Title
A study of Internet instant messaging and chat protocols
Abstract
Instant messaging (IM) and network chat communication have seen an enormous rise in popularity over the last several years. However, since many of these systems are proprietary, little has been described about the network technology behind them. This analysis helps bridge this gap by providing an overview of the available features, functions, system architectures, and protocol specifications of the three most popular network IM protocols: AOL Instant Messenger, Yahoo! Messenger, and Microsoft Messenger. We describe common features across these systems and highlight distinctions between them. Where possible, we discuss the advantages and disadvantages of different technical approaches used in these systems to support different features and functions. We also briefly discuss ongoing efforts to standardize IM and chat-based protocols in IETF and other standards bodies
Year
DOI
Venue
2006
10.1109/MNET.2006.1668399
IEEE Network
Keywords
Field
DocType
Internet,Protocols,Network servers,Public key,Bridges,Standards organizations,IP networks,Telecommunication traffic,Monitoring,Degradation
World Wide Web,Computer science,Instant messaging,Popularity,Computer network,Electronic messaging,Instant messenger,The Internet
Journal
Volume
Issue
ISSN
20
4
0890-8044
Citations 
PageRank 
References 
29
2.39
8
Authors
6
Name
Order
Citations
PageRank
R. B. Jennings1292.39
Erich M. Nahum285359.81
David P. Olshefski3665.36
Debanjan Saha41178101.77
Zon-yin Shae520621.12
Chris Waters6393.14