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This web site is intended as an active instrument for collaboration amongst
people interested in the RM-ODP. It provides a collection of references and
pointers to resources related to RM-ODP. Of course, this list does to try to be
exhaustive.
People are invited to contribute material. If you think that some element
(publication, event, project, etc.) is missing, please feel to send an e-mail to
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Brief description of RM-ODP |
The rapid growth of distributed processing has led to the adoption of the
Reference Model of Open Distributed Processing (RM-ODP). This Reference Model
provides a co-ordinating framework for the standardisation of open distributed
processing (ODP). It is a joint effort by ISO/IEC and ITU-T that creates an
architecture within which support of
distribution, interworking, and portability can be integrated. The RM-ODP
family of recommendations and international standards defines essential concepts
necessary to specify open distributed processing systems from five prescribed
viewpoints and provides a well-developed framework for the structuring of
specifications for large-scale, distributed systems.
This architecture provides a framework for the specification of ODP systems.
RM-ODP is based on precise concepts derived from current distributed processing
developments and, as far as possible, on the use of formal description
techniques for specification of the architecture.
The framework for system specification provided by the RM-ODP has four
fundamental elements:
- an object modelling approach to system specification;
- the specification of a system in terms of separate but interrelated
viewpoint specifications;
- the definition of a system infrastructure providing distribution
transparencies for system applications;
- a framework for assessing system conformance.
Object modelling provides a formalization of well-established design
practices of abstraction and encapsulation. Abstraction
allows the description of system functionality to be separated from details of
system implementation. Encapsulation allows the hiding of heterogeneity,
the localization of failure, the implementation of security and the hiding of
the mechanisms of service provision from the service user.
RM-ODP defines five viewpoints. A viewpoint (on a system) is an abstraction
that yields a specification of the whole system related to a particular set of
concerns. The five viewpoints defined by RM-ODP have been chosen to be both
simple and complete, covering all the domains of architectural design. These
five viewpoints are:
- the enterprise viewpoint, which is concerned with the purpose,
scope and policies governing the activities of the specified system within
the organization of which it is a part;
- the information viewpoint, which is concerned with the kinds of
information handled by the system and constraints on the use and
interpretation of that information;
- the computational viewpoint, which is concerned with the functional
decomposition of the system into a set of objects that interact at
interfaces - enabling system distribution;
- the engineering viewpoint, which is concerned with the
infrastructure required to support system distribution;
- the technology viewpoint, which is concerned with the choice of
technology to support system distribution.
For each viewpoint there is an associated viewpoint language which can be
used to express a specification of the system from that viewpoint. The object
modelling concepts give a common basis for the viewpoint languages and make it
possible to identify relationships between the different viewpoint
specifications and to assert correspondences between the representations of the
system in different viewpoints.
ODP standards define functions and structures to realize distribution
transparencies. Distribution transparencies enable complexities associated with
system distribution to be hidden from applications where they are irrelevant to
their purpose. For example:
- access transparency masks differences of data representation and
invocation mechanisms for services between systems;
- location transparency masks the need for an application to have
information about location in order to invoke a service;
- relocation transparency masks the relocation of a service from
applications using it;
- replication transparency masks the fact that multiple copies of a service
may be provided in order to provide reliability and availability
However, there are performance and cost tradeoffs associated with each
transparency and only selected transparencies will be relevant in many cases.
Thus, a conforming ODP system must implement those transparencies that it
supports in accordance with the relevant standards, but it is not required to
support all transparencies.
Finally, RM-ODP also provides a framework for assessing system
conformance. The basic characteristics of heterogeneity and evolution imply that
different parts of a distributed system can be purchased separately, from
different vendors. It is therefore very important that the behaviours of the
different parts of a system are clearly defined, and that it is possible to
assign responsibility for any failure to meet the system's specifications. The
framework defined to govern the assessment of conformance addresses these
issues. RM-ODP Part 2 defines four classes of reference points: programmatic
reference point, perceptual reference point, interworking reference point, and
interchange reference point. The reference points in those classes are the
candidate for conformance points.
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The RM-ODP consists of:
- ITU-T Rec. X.901 | ISO/IEC 10746-1: Overview, which contains
a motivational overview of ODP, giving scoping, justification and
explanation of key concepts, and an outline of the ODP architecture. It
contains explanatory material on how the RM-ODP is to be interpreted and
applied by its users, who may include standards writers and architects of
ODP systems. It also contains a categorisation of required areas of
standardisation expressed in terms of the reference points for conformance
identified in ITU-T Rec X.903 | ISO/IEC 10746-3. This part is not normative.
- ITU-T Rec. X.902 | ISO/IEC 10746-2: Foundations, which
contains the definition of the concepts and analytical framework for
normalised description of (arbitrary) distributed processing systems. It
introduces the principles of conformance to ODP standards and the way in
which they are applied. This is only to a level of detail sufficient to
support ITU-T Rec X.903 | ISO/IEC 10746-3 and to establish requirements for
new specification techniques. This part is normative.
- ITU-T Rec. X.903 | ISO/IEC 10746-3: Architecture, which
contains the specification of the required characteristics that qualify
distributed processing as open. These are the constraints to which ODP
standards must conform. It uses the descriptive techniques from ITU-T Rec
X.902 | ISO/IEC 10746-2. This part is normative.
- ITU-T Rec. X.904 | ISO/IEC 10746-4: Architectural semantics,
which contains a formalisation of the ODP modelling concepts defined in
clauses 8 and 9 of ITU-T Rec X.902 | ISO/IEC 10746-2. The formalisation is
achieved by interpreting each concept in terms of the constructs of one or
more of the different standardised formal description techniques. This part
is normative.
In the same series as the RM-ODP are a number of other standards and
recommendations for the specification and development of open and distributed
system, for which RM-ODP provides an standardization framework:
- ITU-T Rec X.911 | ISO/IEC 13235-1:1998 Trading
function: Specification
- ITU-T Rec X.911 | ISO/IEC 13235-3:1998 Provision
of Trading Function using OSI directory service
- ITU-T Rec X.911 | ISO/IEC 14750:1999
Interface Definition Language
- ITU-T Rec X.911 | ISO/IEC 14752:2000
Protocol support for computational interactions
- ITU-T Rec X.911 | ISO/IEC 14753:1999
Interface references and binding
- ITU-T Rec X.911 | ISO/IEC 14769:2001
Type repository function
- ITU-T Rec X.911 | ISO/IEC 14771:1999
Naming framework
- ITU-T Rec X.911 | ISO/IEC 15414:2002
Reference model - Enterprise language.
- ITU-T Rec X.911 | ISO/IEC 19500-2:2003 General
Inter-ORB Protocol (GIOP)/Internet Inter-ORB Protocol (IIOP)
These standards can be classified in the four categories identified within
the overall framework provided by the RM-ODP:
- additional architectural frameworks, which complement the RM-ODP in
specific areas such as naming, security and conformance assessment;
- notation standards, which define notations for expressing specifications
of different aspects of system integration and distribution, and rules for
relating different specifications;
- component standards, which define a single ODP function or closely
interrelated set of ODP functions, possibly capable of implementation as a
single hardware or software platform;
- component composition standards, which define the coordinated use of a
number of components to achieve some objective of the system as a whole,
such as provision of a specific transparency.
NOTE - Some standards may specify both components and their composition (so
that a useful facility can be implemented directly). Other standards may form
the basis for a number of component composition standards, for example, an ODP
Relocator standard would be referenced in component composition standards for
the provision of location or migration transparencies.
The RM-ODP provides a framework for component standards and component
composition standards for ODP functions which permits a number of different
approaches to their realization. This flexibility is necessary if the framework
is to have a reasonable lifetime, incorporating new developments as they mature.
Thus, a specific standard or set of standards specifies one particular solution
to the provision of some ODP requirement, making all the specific choices needed
for implementation of open products to be possible, and there may be a number of
such standards, corresponding to different design choices. In time, new
technologies will be incorporated, leading to new generations of standards
within the one ODP framework.
Other standards are currently under preparation (see also related
projects):
- ITU-T Rec X.906 | ISO/IEC 19793
Use of UML for ODP systems
specifications (CD
v2.0)
Finally, ISO/IEC JTC1/SC7 established in 2004 a
Study Group to consider requirements for revision of the Reference Model of Open
Distributed Processing (ITU-T Rec X.901-904 | ISO/IEC 10746). The objective of
this Study Group is the elicitation and analysis of requirements for the
revision of the RM-ODP, and the preparation of a set of recommendations to SC7
about the actions, if any, that are required. (see related
projects)
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Topics related to RM-ODP are usually found in conferences such as EDOC,
ICEIS, and the series on Workshops at ECOOP
and OOPSLA organized by Haim Kilov on Behavioural Semantics.
In addition, some events have been especifically devoted to OPD.
- WODPEC 2005: Workshop
on ODP for Enterprise Computing, in conjunction with EDOC
2005, Enschede, The Netherlands, 19 September 2005.
- WODPEC 2004: Workshop
on ODP for Enterprise Computing, in conjunction with EDOC
2004, Monterey, California, 20 September 2004.
- WOODPECKER
2001: 1st International Workshop on Open Distributed Processing:
Enterprise, Computation, Knowledge, Engineering and Realisation. In
conjunction with ICEIS 2001, Setúbal
(Portugal), July 6-7, 2001
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ISO & ITU-T related meetings |
- WG19 Iterim Meeting
at Málaga, Spain, 17-20 April 2006
- WG19 Meeting at Bari, Italy, 24-28 October 2005
- WG19 Meeting at Helsinki, Finland, 23-27 May 2005
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WG19 Iterim Meeting
at Málaga, Spain, 22-26 November 2004
- WG19 Meeting at Brisbane, Australia, May 2004.
- WG19 Interim Meeting at Anaheim, California, 11-14 February 2004.
- WG19 Meeting at Geneva, Switzerland, September 2003. (Joint with ITU-T)
- WG19 Meeting at Montreal, Canada, 8-13 May 2003.
- WG17 RM-ODP Enterprise Language
Editing Meeting at Málaga, Spain, September 23-26, 2002
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Copies of the RM-ODP family of standards can be purchased from ISO (http://www.iso.ch).
Parts 1 to 4 of the RM-ODP are also available for free download at: ISO_PubliclyAvailableStandards.
A PDF version of the Enterprise Language Draft International Specification is
also available.
There is also a very useful hyperlinked
version of Parts 2 and 3 of the RM-ODP, together with an index to the Reference
Model, made available in keeping with a resolution of the ISO council. The
Table of Contents and Index were prepared by Lovelace Computing and are being
made available by Lovelace Computing as a service to the standards community.
RM-ODP standards can also be purchased as ITU-T Recommendations directly from
ITU-T (http://www.itu.int/ITU-T/publications/index.html).
Some resources related to the current version (CD v2.0) of ITU-T Rec X.906 | ISO/IEC
19793 "Use of UML for ODP systems specifications" are also available:
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A separate page contains a list of references
to publications related to RM-ODP: books, journal
articles, conference papers, etc.
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Presentations and tutorials |
- Antonio Vallecillo.
Modelling
ODP Computational Specifications with UML 2.0. Presentation at ITU-T
Headquarters, Geneva, October 11, 2005.
- Bryan Wood. "The use of ODP in MDA system specifications". Presentation at the OMG
MDA users SIG, April 2005.
- Bryan Wood. "ITU-T X.906 | ISO/IEC 19793 - Use of UML for ODP System
Specification". Presentation at the OMG ADTF meeting, June 24, 2004.
- Bryan Wood. "UML
for ODP viewpoint specifications". Presentation at the ITU-T/SG17
meeting, Geneva, Nov 27, 2002.
- Sandy Tyndale-Biscoe. "RM-ODP
Enterprise Language (ISO/IEC 15414 | | ITU-T X.911)" Presentation
at the ITU-T/SG17 meeting, Geneva, Nov 27, 2002.
- Bryan Wood. "Open
Distributed Processing in SC7 - Status and Future". Presentation at
the ISO-JTC1-SC7 Advisory Group meeting, May 12, 2002.
- INTAP ODP Technical Committee. "Overview:
Guide for applying RM-ODP with UML Profile for EDOC". July 24, 2002
Copyright (c) INTAP 2002.
- Stan Hendryx, Paul Vincent and John Cribbs. "Business
Rules with MDA" Presentation at the UML for Enterprise
Applications: Model Driven Solutions for the Enterprise Workshop,
October 5, 2002.
- Ian Joyner. "Open Distributed Processing: Unplugged!".
- Andrew Herbert. "Annotated
Tour of RM-ODP". Presentation at the OMG/ODP meeting in Cambridge,
November 1997.
- Haim Kilov. "International
Standards Define Semantics: RM-ODP and GRM". OMG, ORMSC/97-06-06, 1997.
- Kevin Tyson. "RM-ODP
Part 3: An Introduction". OMG, ORMSC/97-06-07, 1997.
- Kerry Raymond. "Reference
Model of Open Distributed Processing (RM-ODP): Introduction", 1995.
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There is a distribution list for discussions on RM-ODP topics:
odp (at) lcc.uma.es
You can subscribe on-line to that list at
http://sol10.lcc.uma.es/mailman/admin/odp
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People, companies and research groups |
- LAMS, Swiss Federal
Institute of Technology, Lausanne (EPFL), Switzerland.
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Computing Laboratory,
University of Kent, Canterbury UK.
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FORMOSA (Formalisation of ODP Systems Architecture), University of
Stirling, UK.
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Systèmes Répartis et
Coopératifs, UMPC, Paris, France.
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ILR, Networks and ComputerScience Department of ENST, Paris France.
- EDF, Electricité de France, R&D.
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Distributed Systems Technology Center, Australia.
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Disclaimer: This page does not try to be
"the" official page of RM-ODP, but to provide a collection of
references and pointers to resources related to RM-ODP. Of course, this
list does to try to be exhaustive. If you think that some important
element is missing, please feel to send an e-mail to this
web site administrator,
who will be happy to include a new link to that element in this
page.
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