This Recommendation specifies the common upper layer elements of A-profiles. The common elements are specified by reference to OSI connection-mode standards for the ACSE protocol, the presentation layer protocol, and the session layer protocol. A specification defining an A-profile may reference this Recommendation as a common basis for the selection of elements of the upper layer protocols (ACSE, presentation and session) that it uses. The use of this Recommendation is supplemented by a statement of the referencing specification’s specific upper layer requirements for the use of ACSE, presentation and session protocol standards. The rest of an A-profile definition, including, for instance, its use of standards for Application Service Elements (ASE, see also Figure 1), follows the general rules of ISO/IEC TR 10000-1.