Overview
ISO/IEC 30118-3:2021 - Information technology - Open Connectivity Foundation (OCF) Specification - Part 3: Bridging specification defines a generic framework for translating between OCF Devices and non‑OCF ecosystems. Published by ISO/IEC, this standard sets out the behaviour and requirements of a Bridging Function and a Bridge Platform that can expose servers and clients across ecosystems (e.g., exposing non‑OCF servers to OCF clients or exposing OCF servers to non‑OCF clients). The standard focuses on generic, reusable rules; device‑specific “deep translation” is delegated to mapping documents.
Key Topics and Requirements
- Bridge concepts and terminology: Defines Bridge, Bridge Platform, Virtual OCF Device, Virtual OCF Server/Client, Bridged Protocol, Bridged Resource and related terms to ensure consistent implementations.
- Symmetric vs. Asymmetric bridging: Distinguishes approaches where translation is bidirectional (symmetric) or focused on one direction (asymmetric Server/Client Bridges).
- General and platform requirements: Specifies mandatory, recommended and allowed behaviours for Bridge Platforms and Bridging Functions; compliance language (shall/should/allowed/DEPRECATED) is used.
- Resource discovery and VOD list: Requirements for how virtual resources are advertised and discovered in the OCF ecosystem, including the Virtual OCF Device (VOD) listing.
- Translation approaches: Differentiates deep translation (device‑specific mappings handled by other parts) from on‑the‑fly generic translation mechanisms.
- CRUDN semantics: Uses RESTful CRUDN (Create, Read, Update, Delete, Notify) operation semantics consistent with OCF Core.
- Security and interoperability: References OCF Core and Security specifications (ISO/IEC 30118‑1 and 30118‑2) and mandates secure handling as part of bridging.
- Standards referenced: Normative references include JSON Schema Core and OpenAPI 2.0 for resource and interface descriptions.
Applications and Who Uses It
- IoT platform vendors implementing multi‑ecosystem gateways or bridges that integrate devices across OCF, AllJoyn, Zigbee, Z‑Wave, BLE, oneM2M and other protocols.
- Smart home and commercial IoT integrators who need consistent discovery, control and secure access to heterogeneous devices.
- Device manufacturers who want their products to be reachable from multiple ecosystems without reengineering firmware for each protocol.
- Cloud and service providers building interoperable device clouds, onboarding tools and bridge services.
Related Standards
- ISO/IEC 30118‑1 - Core specification (OCF Core)
- ISO/IEC 30118‑2 - Security specification
- Mapping parts (examples): Part 6 AllJoyn mapping, Part 8 oneM2M, Part 14 BLE, Part 17 Zigbee, Part 18 Z‑Wave
- Resource & Device models: Parts 4 (Resource Type) and 5 (Device Specification)
This standard is essential for secure, interoperable bridging in multi‑vendor IoT deployments and for anyone building or certifying OCF‑aware bridges.
Open preview (PDF)Information technology — Open Connectivity Foundation (OCF) Specification — Part 3: Bridging specification
