An approach to a Z toolkit for the Reference Model of Open Distributed Processing

We discuss the usage of the (non-OO) Z specification language to represent some fundamental concepts of the ISO Reference Model of Open Distributed Processing (RM-ODP) and the ISO General Relationship Model (GRM). After discussing some of the difficulties involved, we offer suggestions on how Z can be used successfully for specifying and modeling open object-based distributed systems. Although fundamental specification concepts of RM-ODP and GRM are less well-known than “traditional” mathematics, we propose an RM-ODP toolkit somewhat analogous in its usage to the well-known mathematical toolkit in Z.