Network Working Group O. Levin
Request for Comments: 3508 RADVISION
Category: Informational April 2003
H.323 Uniform Resource Locator (URL) Scheme Registration
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RFC 3508 H.323 URL Scheme April 2003 1. IntroductionITU-T Recommendations H.323 [3] and H.225.0 [4] define a system for multimedia communications services over packet based networks. H.225.0 [4] defines an alias type for carrying any standard Uniform Resource Locator (URL). H.323 version 4 [3] introduced an H.323- specific URL, which may be used to resolve the address of a network entity to which H.323 calls may be directed.
2. URL Scheme Formal Syntax Definition and Character Encoding
The H.323 URL is defined in ABNF as shown below. Note that it utilizes the Core Rules specified in section 6.1 of [2].
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RFC 3508 H.323 URL Scheme April 2003
The character set and case sensitivity of the "url-parameter" is specified in each parameter definition.
3. Intended Usage
The H.323 URL is intended to help an entity resolve the address of another H.323 entity, where an "entity" may be a user, a device, or a service. The "user" portion of the URL specifies an alias for the entity, without carrying any information about the location of the entity. The "hostport", on the other hand, is the domain name of an Endpoint, Gatekeeper, Border Element, or other functional element to which H.323 calls may be directed or for which services may be performed.
4. Applications and/or protocols, which may use H.323 URL scheme
H.323 URLs may be carried by other protocols, such as SIP [6] or TRIP [9]. H.323 URLs may be also contained within web pages or within XML data, which may be utilized by H.323 entities in order to initiate calls or perform services.
5. Security Considerations
When an H.323 URL is carried within H.225.0 [4] messages, security is addressed by the H.235 security framework [5]. When an H.323 URL carried within other protocols (such as SIP [6]), the security is addressed within the corresponding protocol.
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RFC 3508 H.323 URL Scheme April 2003 6. IANA ConsiderationsThe purpose of this document is serving as a reference point for the purposes of registering the H.323 URL scheme with IANA.
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RFC 3508 H.323 URL Scheme April 2003
[5] ITU-T Recommendation H.235 "Security and Encryption for H Series
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RFC 3508 H.323 URL Scheme April 2003
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