This Recommendation defines the specification for CPE name matching. It also defines and explains the requirements that producers of CPE name matching implementations, such as software and services, must meet to claim conformance with this Recommendation.

As this Recommendation defines these specifications by listing the relevant clauses of the NIST Interagency Report 7696 Common Platform Enumeration: Name Matching Specification version 2.3 and showing whether they are normative or informative, all other versions are out of the scope of this Recommendation as are all CPE specifications other than CPE name matching.