RFC807

Network Working Group J. Postel Request for Comments: 807 ISI

                                                     9 February 1982

                 Multimedia Mail Meeting Notes

Introduction

A meeting was held at USC Information Sciences Institute on the 12th of January 1982 to discuss multimedia mail issues and experiments. The list of attendees is at the end of this memo.

Overview:

This meeting was called to discuss common interests in multi-media computer mail experiments, and to agree on some specific initial experiments.

Review of Status:

Review current status of multimedia efforts at CMU, ISI, MIT, COMSAT, BBN, UCL, SRI.

CMU

  Using PERQ, Quip for fax, LPCM vocoder from LL, will get NEC board
  (3 chips) to replace vocoder.  Will have a stand alone voice I/O
  device that operates at 2400 baud (not packetized). Not working on
  IP/TCP.  Will use the IP and TCP from the BBN project. Already
  using the BBN Jericho developed Pascal IP and CFTP. Interested in
  word recognition of LPC digitized voice data. Planning to package
  a synthesiser, an analyzer, and a pitch tracker on one board.

ISI

  Using TOPS20 (code in BLISS10), and starting to use PERQ (code in
  Pascal), RAPICOM 450 for fax.  Main interest is in the data
  structuring and message transport protocols.

MIT

  Using Apollos, will program in MDL.  Use of Apollos still limited
  due to (1) MDL not completely implemented, (2) network interface
  not yet available (waiting on multibus  to then interface to
  Ethernet). Will get NEC CCITT fax machine. Looking into VAX+BBN
  BitGraph for future.  Main work to date in  design for sharing
  message data in a conceptualy centralized filing system.  Emphasis

Multi-Media Mail Meeting Notes 9 February 1982

  on efficient storage and manipulation of multirecipient messages,
  enclosures, citations, etc.

COMSAT

  Using small 11s, Rapicom 450 and 500 fax machines, also have some
  LPC vocoders.  Substantial work has been done on encoding and
  decoding both Rapicom 450 and CCITT T.4 fax data, and also on
  manipulation of bitmap data (See RFC 803).

BBN

  Using Jericho (code in Pascal). Will be building a prototype
  system with the aim of investigating problems of data distribution
  and privacy.  Trying to produce portable software currently in
  Pascal but may switch to ADA in the distant future.  Have IP and
  CFTP running, working on TCP. CFTP is a file transfer built
  directly on IP.

UCL

  Using LSI-11, Rapicom 450 fax machine, Grinell bitmap display.
  May get PERQs (produced by ICL) in future.  Have done quite a lot
  of work on encoding/decoding for the Rapicom 450, and in bitmap
  manipulations (e.g., cleanup of noise, scaling, cut and paste).
  Interests in the relation of other types of display protocols to
  multimedia effort e.g., VIDEOTEXT and TELETEXT.

SRI

  There are three multimedia mail projects at SRI,sponsored by DCEC,
  ARPA, and NAVELEX.  SRI is a subcontractor (with Sytek and DTI) to
  SDC in the DCEC program to produce protocol specifications for the
  DoD.  SRI has written service specifications for a mail system
  similar to RFC759+767 with security features added.  The ARPA
  project is studying the issues involved in a multimedia mail
  architecture based on RFC759+767, including negotiations,
  envelopes, and multilevel security.  The NAVELEX project is
  investigating user interfaces for command and control
  workstations, including natural language access to a data base.
  The plan is to use RFC759+767 data structures to communicate text
  and graphics, implemented on Foonly F-5s running Tenex with
  Foo-Vision displays.  The current choice for the graphics protocol
  is Bisbey's GL2.

Multi-Media Mail Meeting Notes 9 February 1982

Discussion:

Coding/Decoding Algorithm:

  We agree to use the encoding specified in the CCITT T.4
  recommendation for the exchange of black and white bitmap data.

New Equipment:

  It is reported that soon NEC will have CCITT T.4 Group 3 Fax
  machines for about $15K.

NBS Mail Standard:

  The possibility that the NBS Mail Format Standard is a workable
  alternative to the RFC759+767 protocol is to be studied.  What is
  the relationship between these standards?  Do we have comment on
  the NBS Standard to submit to NBS?

Equipment Variations:

  What happens if the receiver does not have equipment capable of
  protraying some of the data (e.g., dosen't have a  LPC vocoder)?
  There are three subtopics:  How many "standard" forms are
  allowed?, What do you tell the user if you can't do it?, and How
  does the cost of a medium (in memory or cpu cycles or portrayal
  time) effect its use? The general feeling was that if there is
  some type of data the receiving system can't portray, it should
  simply tell the user "There is some data here I can't portray and
  it's type is x.". The other aspects are items for further study.

Negotiation:

  Does negotiation make sense in a mail system?  What are the kinds
  of things to be negotiated?  One possiblity is to initially send
  only pointers to the sections of a message, and have the recipient
  system ask for the parts it can handle.  Does this make sense in a
  message relaying environment?  Or for messsages with a fine scale
  interleaving of media types?  This topic is for further study.

Enclosures, Pointers, Cross References:

  This seems too complex to handle at this meeting, so for now send
  the whole thing.  This is an item for further study.

Editing Multimedia Objects:

  This is one of the most interesting parts of these research

Multi-Media Mail Meeting Notes 9 February 1982

  projects, so each group will develop their own techniques, and we
  will compare notes.

Manipulation of Bitmaps:

  The issues involve aspect ratios, cut and paste, rotation  and,
  scaling. We need to compare notes and exchange algorithms.  An
  item for further study.

Mailbox IDs and Control Information:

  With different types of source hosts and destination host
  (timsharing systems, personal computers) and different types of
  mail delivery schemes (append to file, query database server), do
  we have sufficient control mechanisms and addressing modes?  This
  is an item for further study.

Storage and Transmission:

  How do the requirements for memory, disk, cpu, and transmission
  capacity differ for multimedia mail from text mail? This is an
  item for further study.

Multimedia Virtual Message Format:

  It is not clear that this is anything different than what is
  specified by RFC759+767, but since it was not fully discussed it
  is an item for further study.

Media Specific Protocols:

  Specific format definitions are needed for each media.  This is an
  item for further study.

Interfaces to Other Systems:

  How do we interface this multimeda system to opther systems (e.g.,
  TELETEXT, VIDEOTEXT), and to text only mail systems (e.g.,
  ARPAMAIL, TELEMAIL, ONTYM).  This is an item for further study.

An Experiment:

BITMAP-TEXT DOCUMENT EXCHANGE

  Move the data between computers as a file, using any file transfer
  method available.

  The File is a complete RFC 759 Document.

Multi-Media Mail Meeting Notes 9 February 1982

  Bitmap data is in revised COMSAT Image Data Format.

     Two compression types are to be used:

        Raw Bitmap

        CCITT Algorithm

  Text data is in RFC767 Paragraph Format.

Action Items:

Start a New Note Series

  For the exchange of protocols, formats, algorithms, procedures,
  and other information between the multiamedia mail projects.

  By: Jon Postel

  Due: 1-Feb-82

Update RFCs 759 & 767

  To remove typos and clairfy ambiguities.

  By: Jon Postel

  Due: 1-Feb-82

Update "Image Data Structure" Memo

  To be more generally for bitmaps and not so focused on fax only.

  By: Anil Agarwal

  Due: 1-Feb-82

Compare and Contrast NBS Mail Standard with RFC 759+767 Protocol

  Would the NBS Mail Standard be an adaquate alternative to the RFC
  759+767 approach?

  By: each site

  Due: Unspecified

Multi-Media Mail Meeting Notes 9 February 1982

Issue the NBS Mail Standard as an RFC

  To aid in wide consideration of it. (Where does the online file
  come from?)

  By: Jon Postel

  Due: Unspecified

Report on the differences between the NBS Mail Standard and other things.

  What are the differences between the NBS standard and the
  RFC759+767 protocol?, the IFIP plans?, the CCITT plans?, and the
  ISO plans?

  By: Debbie Deustch

  Due: Unspecified

Demonstrate FAX-TEXT Document Exchange

  This demonstration is to be ready before and repeated at the User
  Interface Meeting at CMU.

  By: all sites

  Due: 19-20 April 82

Attendees:

Duane A. Adams DARPA/IPTO Adams@ISI (202) 694-8096 Vint Cerf DARPA/IPTO Cerf@ISI (202) 694-3049 Harry Forsdick BBN Forsdick@BBN (617) 497-3638 Bob Thomas BBN BThomas@BBND (617) 497-3483 Gene Ball CMU Ball@CMUA (412) 578-2569 Anil Agarwal COMSAT Agarwal@ISID (301) 863-6103 David L. Mills COMSAT Mills@ISID (202) 863-6092 Dave Lebling MIT PDL@MIT-XX (617) 253-1440 Jon Postel ISI Postel@ISIF (213) 822-1511 Greg Finn ISI Finn@ISIF (213) 822-1511 Alan Katz ISI Katz@ISIF (213) 822-1511 Carl Sunshine ISI Sunshine@ISIF (213) 822-1511 David Elliott SRI wde@SRI-KL (415) 859-4107 Andy Poggio SRI Poggio@SRI-Unix (415) 859 5094 Zaw-Sing Su SRI ZSu@SRI-Unix (415) 859-4576 Steve Kille UCL UCL-Netwiz@ISIE (uk) (01)387-7050 Peter Kirstein UCL PKirstein@ISIA (uk) (01)387-7050 Bill Tuck UCL UKSAT@ISIE (uk) (01)387-7050