SPAR

SDP Parser is a conferencing utility that allows users to join multicast conference sessions using multimedia applications, such as RealPlayer and Marratech Pro. These applications can accept files containing session descriptions in SDP format which can be served from a web page, allowing users to join a conference using a registered SDP MIME type associated with the application.

Popular MBone applications, such as VIC, RAT, WB, and NTE, rely on the Session Directory Tool (SDR) to convert SDP into command line parameters. This means that web-based conference joining is not supported by these applications. However, SDP Parser offers a solution by accepting the SDP from the web browser, converting it to command line parameters at the client side, and starting the tools with the relevant parameters.

There are several possible ways to implement this solution, including a platform dependent binary running on the client machine with a MIME type for the SDP, a plug-in installed in the browser, or a Java applet with execution privileges. The Java applet was chosen because it doesn't require any installation or configuration by the user and is platform independent.