitions that can be specialized by layer‑ or resource‑specific management standards.
The standard helps standardizers and implementers create consistent managed object definitions (attributes, attribute groups, packages, behaviour, actions, notifications and parameters) that apply across multiple OSI layers and components.
Key topics and technical requirements
- Generic managed object classes: Provides superclass definitions (e.g., applicationProcess, communicationsEntity, communicationsInformationRecord) intended for specialization.
- Template notation: Uses GDMO template syntax from CCITT Rec. X.722 / ISO/IEC 10165‑4 for managed object class definitions.
- Attributes and attribute groups: Defines attribute semantics and syntax (examples in the text include supportEntityNames, localSapNames, operationalState, informationData).
- Behaviour and actions: Specifies behaviour patterns for superclass objects (for example, operationalState semantics derived from CCITT Rec. X.731 / ISO/IEC 10164‑2).
- Notifications and event records: Defines notification‑related classes and log record structures (communicationsInformationRecord) and conditional packages tied to event parameters.
- ASN.1 bindings: Includes ASN.1 definitions to encode data types associated with templates and management information.
- Name bindings and packages: Covers naming, package registration and conditional package inclusion rules for managed object instances.
- Complementary functional units: Defines management functional units not covered in the ISO/IEC 10164 series but required by layer/resource standards.
Practical applications
- Promote consistent, reusable managed object definitions across OSI layer standards.
- Reduce duplication of effort for working groups defining layer- or resource‑specific management information.
- Provide a standard superclass set to derive specialized managed object classes (for connections, SAPs, processes, entities, logs).
- Aid development of CMIS/CMIP‑based management agents and Network Management Systems by standardizing attribute names, notifications and ASN.1 encodings.
Who should use this standard
- Standards developers writing OSI Recommendations or international standards that define managed objects.
- Systems management architects and protocol designers using GDMO/SMI/ASN.1 for object modelling.
- Network management system and NMS vendor engineers implementing CMIS/CMIP or GDMO-based agents.
- Test & conformance teams verifying managed object definitions against OSI management models.
Related standards
- ISO/IEC 10165‑1, ‑2, ‑4 (Management information model; Definition of management information; Guidelines for definition of managed objects)
- ISO/IEC 10164 series (Systems Management functional standards)
- ISO/IEC 8824 (ASN.1) and ISO/IEC 9595 (CMIS)
- ITU‑T Rec. X.723 (identical text)
Keywords: ISO/IEC 10165-5:1994, Open Systems Interconnection, generic management information, GDMO, managed object class, ASN.1, CMIS, OSI management.