Joint Inter-Domain Management (JIDM)

Home Page

Joint Inter-Domain Management (JIDM) is a technology that defines how network management components based on OSI and SNMP can interoperate with CORBA based components.

"Joint" refers to the fact that this specification was developed jointly by several standardization bodies. The specification itself defines "Inter-Domain Management" (IDM), whereas JIDM was initially used to identify the JIDM Task Force which did the development work. This JIDM acronym is now also commonly used to identify the specification itself.

The JIDM specification focuses on the following points:

• definition of translation algorithms between OSI or SNMP information models and CORBA IDL specifications
   
• definition of CORBA interfaces proposing all interactions possible in CMIP. These interfaces provide mechanisms encompassing, among others, filtering, scoping, multiple replies, and asynchronous communication
   
• definition of CORBA interfaces allowing all interactions possible in SNMP. 

The proposed architecture enables the construction of gateways as well as the construction of pure CORBA-based network management systems, while respecting the architectural principles of OSI Systems Management or Internet Management. It can also be used to implement dual agents, i.e. agents supporting both Q3 and CORBA interfaces.

JIDM scenarios

This CORBA/TMN interoperability is defined by the relationship between TMN agents and manager where at least one of them is built on CORBA. Thus both "CORBA manager / OSI agent" and "OSI agent / CORBA manager" relationships are considered, as well as "CORBA agent / CORBA manager".

The JIDM Technical Standard is a set of two specifications:

• Specification Translation
• Interaction Translation

It is adopted by three standardization bodies:

• TeleManagement Forum (ex NMF)
• The Open Group
• OMG. See also References, below.

Specification Translation

CORBA / OSI interoperability first requires definition of model equivalencies between the two domains. This document defines how information models can be translated from one representation to another:

• ASN.1 to/from IDL
• GDMO to/from IDL
• SNMP SMI to IDL

Interaction Translation

Interaction Translation document defines how to perform OSI-like (and SNMP like) services in CORBA. It defines three levels of CORBA services:

• Generic management services, named "JIDM Facilities", that provide a way to access a management domain, whatever its management model (OSI, SNMP, or other). It allows the following operations:
   
  • Get managed objects given their name, via the standard CORBA Naming Service
  • Create a managed object, via the standard CORBA Life Cycle Service
  • Retrieve events/notifications from the managed domain, via the standard CORBA Event/Notification Service
     
• OSI specific services, inheriting from JIDM facilities, named "OSI Management Facilities",  enriching them to provide OSI specific functions, such as:
   
  • Mapping of ObjectInstance to CosNaming::Name
  • Scoped/Filtered operations
  • Specialized Managed Object factory
     
• SNMP services, named "SNMP Management Facilities", inheriting from JIDM facilities, enriching them to provide SNMP specific functions, such as:
   
  • Mapping of Object Identifiers to CosNaming::Name
  • Iterators to retrieve values in sequence 

Managed objects (in OSI and SNMP facilities) offer two levels of CORBA interfaces:

• A typed, single-object, single-attribute oriented interface, generated from a specific information model using the "specification translation" rules.
• An untyped, multi-objects, multi-attributes oriented interface of the corresponding management facilities (OSI or SNMP).

References

The JIDM Technical Standard, C802, January 2000, is the current specification. It includes both the Specification Translation and the Interactive Translation specifications in one publication.

The Inter-Domain Management: Specification Translation specification, The Open Group P509, TeleManagement CS342,  was published in February 1997. Its development to become a Technical Standard was tracked by revision topics that were captured in an Issues List. The associated Inter-Domain Management: Interaction Translation specification was developed subsequently, and submitted to the OMG together with the Specification Translation specification plus its Issues List, in response to an OMF RFT. The OMG adopted these specifications in 1999.

[IT] "CORBA/TMN interworking: JIDM Interaction Translation, version 4.3", Object Management Group telecom/98-10-10, November 1998 (zipped, IDLs, Errata)

Ongoing work

• Open Group Technical Standards
  The Open Group is preparing both the Specification Translation (revised version of Open Group publication P509) and the Interaction Translation specifications for company review within the Open Group community, to become published as Open Group Technical Standards. It is anticipated that this activity will be completed in September 1999.
• OMG Revision Task Force
  As for any OMG adopted specification, a Revision Task Force will collect comments regarding the recently adopted Specification Translation and Interaction Translation specifications, and anticipates proposing a revision of these CORBA/TMN interworking specifications in December 1999.
  To send a message to this Revision Task Force, use the corba_tmn-rtf@omg.org address.
  You can also consult the archive of this mailing list.
  

Presentations

Please send to the JIDM Working Group email alias (jidmwg@opengroup.org) any references/pointers to tutorials or presentations that you would like to be made available from this page.

• Presentation of Interaction Translation to the OMG Telecom Task Force (Aug 98)
  WARNING: This presentation was made before the final adoption by the OMG, and thus does not reflect the exact content of the adopted Interaction Translation specification.

Commercial Products

Any information on products availability is welcomed. Please send information to jidmwg@opengroup.org

Hosted by

email: Webmaster at The Open Group

Last updated: 31 May, 2000