Overview
ISO/IEC 24775-5:2021 - Information technology - Storage management - Part 5: File systems - is the ISO/IEC adoption of the SNIA Storage Management Technical Specification for file systems (SMI-S Filesystems). The standard defines a vendor-neutral management information model, profiles and service interfaces for managing file-system resources in SAN and NAS environments. It focuses on consistent, multi-vendor interoperability for file servers, file shares, quotas, replication and related management tasks.
Key topics and technical scope
- SMI-S architecture alignment: complements the Storage Management Technical Specification core architecture (transport, health/fault management, naming, indications, service discovery, installation/upgrade and compliance).
- CIM-based information model: uses DMTF CIM classes and schema versions (CIM-XML / CIM schema references) to represent file-system objects, capabilities and services.
- Profiles and services: defines multiple profiles such as Filesystem, Filesystem Manipulation, Filesystem Performance, Filesystem Quotas, Filesystem Replication Services, File Server Manipulation, NAS Head, NAS Network Port and Self-Contained NAS. Profiles specify mandatory/optional capabilities and indications.
- File share and export management: models for FileShare, export manipulation and access control (including Simple Identity Management/ACL manipulation integration).
- Quotas, statistics and performance: classes and statistical data for quota enforcement, usage reporting and performance measurement.
- Replication and copy services: models and methods for creating and managing synchronized or replicated file-system relationships.
- Maturity model & versioning: content is tagged by maturity (Experimental, Implemented, Stable, Finalized) and the specification uses version/release/update identifiers to manage backward compatibility and change levels.
Practical applications
- Enable multi-vendor SAN/NAS interoperability by providing a standardized management API and data model.
- Automate file-share provisioning, ACL updates and export management across heterogeneous storage arrays and NAS heads.
- Implement quota enforcement, usage monitoring and reporting using standardized CIM classes.
- Configure and monitor filesystem replication and copy services for disaster recovery and data mobility.
- Integrate storage management into enterprise orchestration, monitoring and backup systems via SMI-S-compliant providers.
Who should use this standard
- Storage vendors building SMI-S provider implementations (NAS heads, file servers, storage arrays).
- Systems integrators and software vendors who develop management consoles, orchestration tools or monitoring systems that target multi-vendor environments.
- IT architects and storage administrators designing interoperable SAN/NAS management and automation workflows.
- Test labs and compliance teams validating SMI-S interoperability and profile conformance.
Related standards and references
- ISO/IEC 24775 series (Storage management)
- SNIA Storage Management Technical Specification (SMI-S)
- DMTF CIM schema / DSP specifications (CIM-XML, Indications Profile)
- ISO/IEC JTC 1 processes for standards adoption
Keywords: ISO/IEC 24775-5:2021, storage management, file systems, SMI-S, SNIA, CIM, filesystem quotas, filesystem replication, NAS, file share, storage interoperability.
