Overview of The OMA SyncML Common Specifications

The OMA SyncML Common Specifications Enabler Release includes the following documents:

•    SyncML Representation:  The XML-based representation protocol which specifies the common XML syntax and semantics used by all SyncML protocols.  This defines the superset of the DS and DM representation protocols.  (* includes DTD).
•    The transport bindings:  HTTP,  OBEX, WSP.  These specify the features REQUIRED for each transport to send and receive DS and DM protocol messages.
•    The Meta Information associated with a SyncML command or data item or collection used by  either DS or DM  (* includes DTD)
•    SyncML Server Alerted Notification:  The logical structure and format of the notification messages used by all SyncML server alerted notifications, for both DS and DM.

The OMA Data Synchronization Specifications Enabler Release includes the following documents:

•    SyncML Representation DataSync Usage:  The subset of the Common Specifications SyncML Representation Specification necessary to define the Data Synchronization commands and protocol, with examples and commentary specific to DS.
•    DataSyncProtocol:  Specifies how SyncML Common messages conforming to the DTD are exchanged in order to allow an OMA DS  client and server to  exchange additions, deletions, updates and other status information.
•    Device Information: Used  to exchange device specific information, including hardware, firmware, software levels, available memory, and  local databases supported. (* Includes DTD)
•    Data Objects:  Email, File, Folder:    Each object is identified by a unique MIME media type (eg. application/vnd.omads-email).  The  objects are either  represented by or encapsulated  in a mark-up language defined by xml. Meta or state  data is included in the representation (eg. Read/Unread, Creation Date, Last Modified Date).

Although the SyncML Common  specification defines transport bindings that specify how to use a particular transport to exchange messages and responses, the SyncML Common  representation, synchronization and device management protocols are transport-independent. Each package in these protocols is completely self-contained, and could in principle be carried by any transport. The initial bindings specified are HTTP, WSP and OBEX, but there is no reason why SyncML Common  could not be implemented using email or message queues, to list only two alternatives. Because the SyncML Common messages are self-contained, multiple transports could be used without either the server or client devices having to be aware of the network topology. Thus, a short-range OBEX connection could be used for local connectivity, with the messages being passed on via HTTP to an Internet-hosted synchronization server.
To reduce the data size, a binary coding of SyncML Common based on the WAP Forum's WBXML is defined. Messages may also be passed in clear text if  desired. In this and other ways SyncML Common addresses the bandwidth and resource limitations imposed by mobile devices.
SyncML Common  is both data type and data store independent. SyncML Common can carry any data type which can be represented as a MIME object. To promote interoperability between different implementations of OMA Data Synchronization, the specification includes the representation formats used for common PIM data.

This document specifies the message flows between data synchronization client and server in order to ensure an inter-operable solution across all devices.