This working group focuses on the application of the Session Initiation Protocol (SIP, RFC 3261) to the suite of services collectively known as instant messaging and presence (IMP). The IETF has committed to producing an interoperable standard for these services compliant to the requirements for IM outlined in RFC 2779 (including the security and privacy requirements there) and in the Common Profile for Instant Messaging (CPIM) specification, developed within the IMPP working group. As the most common services for which SIP is used share quite a bit in common with IMP, the adaptation of SIP to IMP seems a natural choice given the widespread support for (and relative maturity of) the SIP standard.
This group has completed the majority of its primary goals and will focus on the remaining tasks documented here and concluding. Any proposed new work will require a recharter.
The primary remaining work of this group will be to complete:
1. The MSRP proposed standard mechanism for transporting sessions of messages initiated using the SIP, compliant to the requirments of RFC 2779, CPIM and BCP 41.
2. The XCAP framework for representing and carrying configuration and policy information in SIMPLE systems.
3. A mechanism for representing partial changes (patches) to XML documents and extensions to the SIMPLE publication and notification mechanisms to convey these partial changes.
4. A mechanism for initiating and managing Instant Message group chat.
5. An annotated overview of the SIMPLE protocol definition documents.
Any SIP extensions proposed in the course of this development will, after a last call process, be transferred to the SIP WG for consideration as formal SIP extensions.
Any mechanisms created for managing Instant Message group chat are intended to provide a bridge to the conferencing protocols that will be defined in XCON. They will be limited in scope to address only simple Instant Message chat with nicknames and will not attempt to address complex conferencing concepts such as sidebars. Their design must anticipate operating in conjunction with the conferencing protocols XCON is working towards.
The working group will work within the framework for presence and IM described in RFC 2778. The extensions it defines must also be compliant with the SIP processes for extensions. The group cannot modify baseline SIP behavior or define a new version of SIP for IM and presence. If the group determines that any capabilities requiring an extension to SIP are needed, the group will seek to define such extensions within the SIP working group, and then use them here.
Milestones
Date
Milestone
Associated documents
Mar 2011
Conclusion of SIMPLE
Nov 2010
Submission of SIMPLE protocol annotated overview draft to IESG for publication as Informational
Oct 2010
Submission of proposed mechanisms for initiating and managing Instant Message group chat to the IESG for publication as Proposed Standard
Done milestones
Date
Milestone
Associated documents
Done
Submission of additional connection models for MSRP to IESG for Proposed Standard
Done
Submission of an Instant Message Disposition Notification mechanism to the IESG for publication as a Proposed Standard
Done
Submission of XCAP event package to IESG or appropriate working group targeting publication as Proposed Standard
Done
Submission of proposed mechanisms meeting the advanced messaging requirements to the IESG or appropriate working group
Done
Submission of instant messaging session relay drafts to IESG for publication as Proposed Standards
Done
Submission of instant messaging session draft to IESG for publication as a Proposed Standard
Done
Submission of Filtering mechanisms to IESG for publication as a Proposed Standard
Done
Submission of XCAP usage for setting presence authorization to IESG for publication as Proposed Standard
Done
Submission of XCAP usage for manipulation of presence document content
Done
Submission of indication of instant message preparation using SIP to IESG for publication as a Proposed Standard
Done
Submission of Partial Notification mechanism to IESG for publication as a Proposed Standard
Done
Submission of base XCAP draft to IESG for publication as Proposed Standard
Done
Submission of SIMPLE PIDF profile to IESG for publication as Proposed Standard
Done
Submission of proposed mechanism for event publishing to the SIP working group
Done
Submission of requirements for event publishing to the IESG for publication as Proposed Standard
Done
Submission of proposed event list mechanism to the SIP working group
Done
Submission of watcher information drafts to IESG for publication as Proposed Standards
Done
Submission of event package for presence to IESG for publication as Proposed Standard