A new working group has been formed in the Internet Area of the IETF. Please contact the chair or Area Directors for additional information. Session Initiation Protocol (sip) --------------------------------- Current Status: Active Working Group Chair(s): Jonathan Rosenberg Joerg Ott Dean Willis Transport Area Director(s): Scott Bradner Vern Paxson Transport Area Advisor: Vern Paxson Mailing Lists: General Discussion:sip@lists.research.bell-labs.com To Subscribe: sip-request@lists.research.bell-labs.com In Body: subscribe Archive: http://www.bell-labs.com/mailing-lists/sip Description of Working Group: The Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) working group is chartered to continue the development of SIP, currently specified as proposed standard RFC 2543. SIP is a text-based protocol, similar to HTTP and SMTP, for initiating interactive communication sessions between users. Such sessions include voice, video, chat, interactive games, and virtual reality. The main work of the group involves bringing SIP from proposed to draft standard, in addition to developing proposed extensions. Throughout its work, the group will strive to maintain the basic model and architecture defined by SIP. In particular: 1. Services and features are provided end to end whenever possible. 2. Extensions and new features must be general purpose, and not applicable only to a specific set of session types. 3. Simplicity is key. 4. Reuse of existing IP protocols and architectures, and integrating with other IP applications, is crucial. SIP was first developed within the Multiparty Multimedia Session Control (MMUSIC) working group, and the SIP working group will continue to maintain active communications with MMUSIC. This is particularly important since the main MIME type carried in SIP messages, the Session Description Protocol (SDP), specified in RFC 2327, is developed by MMUSIC. The group will also maintain open dialogues with the IP telephony (iptel) working group, whose Call Processing Language (CPL) relates to many features of SIP, and the PSTN and Internet Internetworking (pint) working group, whose specification is based on SIP; and will consider input from the Distributed Call Signaling Group (DCS) for distributed telephony services. The specific deliverables of the group are: 1. A Draft Standard version of SIP. 2. Completion of the SIP call control specification, which enables multiparty services, such as transfer and bridged sessions. 3. Completion of the SIP caller preferences specification, which enables intelligent call routing services. 4. Completion of the SIP INFO method extension, used for carrying SIP session related information. 5. Completion of the "183 response" extension, to enable early session establishment. Other deliverables may be agreed upon as extensions are proposed. Goals and Milestones: Dec 99 INFO Method extension submitted to IESG Feb 00 Early session establishment extension submitted to IESG Mar 00 Caller preferences specification submitted to IESG May 00 Call control specification submitted to IESG Jul 00 Draft standard version of SIP submitted to IESG