Java Network Programming, Second Edition

Internet Standards

This book discusses several application layer Internet protocols, most notably HTTP. However, this is not a book about those protocols, and it tries not to say more than the minimum you need to know. If you need detailed information about any protocol, the definitive source is the standards document for the protocol.

While there are many standards organizations in the world, the two that produce most of the standards relevant to network programming and protocols are the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) and the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C). The IETF is a relatively informal, democratic body open to participation by any interested party. Its standards are based on “rough consensus and running code” and tend to follow rather than lead implementations. IETF standards include TCP/IP, MIME, and SMTP. The W3C, by contrast, is a vendor organization, controlled by its dues-paying member corporations, that explicitly excludes participation by individuals. For the most part, the W3C tries to define standards in advance of implementation. W3C standards include HTTP, HTML, and XML.

IETF RFCs

IETF standards and near standards are published as Internet drafts and requests for comments (RFCs). RFCs and Internet drafts range from informational documents of general interest to detailed specifications of standard Internet protocols such as FTP. RFCs that document a standard or a proposed standard are published only with the approval of the Internet Engineering Steering ...