MIME Encapsulation of Aggregate Documents, such as HTML (MHTML) (RFC2557)
Original Publication Date: 1999-Mar-01
Included in the Prior Art Database: 2000-Sep-13
Publishing Venue
Internet Society Requests For Comment (RFCs)
Related People
J. Palme: AUTHOR [+2]
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.
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.
While initially designed to support e-mail transfer of complete
multi-resource HTML multimedia documents, these conventions can also
be employed to resources retrieved by other transfer protocols such
as HTTP and FTP to retrieve a complete multi-resource HTML multimedia
document in a single transfer or for storage and archiving of
complete HTML-docum...