IEEE Std 1351-1994 PDF

Full title and description

IEEE Standard for Information Technology — ACSE and Presentation Layer Services — Application Program Interface (API) [C Language Independent]. Defines a language‑independent API to the Association Control Service Element (ACSE) of the OSI application layer and to the connection‑oriented services of the presentation layer to support portable implementations of application‑specific OSI service elements and non‑OSI applications.

Abstract

This standard specifies the abstract API, service primitives and data structures required to invoke ACSE functions and connection‑oriented presentation services in a language‑independent manner. It is intended to enable portable, reusable implementations of application‑association control and related presentation‑layer services across platforms and language bindings.

General information

• Status: Inactive — Withdrawn (withdrawn 2000-03-06; previously ANSI approved).
• Publication date: Published 22 December 1994 (Board approval 22 September 1994; ANSI approval 1 June 1995).
• Publisher: IEEE (IEEE Computer Society / IEEE Standards Association).
• ICS / categories: Information technology — Open systems interconnection (OSI); IT in general (ICS 35.100 and 35.020).
• Edition / version: IEEE Std 1351-1994 (original 1994 edition).
• Number of pages: 203 pages (commercial product metadata indicates 203 pages).

Scope

The standard specifies a language‑independent application programming interface for ACSE (Association Control Service Element) and for connection‑oriented presentation services. It covers the API surface (service requests, indications, responses and confirmations), parameter representation and error reporting necessary to establish, use and release application associations and to access relevant presentation‑layer connection services. The work is targeted at implementers who require portable, platform‑agnostic interfaces to OSI application and presentation services.

Key topics and requirements

• Definition of service primitives and parameters for ACSE (association establishment, release, authentication support and context negotiation).
• Language‑independent API model (abstract operations and data representations to permit language bindings).
• Support for connection‑oriented presentation‑layer services required by ACSE (association control over presentation connections).
• Requirements for portability and implementation guidance to support reusable application‑level service elements.
• Conformance considerations and expected behavior for error handling and status reporting.

Typical use and users

Primary users are middleware and systems‑software developers, vendors implementing OSI application or presentation layers, authors of portable application‑service elements, and integrators who need a stable, language‑neutral API for ACSE and presentation services. Historically it has been used in academic, research and telecommunications environments that implemented OSI‑based middleware; note that the standard has since been withdrawn and mainly remains of archival / interoperability reference interest.

Related standards

The IEEE Std 1351-1994 work is related to the family of OSI service and protocol standards (ISO/IEC and ITU‑T) that define ACSE and presentation protocols, for example ISO/IEC 8649 (service definition for ACSE) and ISO/IEC 8650‑1 / ISO/IEC 15954 (protocol specifications for the connection‑oriented ACSE), and later ISO/IEC revisions that consolidate ACSE definitions. These ISO/IEC documents provide the formal service and protocol specifications that the API in IEEE 1351 references or maps to.

Keywords

ACSE, Association Control Service Element, OSI, Presentation Layer, API, language‑independent, portable implementation, application association, IEEE Std 1351-1994.

FAQ

Q: What is this standard?

A: IEEE Std 1351-1994 is an IEEE standard that defines a language‑independent application programming interface for the ACSE (Association Control Service Element) and connection‑oriented presentation services of the OSI model, intended to support portable implementations of application‑level service elements.

Q: What does it cover?

A: It covers the abstract API (service primitives and parameters), expected behaviors for association establishment/release, authentication support, context negotiation and the mapping to presentation‑layer connection services; it does not mandate a specific programming language binding but describes a language‑neutral interface model.

Q: Who typically uses it?

A: Implementers of OSI application and presentation layer software, middleware vendors, systems integrators and researchers working on portable application‑service elements historically used this standard as a reference for API design and interoperability.

Q: Is it current or superseded?

A: The standard is listed as Inactive — Withdrawn (withdrawn on 6 March 2000). It remains useful as an archival reference but is not an active IEEE standard for current procurement or compliance.

Q: Is it part of a series?

A: Yes — it is part of standards work addressing OSI application and presentation services and is related to ISO/IEC and ITU‑T ACSE and presentation protocol documents (for example ISO/IEC 8649, ISO/IEC 8650‑1 / ISO/IEC 15954 and related ISO/IEC ACSE protocol standards).

Q: What are the key keywords?

A: ACSE; OSI; Presentation Layer; API; portable implementation; language‑independent; association control; application association.