RFC 2557 (rfc2557) - Page 1 of 28

MIME Encapsulation of Aggregate Documents, such as HTML (MHTML)

Alternative Format: Original Text Document
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Network Working Group                                         J. Palme
Request for Comments: 2557                    Stockholm University/KTH
Obsoletes: 2110                                             A. Hopmann
Category: Standards Track                        Microsoft Corporation
                                                           N. Shelness
                                         Lotus Development Corporation
                                                            March 1999


    MIME Encapsulation of Aggregate Documents, such as HTML (MHTML)

Status of this Memo

   This document specifies an Internet standards track protocol for the
   Internet community, and requests discussion and suggestions for
   improvements.  Please refer to the current edition of the "Internet
   Official Protocol Standards" (STD 1) for the standardization state
   and status of this protocol.  Distribution of this memo is unlimited.

Copyright Notice

   Copyright (C) The Internet Society (1999).  All Rights Reserved.

Abstract

   HTML [RFC 1866] defines a powerful means of specifying multimedia
   documents. These multimedia documents consist of a text/html root
   resource (object) and other subsidiary resources (image, video clip,
   applet, etc. objects) referenced by Uniform Resource Identifiers
   (URIs) within the text/html root resource. When an HTML multimedia
   document is retrieved by a browser, each of these component resources
   is individually retrieved in real time from a location, and using a
   protocol, specified by each URI.

   In order to transfer a complete HTML multimedia document in a single
   e-mail message, it is necessary to: a) aggregate a text/html root
   resource and all of the subsidiary resources it references into a
   single composite message structure, and b) define a means by which
   URIs in the text/html root can reference subsidiary resources within
   that composite message structure.

   This document a) defines the use of a MIME multipart/related
   structure to aggregate a text/html root resource and the subsidiary
   resources it references, and b) specifies a MIME content-header
   (Content-Location) that allow URIs in a multipart/related text/html
   root body part to reference subsidiary resources in other body parts
   of the same multipart/related structure.




Palme, et al.               Standards Track
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