Protocols

is a packet-

Understanding RTP based proto-

col, meaning
that when you
Real-Time Transport Protocol request a standard
file from another com-
Helps Stream Files puter on the Internet,
that file is chopped up

N
ow that more and more home users are tapping into into tiny pieces called
packets that are sent
the high bandwidths offered by services like cable separately to your computer.
modems and DSL (Digital Subscriber Lines), high- Once they arrive, your computer reassem-
bles them into a carbon copy of the origi-
quality streaming multimedia is finally becoming a viable and desir- nal file.
able way to experience Internet content. Formerly reserved for only well- IP doesn’t apply many rules to the trans-
heeled businesses, video- and audio-conferencing are also making it easier mission of packets other than labeling them
with a header, which is a small piece
than ever for individuals and small businesses to communicate. At this point, of data containing, at minimum, the IP
most of the real-time streaming multimedia files and applications found on address of the transmitting computer and
the IP address of the intended recipient’s
the Internet use RTP (Real-Time Transport Protocol) as a basis for file trans- computer. Network hardware takes care
mission, so it’s important to learn about the protocol to better understand the of the job of making sure the packets get to
their destinations, but IP does absolutely
performance issues associated with streaming files. no-thing to make sure the packets arrive in
■ The Many-Layered Internet. Protocols another. The IP (Internet Protocol) is the fun- the order they were sent, or even arrive at
are languages that computers and other damental data protocol that all of the other all. That’s where the higher-level protocols
hardware use to communicate with one current Internet protocols ride on top of. IP come in.

How RTP 6 5 4 3 2 1

Works
As a protocol primarily used to stream audio and video,
2
The transmission begins,
orderly at first…

RTP focuses on speed at the expense of reliability.

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Internet or LAN Lost packets

7 8 9 10 11 12 3
…but soon the packets en-

1 A counter network congestion that

scrambles them up and causes 3 5
Computer A begins to stream a video some to be lost. They also arrive at
file to Computer B using RTP. Much like staggered times.
an e-mail text file sent via TCP/IP, the
video file is chopped up into packets. RTP
labels each packet with both a sequence
number and a special time stamp so the
6 12 4 2 7 1
software at the other end can put them
together in perfect order and the video will
play smoothly.
 Protocols

■ TCP/IP: The Internet Standard. The
most common protocol used for Internet
data transfers is TCP (Transmission Control
Protocol), which rides on top of IP to create
TCP/IP. TCP was designed to add reliability
and data integrity to the packet-based nature
of IP. When you download a standard
file from the Internet, like a software appli-
cation or text document, incoming pack-
ets must be put together in the order they
were transmitted to ensure the file can be
read or executed properly. Additionally, if
packets are missing from the file you
are downloading, that file will be corrupt
and unusable.
TCP establishes a temporary direct connec-
tion between your computer and the trans-
mitting computer so packets can be received
in the order they were sent—something IP
alone cannot do. It also adds additional head-
er information to outbound packets, basically
numbering each of them so the receiving
computer can determine their proper
sequence. The other key feature of TCP is
that if a packet goes missing, all activity on
the receiving end is halted until the dropped
packet is retransmitted and received.
TCP establishes a temporary direct connection between
your computer and the transmitting computer so packets
can be received in the order they were sent—
something IP alone cannot do.
■ Enter RTP. TCP/IP works very well
when there is no room for file corruption,
but the extra time it takes to send for lost
packets makes it relatively slow. This makes
it a terrible choice for delivering streaming
multimedia, which relies on raw speed for
smooth performance and can’t tolerate the
kinds of interruptions dropped packets
pose. Imagine using a Web-based telephone
and having the conversation cut out every
few seconds as the system waited for a lost
packet to be transmitted again.
Of course, someone was bound to come up
with a solution that would allow streaming
data to be transferred as efficiently as possi-
ble, and it came in the form of UDP (User
Datagram Protocol) and RTP. Like TCP, UDP
rides on IP (datagram is another word for
packet), but it applies a different set of rules
that are conducive to smoothly streaming
multimedia. UDP does not establish a direct
connection to a host computer, meaning
packets are not necessarily received in
the order they were sent. The connection-
less nature of UDP/IP packets, however,
makes the system ideal for sending identi-
cal data to multiple computers at once, a
procedure known as multicasting or
broadcasting.
RTP piggybacks on a UDP/IP, adding an
extra layer of functionality and rules to out-
bound packets that makes them perfect for

4 Compiled by Tracy Baker

The video software on
the other end determines
how efficiently the connection
is running and creates a data
buffer to intercept incoming
packets. The packets are reor-
ganized and prepared for
streaming while in the buffer.
11
B the network connection. It begins streaming the video file
Graphics & Design by Andria Schultz
Data Buffer
10 9
12
5
Although the entire file hasn't shown up yet, the
video software determines that there is enough data in
the buffer to play while the rest of the file is coming in over
very efficiently because there was time to begin sorting
data while it was in the buffer. Note that the packets that
were lost in Step 3 are left out of the final transmission.
RTP doesn't need perfect accuracy to work, and it can't
afford to wait for the lost packets to show up because the
video will pause. Without the lost packets the video will
simply stutter, sometimes badly, sometimes imperceptibly
depending on how many packets make it through.

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