Glossary

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

The TOGAF Glossary is intended to define terms essential to the understanding of TOGAF. It is not intended as a general purpose open systems glossary and does not contain terms considered to be in common use.

AC: Access Control
ACSE: Association Control Service Element
Ada: High-level computer programming language developed by the US Department of Defense (DoD). Ada is used as the standard programming language for DoD. It is used for real-time processing, is modular in nature, and includes object-oriented features.
ANSI: American National Standards Institute
API: See Application Program Interface
APP: See Application Portability Profile
Application: A classification of computer programs designed to perform specific tasks, such as word processing, database management, or graphics.
Application Platform: The collection of hardware and software components that provide the services used by support and mission-mission-specific software applications.
Application Portability Profile (APP): The NIST APP is the structure that integrates US Federal, national, international, and other specifications to provide the functionality necessary to accommodate the broad range of US Federal information technology requirements.
Application Program Interface (API): (1) The interface, or set of functions, between the application software and the application platform.; (2) The most common means by which an software programmer invokes other software functions.
Application Software: Software entities which have a specific business purpose.
APSE: Ada Programming Support Environment
Architectural Framework: A tool for assisting in the production of organization-specific architectures. An architectural framework consists of a technical reference model, a method for architecture development and a list of component standards, specifications, products and their interrelationships which can be used to build up architectures.
Architecture: Architecture has two meanings depending upon its contextual usage.; (1) A formal description of a system, or a detailed plan of the system at component level to guide its implementation.; (2) The structure of components, their interrelationships, and the principles and guidelines governing their design and evolution over time.
Architecture, Baseline: The existing system architecture before entering a cycle of architecture review and redesign.
Architecture, Database: The logical view of the data models, data standards, and data structure. It includes a definition of the physical databases for the information system, their performance requirements, and their geographical distribution.
Architecture, Target: Depicts the configuration of the target information system.
Architecture View: A perspective from which an architecture may be viewed in order to ensure that a specific topic is considered in a coherent manner - e.g. Security.
ASN: Abstract Syntax Notation
Availability: The probability that system functional capabilities are ready for use by a user at any time, where all time is considered, including operations, repair, administration, and logistic time. Availability is further defined by system category for both routine and priority operations.
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Base-level functions: Initial or basic functions.
Baseline: A specification or product that has been formally reviewed and agreed upon, that thereafter serves as the basis for further development and that can be changed only through formal change control procedures or a type of procedure such as configuration management.
Batch processing: Processing data or the accomplishment of jobs accumulated in advance in such a manner that each accumulation thus formed is processed or accomplished in the same computer run.
Business system: Hardware, software, policy statements, procedures and people which together implement a business function.

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CCITT: Consultative Committee on International Telegraph and Telephone
Client: An application component which requests services from a server.
CMIS: Common Management Information Service
CMIP: Common Management Information Protocol
COBOL: Acronym for Common Business-Oriented Language. COBOL is a computer programming language used extensively in mainframes and minicomputers for business applications.
Communications mechanism: Hardware and software functions which allow Application Platforms to exchange information.
Communications network: A set of products, concepts, and services, that enable the connection of computer systems for the purpose of transmitting data and other forms (e.g., voice and video) between the systems.
Communications node: A node that is either internal to the communications network (e.g., routers, bridges, or repeaters) or located between the end device and the communications network to operate as a gateway.
Communications system: A set of assets (transmission media, switching nodes, interfaces, and control devices), that will establish linkage between users and devices.
Configuration management: A discipline applying technical and administrative direction and surveillance to:; (a) identify and document the functional and physical characteristics of a configuration item,; (b) control changes to those characteristics and,; (c) record and report changes to processing and implementation status.
Connectivity Service: A service area of the External Environment entity of the Technical Reference Model that provides end-to-end connectivity for communications through three transport levels (global, regional, and local). It provides general and applications-applications-specific services to platform end devices.
CORBA: Common Object Request Broker Architecture

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Data Dictionary: A specialized type of database containing metadata, which is managed by a data dictionary system; a repository of information describing the characteristics of data used to design, monitor, document, protect, and control data in information systems and databases; an application of data dictionary systems.
Data Element: A basic unit of information having a meaning and that may have subcategories (data items) of distinct units and values.
Database: Structured or organized collection of information, which may be accessed by the computer.
Database management system: Computer application program that accesses or manipulates the database.
Data Interchange Service: A service of the Platform entity of the Technical Reference Model that provides specialized support for the interchange of data between applications on the same or different platforms.
Data Management Service: A service of the Platform entity of the Technical Reference Model that provides support for the management, storage, access, and manipulation of data in a database.
DBMS: Database Management System
DCE: Distributed Computing Environment
DDL: Data Definition Language
Default: Command which is automatically executed if none is specifically indicated.
Directory Service: Part of the network services of the Application Platform entity of the Technical Reference Model that provides locator services that are restricted to finding the location of a service, location of data, or translation of a common name into a network specific address. It is analogous to telephone books and supports distributed directory implementations.
DISA: US Department of Defense Information Systems Agency
Distributed Database: (1) A database that is not stored in a central location but is dispersed over a network of interconnected computers.; (2) A database under the overall control of a central database management system but whose storage devices are not all attached to the same processor.; (3) A database that is physically located in two or more distinct locations.
DMF: Data Management Facility

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ECMA: European Computer Manufacturers Association
EDI: Electronic Data Interchange
EEI: External Environment Interface
End user: Person who ultimately uses the computer application or output.
Enterprise: The highest level in an organization ----includes all missions and functions.
Enterprise Model: A high level model of an organization's mission, function, and information architecture. The model consists of a function model and a data model.
ES: End system
Expand: Ability to resize objects to produce better organization of on-screen material, usually a graphic or a window.
External Environment Interface (EEI): The interface that supports information transfer between the application platform and the external environment.

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File: Any specifically identified collection of information stored in the computer.
FIPS: Federal Information Processing Standard.
FORTRAN: Acronym for FORmula TRANslator, which is a high level computer language used extensively in scientific and engineering applications.
FTAM: File Transfer, Access, and Management
Function: A useful capability provided by one or more components of a system.

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GNMP: Government Network Management Profile
GOSIP: Government Open System Interconnection Profile
GSS: General Security Service
GUI: Graphical User Interface

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Hardware: (1) Physical equipment, as opposed to programs, procedures, rules, and associated documentation.
(2) Contrast with software.
Human-Computer Interface (HCI): Human Computer Interface Hardware and software allowing information exchange between the user and the computer.

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IEC: The International Electrotechnical Commission, the international standards body which is responsible for electrical standards.
IEEE: Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers.
Information: Any communication or representation of knowledge such as facts, data, or opinions, in any medium or form, including textual, numerical, graphic, cartographic, narrative, or audio-visual forms.
Information Domain: A set of commonly and unambiguously labeled information objects with a common security policy that defines the protections to be afforded the objects by authorized users and information management systems.
Information System: The computer-based portion of a business system.
Information Technology (IT): The technology included in hardware and software used for information, regardless of the technology involved, whether computers, communications, micro graphics, or others.
Interface: Interconnection and interrelationships between two devices, two applications, or the user and an application or device.
Interoperability: (1) The ability of two or more systems or components to exchange and use information.; (2) The ability of systems to provide and receive services from other systems and to use the services so interchanged to enable them to operate effectively together.
IS: Information System
ISA: Information System Architecture
ISO: International Standards Organization
IT: Information Technology

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JTC1: A Joint Technical Committee established by ISO and IEC to take responsibility for their shared interests in IT standardization.

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LAN: Local Area Network
Life cycle: The period of time that begins when a system is conceived and ends when the system is no longer available for use.

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Metaview (also known as a viewpoint): A specification of the conventions for constructing and using a view. A metaview acts as a pattern or template of the view, from which to develop individual views. A metaview establishes the purposes and audience for a view, the ways in which the view is documented (e.g., for visual modeling), and the ways in which it is used (e.g., for analysis).
MIS: Management Information Systems
MLS: Multilevel Security
MTA: Message Transfer Agent
Multimedia service: A service of the Technical Reference Model that provides the capability to manipulate and manage information products consisting of text, graphics, images, video, and audio.

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NIST: US National Institute of Standards and Technology
NLSP: Network Layer Security Protocol

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ODA: Office Document Architecture
ODIF: Office Document Interchange Format
OIW: OSI Implementors' Workshop
OODBMS: Object-Oriented Database Management System
Open specifications: Public specifications that are maintained by an open, public consensus process to accommodate new technologies over time and that are consistent with international standards.
Open system: A system that implements sufficient open specifications for interfaces, services, and supporting formats to enable properly engineered applications software: (a) to be ported with minimal changes across a wide range of systems, (b) to interoperate with other applications on local and remote systems, and (c) to interact with users in a style that facilitates user portability.
Open systems environment (OSE): The comprehensive set of interfaces, services, and supporting formats, plus user aspects for interoperability or for portability of applications, data, or people, as specified by information technology standards and profiles.
Operating system service: A core service of the Application Platform entity of the Technical Reference Model that is needed to operate and administer the application platform and provide an interface between the application software and the platform (e.g., file management, input/output, print spoolers).
ORB: Object Request Broker
OS: Operating System
OSE: Open System Environment
OSI: Open Systems Interconnection

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PEX: PHIGS Extension to X Windows
PHIGS: Programmer's Hierarchical Interactive Graphics System
Platform: See Application Platform.
Portability: (1) The ease with which a system or component can be transferred from one hardware or software environment to another.; (2) A quality metric that can be used to measure the relative effort to transport the software for use in another environment or to convert software for use in another operating environment, hardware configuration, or software system environment.; (3) The ease with which a system, component, data, or user can be transferred from one hardware or software environment to another.
POSIX: Portable Operating System Interface (for Computer Environments)
Profile: A set of one or more base standards, and, where applicable, the identification of those classes, subsets, options, and parameters of those base standards, necessary for accomplishing a particular function.
Profiling: Selecting standards for a particular application.

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RDA: Remote Database Access
RDBMS: Relational Database Management System
Repository: A system that manages all of the data of an enterprise, including data and process models and other enterprise information. Hence, the data in a repository is much more extensive than that in a Data Dictionary, which generally defines only the data making up a database.
RM: Reference Model
RPC: Remote Procedure Call

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Scalability: The ability to use the same application software on many different classes of hardware/software platforms from personal computers to super computers (extends the portability concept). The capability to grow to accommodate increased work loads.
Security: Services which protect data, ensuring its confidentiality, availability and integrity.
Server: An application component which responds to requests from a client.
SGML: Standard Generalized Markup Language
SMAP: Security Management Application Process
SMTP: Simple Mail Transfer Protocol
SNA: System Network Architecture
SNMP: Simple Network Management Protocol
SQL: Structured Query Language
SWG: Special Working Group
System: A collection of components organized to accomplish a specific function or set of functions (taken from Draft Recommended Practice for Architectural Description IEEE P1471/D5.2).
System and network management service: A cross-category service of the Application Platform Entity of the Technical Reference Model that provides for the administration of the overall information system. These services include the management of information, processors, networks, configurations, accounting, and performance.
System stakeholder: An individual, team, or organization (or classes thereof) with interests in, or concerns relative to, a system (taken from ANSI/IEEE Std 1471-2000).

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TAFIM: Technical Architecture Framework for Information Management
Taxonomy of architecture views: the organized collection of all views pertinent to an architecture.
TCP/IP: Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol
TCSEC: Trusted Computer System Evaluation Criteria
Technical Reference Model: A structure which allows the components of an information system to be described in a consistent manner.
TFA: Transparent File Access
TLSP: Transport Layer Security Protocol
TNI: Trusted Network Interpretation
TP: Transaction processing
Transaction: Interaction between a user and a computer in which the user inputs a command to receive a specific result from the computer.
Transaction sequence: Order of transactions required to accomplish the desired results.
TRM: Technical Reference Model
TSIG: Trusted Systems Interoperability Group

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UIDL: User Interface Definition Language
UIMS: User Interface Management System
UISRM: User Interface System Reference Model
User: (1) Any person, organization, or functional unit that uses the services of an information processing system.; (2) In a conceptual schema language, any person or any thing that may issue or receive commands and messages to or from the information system.
User Interface Service: A service of the Application Platform entity of the Technical Reference Model that supports direct human-machine interaction by controlling the environment in which users interact with applications.

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View: A representation of a whole system from the perspective of a related set of concerns.
Viewpoint (also known as a metaview): A specification of the conventions for constructing and using a view. A metaview acts as a pattern or template of the view, from which to develop individual views. A metaview establishes the purposes and audience for a view, the ways in which the view is documented (e.g., for visual modeling), and the ways in which it is used (e.g., for analysis).

WAN: Wide Area Network

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