RVP Protocol for Real-Time Presence Information Sonu Aggarwal Lead Program Manager, Exchange Instant Messaging Microsoft Corporation [e-mail]

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RVP Protocol for Real-Time Presence
InformationSonu AggarwalLead Program Manager,
Exchange Instant MessagingMicrosoft
Corporationsonuag_at_microsoft.com
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RVP is a platform for notification applications

• Instant Messaging
• Instant Messages
• between users, distribution lists (instances or
  classes)
• Online presence tracking
• tracking status ( Online, Offline, etc.) in
  real time
• Distributed Notifications Infrastructure
• e.g. pager apps, package tracking

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Design requirements

• Internet scale
• Federated architecture
• Organizations want control of their messaging
• Meet demanding enterprise requirements
• Compatibility with existing proxy and firewall
  infrastructure
• Strong security access control, even for
  cross-domain communication
• IP addresses cannot be disseminated outside an
  organization
• High performance
• Extensible

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The federated model
ENTERPRISE INTRANETS
ISP
http//im.microsoft.com/ users/philc
microsoft.com
Internet
msn.com
http//im.acmewidgets.com/ users/scottm
acmewidgets.com
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RVP is based on existing standards and efforts

• Based on the GENA framework
• Strict extension of HTTP/1.1
• SUBSCRIBE, UNSUBSCRIBE, NOTIFY, POLL
• Adopts the DAV property model
• Uses the DAV MKCOL, PROPFIND, PROPPATCH methods
• User resources have an online-status property,
  besides others
• Users, lists, resources have URIs
• e.g. http//im.microsoft.com/users/sonuag/ or
  http//im.microsoft.com/lists/product_announcemen
  ts/

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Protocol examples IM and status subscriptions

• A user subscribes to his home node to receive
  incoming notifications
• SUBSCRIBE /users/bruceb/ HTTP/1.1
• Host im.acmewidgets.com
• From http//im.acmewidgets.com/users/bruceb/
• Man http//extensions.iana.org/http/rvp/0/8/
• Notification-Type update subtype
  http//extensions/iana.org/http/rvp/0/8/notificati
  on-type/notifications/
• Call-Back http//bb5.us.acmewidgets.com/imclient
  /notifications/
• Subscription-Lifetime 43200
• A user subscribes to another users properties,
  including online status
• SUBSCRIBE /users/stevem/ HTTP/1.1
• Host im.microsoft.com
• From http//im.acmewidgets.com/users/bruceb/
• Man http//extensions.iana.org/http/rvp/0/8/
• Notification-Type update subtype
  http//extensions/iana.org/http/rvp/0/8/notificati
  on-type/properties/
• Call-Back http//im.acmewidgets.com/users/bruceb
  /
• Subscription-Lifetime 86400

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Protocol example set online status

• PROPPATCH /users/bruceb/ HTTP/1.1
• Host im.acmewidgets.com
• From http//im.acmewidgets.com/users/bruceb/
• Man http//extensions.iana.org/http/rvp/0/8/
• Content-Type text/xml
• Content-Length xxxx
• lt?xml version"1.0"?gtlt?xmlnamespace ns"DAV"
  prefix"D"?gt
• lt?xmlnamespace ns"http//www.microsoft.com/proto
  col_schemas/rvp/" prefix"Z" ?gt
• ltDpropertyupdategt
• ltDsetgt
• ltDpropgt
• ltZonline-statusgt
• ltZleased-valuegt
• ltZvaluegtonlinelt/Zvaluegt
• ltZdefault-valuegtofflinelt/Zdefault-valuegt
• ltZtimeoutgt600lt/Ztimeoutgt
• lt/Zleased-valuegt
• lt/Zonline-statusgt

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Protocol example instant message notification

• NOTIFY /users/bruceb/ HTTP/1.1
• Host im.acmewidgets.com
• From http//im.microsoft.com/users/stevem/
• Man http//extensions.iana.org/http/rvp/0/8/
• Notification-Type update subtype
  http//extensions/iana.org/http/rvp/0/8/notificati
  on-type/notifications/
• Content-Type text/xml
• Content-length xxxx
• lt?xml version"1.0"?gtlt?xmlnamespace ns"DAV"
  prefix"D"?gt
• lt?xmlnamespace ns"http//www.microsoft.com/proto
  col_schemas/rvp/ prefix"Z" ?gt
• ltZnotificationgt
• ltZmessagegt
• ltZnotification-togt
• ltDhrefgt http//im.acmewidgets.com/users/bruceb/
  lt/Dhrefgt
• lt/Znotification-togt
• ltZmsgbodygt
• ltZmime-datagtlt!CDATAMime-Version
  1.0Content-Type text/plainContent-Length
  xxxxLet's have lunch.gt
• lt/Zmime-datagt

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RVP security mechanisms

• Every security principal (user, server, etc.) has
  an X.509v3 Certificate
• Connections are SSL-secured (encryption,
  authentication)
• Security can be administered at the method level
• e.g. authentication for NOTIFYs but not for
  UNSUBSCRIBE
• Security lt-gt performance tradeoffs can be made by
  administrators

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RVP is being deployed for a variety of
interoperable applications

• MS Exchange 6.0 Instant Messaging Server
• Clients on a variety of platforms
• Preview Beta - Fall 98
• Instant Messaging Client SDK
• ISP custom applications
• Wireless device notifications

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Status

• RVP drafts published
• Latest draft at http//ds.internic.net/internet-dr
  afts/draft-calsyn-rvp-01.txt
• Next draft will reflect implementation
• Microsoft is committed to developing an
  interoperable standard for Instant Messaging
  through the PIP (Presence Information Protocol)
  effort
• Held BOF at last IETF
• Asking for WG at August IETF