RFC 2935 (rfc2935) - Page 2 of 8

Internet Open Trading Protocol (IOTP) HTTP Supplement

RFC 2935                  IOTP HTTP Supplement            September 2000


1. Introduction

   Internet Open Trading Protocol (IOTP) [RFC 2801] messages will be
   carried as XML [XML] documents.  As such, the goal of mapping to the
   transport layer is to ensure that the underlying XML documents are
   carried successfully between the various parties.

   This document describes that mapping for the Hyper Text Transport
   Protocol (HTTP), Versions 1.0 and 1.1 [RFCs 1945, 2616].

   There may be future documents describing IOTP over email (SMTP), TCP,
   cable TV, or other transports.

   The key words "MUST", "MUST NOT", "REQUIRED", "SHALL", "SHALL NOT",
   "SHOULD", "SHOULD NOT", "RECOMMENDED", "MAY", and "OPTIONAL" in this
   document are to be interpreted as described in [RFC 2119].

2. HTTP Servers and Clients

   The structure of IOTP maps on to the structure of HTTP in the
   following way:

      The merchant, payment handler, delivery handler, and customer care
      roles are all represented by HTTP servers.  Each may be
      represented by a separate server, or they may be combined in any
      combination.

      The consumer role is represented by an HTTP client.

   Note: A Merchant, may act in the role of a consumer, for example to
   deposit electronic cash.  In this case the Merchant, as an
   organization rather than as a role, would need to be supported by an
   HTTP client.

3. HTTP Net Locations

   The Net Locations contained within the IOTP specification are all
   URIs [RFC 2396].  If a secure connection is required or desired a
   secure channel that both the HTTP Server and Client support MUST be
   used. Examples of such channels are SSL version 3 or TLS [RFC 2246].

4. Consumer Clients

   In most environments, the consumer agent will initially be an HTML
   browser.  However, current browsers do not provide the needed
   capability to act as an agent for the consumer for an IOTP
   transaction. This leads to two requirements:




Eastlake & Smith            Standards Track