Jabber Protocol

Hi All,

Below are the highlights of the Jabber Protocol :

• XMPP ( Extensible Messaging and Presence Protocol ) formerly named as Jabber Protocol.
• XMPP is an open, XML-based protocol originally aimed at near-real-time, extensible instant messaging (IM) and presence information, but now expanded into the broader realm of message oriented middleware.
• XMPP-based software is deployed on thousands of servers across the Internet.Popular commercial servers include the Gizmo5, Nimbuzz and Google Talk
• The XMPP network is server-based (i.e. clients do not talk directly to one another) but decentralized: by design there is no central authoritative server.However, anyone may run their own XMPP server on their own domain.The standard TCP port for XMPP is 5222.
Strengths of XMPP :-
• Decentralization: The architecture of the XMPP network is similar to email; anyone can run their own XMPP server and there is no central master server
• Security: XMPP servers may be isolated from the public XMPP network (e.g., on a company intranet), and robust security has been built into the core XMPP specifications
• Flexibility: Custom functionality can be built on top of XMPP; XMPP applications beyond IM include network management, content syndication, collaboration tools, file sharing, gaming, and remote systems monitoring.
XMPP via HTTP transport :-
• Another aspect of XMPP is the HTTP binding for users behind restricted firewalls.As the client uses HTTP, most firewalls allow clients to fetch and post messages without any hindrances. Thus, in scenarios where the TCP port used by XMPP is blocked, a server can listen on the normal HTTP port and the traffic should pass without problems.
• There are various websites which allow people to sign in to XMPP via their browser. Furthermore, there are open public servers, such as www.jabber80.com or 443.jabbear.com that listen on standard http (port 80) and https (port 443) ports and hence allow connections from behind most firewalls.
Further References:-
• http://xmpp.org/tech/overview.shtml
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/XMPP
• http://tedweitz.com/harvard/cscie258/proj/docs/overview-summary.html