Overview
ISO/IEC 13244:1998/Amd 1:1999 is an important international amendment introducing support for the Open Distributed Management Architecture (ODMA) using the Common Object Request Broker Architecture (CORBA). This amendment, developed by the ISO/IEC joint technical committee JTC 1/SC 33 in collaboration with ITU-T, enhances the existing distributed management frameworks by integrating CORBA, an industry-recognized middleware standard from the Object Management Group (OMG).
This extension aims to facilitate interoperability, modularity, and flexibility for open distributed management systems by leveraging CORBA's object-oriented middleware capabilities. It offers a standardized approach for system management that is independent of operating systems and programming languages, fostering better integration and development of distributed management solutions.
Key Topics
-
Integration of ODMA with CORBA Architecture: The document details how CORBA mechanisms can support ODMA, providing a robust infrastructure for distributed management systems.
-
CORBA Object Management: Defines "CORBA managed objects" that implement interfaces using Interface Definition Language (IDL) aligned with ODP (Open Distributed Processing) specifications, enabling uniform management operations through base management operation servers (bmos).
-
Notification Handling: Specifies how ODMA notifications are managed using CORBA Event Service models, including event circulation and publication patterns, enhancing asynchronous event distribution and handling efficiency.
-
Response Handling: Describes linked response processing through CORBA interfaces, allowing flexible callback mechanisms essential in distributed systems management.
-
Scope Definition and Filtering: Introduces methods for managing multiple objects via scope definitions or filtering through either the CORBA-managed objects themselves or intermediary filtering components.
-
Engineering Viewpoints:
- Access Transparency: Employing CORBA’s dynamic invocation interfaces (DII) and interface repositories (IR) to allow systems to dynamically discover and use new services without requiring client reimplementation.
- Location Transparency: Using the Object Request Broker (ORB), CORBA enables seamless communication with managed objects distributed across different network nodes without exposing their physical locations.
- Instance Management: Supports instantiation and lifecycle management of distributed system components through CORBA-based tools and methods.
-
Reuse of OSI Management Expertise: The amendment highlights reusing existing knowledge and specifications from OSI-based management to ease transition and compatibility.
Applications
The ISO/IEC 13244:1998/Amd 1:1999 amendment is highly applicable in scenarios requiring:
-
Telecommunications Network Management: Integrating diverse network elements and systems with unified management interfaces and event handling based on CORBA infrastructure.
-
Distributed Systems Management: Creating scalable and interoperable management frameworks for complex IT environments that require dynamic deployment and extension without downtime.
-
Enterprise Systems Integration: Bridging heterogeneous management platforms using CORBA’s cross-language, cross-platform object request brokers to ensure seamless operations and communications.
-
Event-Driven Operations: Leveraging CORBA event services for effective asynchronous notification and alert processing in large-scale distributed management.
-
Software Development for Management Systems: Utilizing IDL and dynamic invocation features to build modular and adaptive management solutions with reusable components.
Related Standards
-
ITU-T Recommendation X.703 | ISO/IEC 14765: The original Open Distributed Management Architecture standard to which this amendment adds CORBA support.
-
ITU-T Recommendation X.770 | ISO/IEC 15427-1: Describes ODMA notifications’ selection and distribution functions, referenced for notification handling.
-
OMG CORBA Specifications:
- Architecture and Specification Revision 2.1 (August 1997)
- Common Object Services Specification (November 1997)
- Common Object Facilities Specification Revision 4 (November 1995)
-
ITU-T Recommendation X.920 | ISO/IEC 14750: Defines the ODP IDL language used for interface definitions aligning with OMG CORBA IDL.
-
Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP): Mentioned as part of broader network management approaches integrated within distributed management systems.
Summary
ISO/IEC 13244:1998/Amd 1:1999 significantly advances Open Distributed Management Architecture by formalizing CORBA support, enabling developers and organizations to build interoperable, extendable, and dynamic management solutions leveraging CORBA’s middleware strengths. This leads to enhanced transparency, flexibility, and integration of distributed management applications across various industries, especially telecommunications and enterprise IT, fostering global standardization and improved operational efficiency in distributed system management.