OSI/MHS P7 Application Programmatic Interface (P7 API) Manual

Glossary
OSI/MHS P7 Application Programmatic Interface (P7 API) Manual—424825-001
Glossary-3
attribute value
attribute value. The data for specific instance of an attribute. For example, “US” is a
possible value of an MH-T-COUNTRY-NAME attribute.
BER (Basic Encoding Rules). The standard for an associated transfer syntax (CCITT
Recommendation X.209). These rules were defined to provide a transfer syntax for use
by ASN.1 compilers.
bind. The act of establishing a connection. An MTA bind enables one MTA to establish an
association with another MTA; an MS bind enables a user agent to establish an
association with a message store.
bit string. A series of bits treated as a unit.
body part. The substance of an interpersonal message (IPM). An IPM user message can
contain one or more body parts. Each body part can have one of a variety of encoded
information types, such as text, facsimile, graphics, or voice.
CCITT (International Telegraph and Telephone Consultative Committee). A division of
the United Nations International Telecommunications Union that coordinates standards-
setting activities.
character string. A set of characters treated as a unit and interpreted by a computer as text
rather than a numeric value.
class. A grouping or category of objects, based on their shared purpose and internal structure.
In the GPI, messages, probes, and reports are the fundamental object classes.
In OSI/MHS, groups of processes fall into classes, depending on the functions the
groups perform; for instance, the MS (message store) class consists of all the MS
processes and associated data in an OSI/MHS subsystem.
CLASS object. An object type, used in OSI/MHS management interfaces, representing all
groups that have the same basic function: for instance, all message relay groups or all
message store groups. You use a CLASS object to configure and control a set of groups
as a unit. The OSI/MHS subsystem recognizes five CLASS object names: #GI, #LO,
#MR, #MS, and #RS. See also group.
client. An application or program that uses another software component, typically called a
“service” or a “server.” For instance, a GPI client uses the GPI service. The XAPIA
specifications use the term “client application.”
closed user group. See CUG.
collector. An EMS process that accepts event messages from subsystems and logs them in
the event log. See also distributor.
command file. An EDIT file that contains sequences of commands. Sometimes called an
OBEY file.