Docs for schema item definition in Open Vulnerability and Assessment Language (OVAL®)

The definition element defines an actual OVAL Definition. It contains various metadata related child elements which describe the definition. This includes valid platforms, creation and modification dates, status information, and reference information. It also (unless the definition is deprecated) contains a criteria child element which joins individual tests together with a logical operator to specify the specific computer state being described. The required id attribute is the OVAL-ID of the Definition. It has the form 'OVAL' followed by a number of digits (e.g. OVAL96). Like all ids in OVAL, it must be unique. OVAL-IDs are assigned by MITRE. The required class attribute indicates the specific class to which the definition belongs. Possible classes are: compliance, deprecated, patch, and vulnerability. A definition is the key structure in OVAL. It is analogous to a logical sentence or proposition: if a computer's state matches the configuration parameters laid out in the criteria, then that computer exhibits the state described.

<xsd:element name="definition"> <xsd:annotation> <xsd:documentation>The definition element defines an actual OVAL Definition. It contains various metadata related child elements which describe the definition. This includes valid platforms, creation and modification dates, status information, and reference information. It also (unless the definition is deprecated) contains a criteria child element which joins individual tests together with a logical operator to specify the specific computer state being described.</xsd:documentation> <xsd:documentation>The required id attribute is the OVAL-ID of the Definition. It has the form 'OVAL' followed by a number of digits (e.g. OVAL96). Like all ids in OVAL, it must be unique. OVAL-IDs are assigned by MITRE. The required class attribute indicates the specific class to which the definition belongs. Possible classes are: compliance, deprecated, patch, and vulnerability.</xsd:documentation> <xsd:documentation>A definition is the key structure in OVAL. It is analogous to a logical sentence or proposition: if a computer's state matches the configuration parameters laid out in the criteria, then that computer exhibits the state described.</xsd:documentation> <xsd:appinfo> <cardinality>1-n</cardinality> <attributes>id, class</attributes> <content>none</content> <parent_elements>definitions</parent_elements> <child_elements>[affected], dates, description, [reference], status, version, [notes], [criteria]</child_elements> </xsd:appinfo> </xsd:annotation> <xsd:complexType> <xsd:sequence> <xsd:element ref="oval:affected" minOccurs="0" maxOccurs="1" /> <xsd:element ref="oval:dates" minOccurs="1" maxOccurs="1" /> <xsd:element ref="oval:description" minOccurs="1" maxOccurs="1" /> <xsd:element ref="oval:reference" minOccurs="0" maxOccurs="unbounded" /> <xsd:element ref="oval:status" minOccurs="1" maxOccurs="1" /> <xsd:element ref="oval:version" minOccurs="1" maxOccurs="1" /> <xsd:element ref="oval:notes" minOccurs="0" maxOccurs="1" /> <xsd:element ref="oval:criteria" minOccurs="0" maxOccurs="1" /> </xsd:sequence> <xsd:attribute name="id" type="oval:definitionid" use="required" /> <xsd:attribute name="class" type="oval:definitionclass" use="required" /> </xsd:complexType> </xsd:element>

Definition Type:	Element
Name:	definition
Namespace:	http://oval.mitre.org/XMLSchema/oval
Containing Schema:	oval-schema.xsd
Abstract
Documentation:	The definition element defines an actual OVAL Definition. It contains various metadata related child elements which describe the definition. This includes valid platforms, creation and modification dates, status information, and reference information. It also (unless the definition is deprecated) contains a criteria child element which joins individual tests together with a logical operator to specify the specific computer state being described. The required id attribute is the OVAL-ID of the Definition. It has the form 'OVAL' followed by a number of digits (e.g. OVAL96). Like all ids in OVAL, it must be unique. OVAL-IDs are assigned by MITRE. The required class attribute indicates the specific class to which the definition belongs. Possible classes are: compliance, deprecated, patch, and vulnerability. A definition is the key structure in OVAL. It is analogous to a logical sentence or proposition: if a computer's state matches the configuration parameters laid out in the criteria, then that computer exhibits the state described.