V0.7 RBLandau 19960422
This section contains concise definitions of SENSE terminology.
Under construction: the following list is neither complete nor entirely consistent.
| API | Application Programming Interface; commonly used to refer to either the specification or set of library modules used by a Client application to communicate with a Server. |
| Attention Condition | Condition of a Publication in which the Publication is unable to perform its intended mission until the cause of the alert condition is eliminated. |
| Attention Message | An Event Message declaring that the Publication has entered the Attention Condition, or that a new Attention Event has occurred while the Publication is in the Attention Condition. |
| Cancel | Terminate subscription to the specified Publications. |
| Capability | A specific feature performed by a Server, Publisher or Subscriber; a capability is indicated by the presence of a specific property, the value of which specifies the level of capability. For example, if a Server is able to persistently store Publications, then it would define the property "PersistentPublications" and set the value to "Yes". |
| Client | An application consuming the services of a Server. |
| Client Context | An API element used within a Client application to manage a single session with a Server. |
| Condition | The overall operational status of a Publication, one of a small, finite set of enumerated values. Condition includes several properties, including at least a numeric description, a text description, and a time stamp indicating when the Condition last changed. |
| Client API | The API used by all Clients to register with the Server and to perform operations as a Publisher, Subscriber, or Manager. |
| Client Context | An API element used within a Client application to manage a single session with a Server. |
| Edition | A specific form of a Publication. Editions may differ because they describe Event information in different data syntaxes or because they include specific subsets of Event information for a Publication. |
| Entity | The abstract source of Events represented by a Publication. |
| Event | A collection of information submitted by a Publisher on behalf of an associated Publication. A Subscriber receives Events after it has subscribed to the Publication. |
| Event Message | A message used to convey the occurrence and content of an Event. A Publisher sends Event Messages to a Server on behalf of the associated Publication, whereupon the Server sends the Event Message (with enhancements) to all current Subscribers of the Publication. |
| Event Protocol | The format and content of a series of messages that convey event information between two parties; examples might include SNMP, IEEE 1284.1 (TIPSI), CPAP, etc. |
| Event Protocol Group | A set of event protocols that are related in the name hierarchy in that they share all but the last atom of their names. See Property Group. |
| Healthy Condition | A condition indicating that the Publication is operationally consistent and able to perform its intended mission. |
| Idle Condition | A condition in which the Publication is operationally consistent, but currently not performing any useful work in its intended mission. |
| Info Message | A message containing arbitrary informative data, such as debugging information, etc. |
| Message | A protocol element exchanged between a Client and a Server. |
| Message Id | An unsigned 32-bit integer used by the message sender to uniquely identify the message. |
| Nak Message | A message indicating that the previously sent message can not be processed as desired; the reason for failure is contained in the message. |
| Name | An string used to denote a specific Value. |
| NameList | An unordered list of Names. |
| Negotiation | The mechanism used to resolve registration properties when a Server and a Client may have different desires or policies; a Client submits the desired value, and the Server responds with the value that must be used during the session. |
| Operator | A person designated to perform certain types of operational tasks for an Entity. |
| Persistent Publication | A Publication that persists across instantiations of a SENSE Server, for example, across power cycles. |
| Persistent State | Denotes a state that will not change unless further action is taken. |
| Property | An object attribute represented by a Name/Value pair. In SENSE, both the name and the value are represented as text strings. |
| Property Group | A set of Properties that are related in the name hierarchy by sharing all but the last atom of their names. |
| Property List | An unordered list of Properties. |
| Property Sheet | The complete set of Properties of an object. |
| Publication | The representation of an Entity as managed by a Publisher. |
| Publication Id | The unique Server-assigned identifier for a single Publication. |
| Publisher | The agent acting on behalf of an Entity to publish Events that occur within the Entity. A Publisher registers with the Server as a Client. |
| Publisher Id | The unique Server-assigned identifier for a specific Publisher. |
| Registration | A formal relationship between a Client and a Server, where the Client requrests access to the Server and supplies identifying information the the Server. |
| Registration Period | The time during which a Client Session is active; once the period expires, the Session is no longer exists and all communications with the Client ceases. |
| Renewal | The mechanism used by a Client to extend the life of a Session. |
| Reply Message | A message used to respond to a previously received request. All Reply messages have as a Message Id the same Id specified in the original request message. |
| Server | The agent providing SENSE services to Clients. |
| Session | The time during which a Client is registered with a Server; a Session commences upon successful registration with the Server, and ends when the Client either deregisters with the Server, or the registration period expires. |
| Subscribe | The mechanism used by a Subscriber to begin receiving Event Messages from a Publication. |
| Subscriber | A Client interested in Events from a Publication. |
| Subscription | The mechanism used to manage the relationship between one or more Publications and a single Subscriber. |
| Subscription Id | The unique Server-assigned identifier for a single Subscription. |
| Technician | A person assigned certain operational and repair tasks that require a relatively high level of training. |
| Transient Client | A Client that has not yet registered with a Server. A transient Client is limited by the Server to a few exploratory operations, such as "Enumerate Publications." |
| Transient Condition | A situation that is very short-lived, one that does not require further action to change. |
| Unknown Condition | A condition indicating that the current status of an Publication is not currently known. |
| Value | A string representing context-specific information. |
| Warning Condition | A condition indicating that the Publication currently has one or more situations which, if not corrected in the relatively near future, will probably cause the Publication to enter the Attention Condition. |