Overview
Cisco Systems, Inc., Intel Corporation and Microsoft Corporation are establishing a network multimedia cooperative program in direct response to the demand of the world business community for end-to-end solutions. The initial phase of this program will provide over 20 leading-edge Internet companies with advanced consultation, development toolkits, state-of-the-art Lab and technical assistance. The participating companies look to provide solutions in the areas of desktop conferencing, distance learning and information broadcasting.

In the past, a lack of quality applications, necessary network infrastructures and capable deployment services have slowed the deployment of end-to-end multimedia solutions in businesses. As industry leaders - Intel, Cisco and Microsoft are committed to delivering the connected business user with a richer, more productive experience. This program is a key trilateral initiative that helps further that goal. It will help provide the world business community with high quality choices for applications, infrastructure components and deployment services from a variety of industry leading vendors.

Program Components
Instruction
Highly qualified engineering staff from Intel, Cisco and Microsoft are providing compelling and critical information to program participants. Technologies discussed during these events include IP Multicast, Desktop Conferencing, Rich Information Publishing, Quality of Service/RSVP and the state of Internet Standards. Future events on a variety of topics are also being planned.

Toolkits
A targeted set of toolkits will be provided to program participants. The kits will provide tools - such as software components, SDKs, documentation, white papers, sample code, utilities, hyper-links, etc. - that will help accelerate participant's development, testing and integration efforts.

Lab
An end-to-end network multimedia Lab facility will be made available to selected participants in the program. The San Jose, CA based Lab will include PC workstations and servers from Intel, networking hardware from Cisco, and Operating System and Platform software from Microsoft. Participants are expected to use the Lab for application enablement, infrastructure and integration testing.

Workshops and Support
Technical staff from all three companies will be available to assist program participants with advice, consultation and support. This will insure that their products and services meet the highest possible functional and quality standards.

Key Technologies
IP Multicast
IP multicast applications send one copy of information to a group address over a multicast enabled network infrastructure, including intranets and the public Internet. The information broadcast will reach all recipients who want to receive it. Without multicasting, the same information must be either carried over the network multiple times, one time for each recipient, or broadcast to everyone on the network. IP Multicast is a well know IETF standard.

Desktop Conferencing
The ITU (International Telecommunications Union) H.323 standard defines how PCs can share audio and video data over computer networks, including intranets and the public Internet. Intel has been instrumental in the definition and development of H.323 technology. By using a common protocol, H.323 standards-based products created by different vendors can work well together . This provides exciting opportunities for people-to-people communications over the Internet.

Rich Information Publishing
A streaming media system sends compressed, rich multimedia data types over a TCP/IP based network. Typically implemented in a client/server architecture, software agents known as "Codecs" handle the compression/decompression on both sides of the end-to-end connection. Streaming media differs from traditional file transfer in one very important aspect - and that is the file need not be completely transferred to the client before rendering can occur. This characteristic is especially important for users of low-bandwidth links to the Internet.

Quality Service/(RSVP)
Every network application has a basic set of requirements that the network must meet to deliver the traffic generated by this application in a usable form. These conditions, which center on bandwidth and delay characteristics, are described as quality of service. ReSource reserVation Protocol (RSVP) is in the process of being standardized by the IETF's working group on integrated services. RSVP provides a means for networks to support special qualities of service for applications that need them while preserving current internetworking methods.