This section details the required services available from Z39.50. These required services address the use of attribute sets for searching museum and bibliographic information, and the processes by which a client requests both content and syntax of retrieval records from a server.
The CIMI Profile requires clients and servers to support Z39.50 Version 3 as specified in Z39.50-1995.
The CIMI Profile addresses the following Z39.50 objects by reference to registered Object Identifiers (OIDs). For information on Z39.50 OIDs, see Z39.50 Maintenance Agency [15]. Requirements regarding CIMI Z-client and Z-server support of these objects differ according to the Conformance Levels described in Section 6.6. Conformance.
| Object | OID | ||
| Bib-1 attribute set | 1.2.840.10003.3.1 | ||
| CIMI-1 attribute set | 1.2.840.10003.3.8 | ||
| Bib-1 diagnostic set | 1.2.840.10003.4.1 | ||
| GRS-1 record syntax | 1.2.840.10003.5.105 | ||
| SUTRS record syntax | 1.2.840.10003.5.101 | ||
| USMARC record syntax | 1.2.840.10003.5.10 | ||
| Digital Collections Schema | 1.2.840.10003.13.3 | ||
| CIMI Schema | 1.2.840.10003.13.5 | ||
| TagSet-M | 1.2.840.10003.14.1 | ||
| TagSet-G | 1.2.840.10003.14.2 | ||
| TagSet–Collections | 1.2.840.10003.14.5 | ||
| TagSet–CIMI | 1.2.840.10003.14.6 |
When the Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) is used as the transport service, the specification for Z39.50 implementations’ use of TCP is found in RFC 1729, Using the Z39.50 Information Retrieval Protocol in the Internet Environment [8].
The CIMI Profile requires clients and servers to support four Z39.50 (Version 3) services:
No additional services are required for conformance to the CIMI Profile. CIMI Z-clients and Z-servers optionally may use other Z39.50 services.
Standard Z39.50 Init Service negotiation procedures control the use of all services.
CIMI Z-clients may use the IDAuthentication parameters to transmit authentication information (e.g., userid and password). CIMI Z-servers may or may not require authentication. The Profile specifies no other security requirements.
The CIMI Profile requires clients and servers to support Z39.50 Type 1 queries which are general purpose Boolean query structures.
The CIMI Profile requires clients and servers to support the CIMI-1 Attribute Set defined by this Profile (see Appendix A for the CIMI-1 Attribute Set).
CIMI-1 imports all attribute types and selected attribute values from the Bib-1 Attribute Set. CIMI-1 defines one new attribute type, Authority. Use attribute values defined for the CIMI-1 Attribute Set are derived in part from the CIMI Access Points [5], the Dublin Core Metadata Element Set [4], and other relevant cultural heritage information guidelines and standards. Appendix C provides semantics for CIMI-1 Use attribute values.
CIMI Z-clients and Z-servers must support Bib-1 to a limited extent. Both must recognize the Bib-1 Attribute Set OID (1.2.840.10003.3.8.) to the extent that a CIMI Z-client may pass the OID in a query and CIMI Z-servers may receive and process a query with the OID. Conformant servers will support all attribute types and selected Use attribute values according to Section 6.6. Conformance. Support for attributes in this context means that the CIMI Z-server will recognize the Use attributes, and a search using the Use attributes listed for a Conformance Level will always result in a valid result set (which could contain 0 hits). This implies that all CIMI conformant implementations must have search capabilities for the listed Use attributes for each specific conformance level claimed. A CIMI Z-server may, if appropriate to its database, support additional attributes from Bib-1. Semantics for Bib-1 attributes can be found in Attribute Set Bib-1 (Z39.50-1995): Semantics (September 1995) ftp://ftp.loc.gov/pub/z3950/defs/bib1.txt [2].
The selection of Bib-1 Use attributes in CIMI-1 is based on emerging consensus within the Conference of European National Libraries (CENL) as documented in the Z39.50 Bib-1 Attribute Set Profile for CENL http://linnea.helsinki.fi/z3950/cenl_profile.html [3], which in turn is closely related to the U.S. ATS-1 Profile http://lcweb.loc.gov/z3950/agency/profiles/ats.html [6]. Both profiles address semantic interoperability between bibliographic Z39.50 clients and servers. Adopting these Bib-1 Use attributes in CIMI-1 increases the likelihood of semantic interoperability between those Z39.50 clients and servers and CIMI Z-clients and Z-servers.
A CIMI Z-server is required to return an appropriate diagnostic when it receives a query containing attribute values and types not supported. Appropriate diagnostics are listed in Bib-1 Diagnostic Set and include, for example:
See Section 6.5. Diagnostic Messages for use of the unsupported attribute diagnostic.
Appendix B provides additional information and guidance on the CIMI-1 Attribute Types and their values, including default values for attribute types.