RFC 2165 (rfc2165) - Page 3 of 72
Service Location Protocol
Alternative Format: Original Text Document
RFC 2165 Service Location Protocol June 1997
23. Non-configurable Parameters 63
24. Acknowledgments 64
A. Appendix: Technical contents of ISO 639:1988 (E/F): "Code for
the representation of names of languages" 65
B. SLP Certificates 66
C. Example of deploying SLP security using MD5 and RSA 68
D. Example of use of SLP Certificates by mobile nodes 68
E. Appendix: For Further Reading 69
1. Introduction
Traditionally, users find services by using the name of a network
host (a human readable text string) which is an alias for a network
address. The Service Location Protocol eliminates the need for a
user to know the name of a network host supporting a service.
Rather, the user names the service and supplies a set of attributes
which describe the service. The Service Location Protocol allows the
user to bind this description to the network address of the service.
Service Location provides a dynamic configuration mechanism for
applications in local area networks. It is not a global resolution
system for the entire Internet; rather it is intended to serve
enterprise networks with shared services. Applications are modeled
as clients that need to find servers attached to the enterprise
network at a possibly distant location. For cases where there are
many different clients and/or services available, the protocol is
adapted to make use of nearby Directory Agents that offer a
centralized repository for advertised services.
2. Terminology
User Agent (UA)
A process working on the user's behalf to acquire
service attributes and configuration. The User Agent
retrieves service information from the Service Agents or
Directory Agents.
Service Agent (SA)
A process working on the behalf of one or more services
to advertise service attributes and configuration.
Service Information
A collection of attributes and configuration information
associated with a single service. The Service Agents
advertise service information for a collection of
service instances.
Veizades, et. al. Standards Track