RFC 2552 (rfc2552) - Page 2 of 30
Architecture for the Information Brokerage in the ACTS Project GAIA
Alternative Format: Original Text Document
RFC 2552 GAIA April 1999
- search for a particular "product" (information, content or
services) that he/she is interested in
- locate the product, i.e. find supplier(s) from whom the product is
available
- order the product from the supplier
- receive delivery of the product by digital means
All these actions are carried out by the broker in response to
requests from the customer. Broker services are accessible to the
customer through the unified user interface. The customer system
does not have to support all the protocols involved in the trading
process.
Full specification of the GAIA Architecture is available in the GAIA
Standard [1]. The GAIA Standard includes a description of the GAIA
Reference Model, GAIA Functional Architecture, GAIA Standard
Profiles, and specification of the GAIA interfaces.
This memo does not aim to include the whole text of the GAIA
Standard, but to present the basic ideas and concepts of this
standard.
The structure of this memo follows the structure of the GAIA
Standard:
1. The GAIA Reference Model provides a common basis for the
description and specification of brokerage systems, including the
GAIA system.
2. The GAIA Functional Architecture defines functional elements of
the GAIA Broker, their roles and relationships.
3. The GAIA Brokerage System Interfaces describes internal and
external interfaces of the GAIA brokerage system.
4. The GAIA Standard Profiles specifies mandatory and optional
profiles to which brokerage systems may conform.
2. The GAIA Reference Model
The Generic Architecture for Information Availability (GAIA)
Reference Model outlines the operations and actors involved in
finding, ordering, and delivering physical and digital objects and
services ("Products") in a global brokered distributed information
environment. It provides an overall view of the GAIA environment,
and illustrates the respective roles of and relationships between its
Blinov, et al.