Abstract Syntax Notation 1 (ASN.1) was born from the Open
Systems Interconnect (OSI) internetworking model in the early 1980's as a
standard for data presentation. While OSI never quite achieved widespread use,
the ASN.1 standard continued to evolve and today can be found in a number of
real-world applications. Among these applications are the following:
3G Mobile System - Third generation mobile
telecommunications networks use the ASN.1 standards for data exchange. This
system is based on the UMTS (Universal Mobile Telecommunication System)
standard that makes use of ASN.1 and the Packed Encoding Rules (PER).
Voice-over-IP (VoIP) - Another major effort in
the telecommunications area is the transmission of voice data over
packet-switched networks such as the Internet. The "CODEC" standards (H.323,
etc.) are based on ASN.1 and used the Packed Encoding Rules to obtain optimal
data transmission rates.
Security Applications - Internet security
certificates make use of the ASN.1 standards as well. The Distinguished
Encoding Rules (DER) form a convenient, platform-independent standard for data
representation prior to encryption. PKIX, PKCS, and X.509 are some of the
commonly known standards in this world and all are based on ASN.1.
Traditional Telecommunications Networks - ASN.1
and the Basic Encoding rules (BER) have been an integral part of the world's
telecommunications for a long time. Everything from SS7 networks to ISDN use
ASN.1 BER messages to exchange messages across all types of devices and
computers.
Military and Space Applications - In the United
States, NASA is using ASN.1 and the Packed Encoding Rules for air-to-ground and
ground-to-ground protocols in its Aeronautical Telecommunications Network
specification.
And the list goes on...
Objective Systems compilers are in use by companies
developing applications in all of these areas. See our
Customers page for a list of some of the
companies using our tools and what they are using them for.
