The Interface Repository is a database, optionally created and maintained by the SOM Compiler, that holds all the information contained in the IDL description of a class of objects. The Interface Repository Framework consists of the 11 classes defined in the CORBA standard for accessing the Interface Repository. Thus, the interface Repository Framework provides run-time access to all information contained in the IDL description of a class of objects. Type information is available as TypeCodes - a CORBA-defined way of encoding the complete description of any data type that can be constructed in IDL.