object identifier (OID)

A number that identifies an object's position in a global object registration tree. Each node of the tree is assigned a number, so that an OID is a sequence of numbers. In Internet usage the OID numbers are delimited by dots, for example, “0.128.45.12.” In the Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP), OIDs are used to uniquely identify schema elements, including object classes and attribute types.