scope:

The models defined in this Recommendation | International Standard provide a conceptual and terminological framework for the other ITU-T X.500-series Recommendations | parts of ISO/IEC 9594 which define various aspects of the Directory. The functional and administrative authority models define ways in which the Directory can be distributed, both functionally and administratively. Generic DSA and DSA information models and an Operational Framework are also provided to support Directory distribution. The generic Directory Information Models describe the logical structure of the DIB from the perspective of Directory and Administrative Users. In these models, the fact that the Directory is distributed, rather than centralized, is not visible. This Recommendation | International Standard provides a specialization of the generic Directory Information Models to support Directory Schema administration. The other ITU-T Recommendations in the X.500 series | parts of ISO/IEC 9594 make use of the concepts defined in this Recommendation | International Standard to define specializations of the generic information and DSA models to provide specific information, DSA and operational models supporting particular directory capabilities (e.g. Replication): a)