T.120 is a suite of
point-to-multipoint
In telecommunications, point-to-multipoint communication (P2MP, PTMP or PMP) is communication which is accomplished via a distinct type of One-to-many (data model), one-to-many connection, providing multiple paths from a single location to mult ...
communication protocol
A communication protocol is a system of rules that allows two or more entities of a communications system to transmit information via any variation of a physical quantity. The protocol defines the rules, syntax, semantics (computer science), sem ...
s for
teleconferencing
A teleconference or telecon is a live exchange of information among several people remote from one another but linked by a communications system. Terms such as audio conferencing, telephone conferencing, and phone conferencing are also sometime ...
,
videoconferencing
Videotelephony (also known as videoconferencing or video calling) is the use of audio signal, audio and video for simultaneous two-way communication. Today, videotelephony is widespread. There are many terms to refer to videotelephony. ''Vide ...
, and
computer-supported collaboration
Computer-supported collaboration research focuses on technology that affects groups, organizations, communities and societies, e.g., voice mail and text chat. It grew from cooperative work study of supporting people's work activities and working r ...
.
It provides for
application sharing
Application sharing is an element of remote access, falling under the collaborative software umbrella, that enables two or more users to access a shared application or document from their respective computers simultaneously in real time. Generally ...
,
online chat
Online chat is any direct text-, audio- or video-based (webcams), one-on-one or one-to-many ( group) chat (formally also known as synchronous conferencing), using tools such as instant messengers, Internet Relay Chat (IRC), talkers and possi ...
,
file sharing
File sharing is the practice of distributing or providing access to digital media, such as computer programs, multimedia (audio, images and video), documents or electronic books. Common methods of storage, transmission and dispersion include ...
, and other functions. The protocols are standardised by the
ITU Telecommunication Standardization Sector
The International Telecommunication Union Telecommunication Standardization Sector (ITU-T) is one of the three Sectors (branches) of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU). It is responsible for coordinating Standardization, standards fo ...
(ITU-T).
T.120 has been implemented in various real-time collaboration programmes, including
WebEx
Webex by Cisco, is an American subsidiary of Cisco Systems that develops and sells web conferencing, videoconferencing and contact center as a service applications. It was founded as WebEx Communications, Inc., in 1995 and acquired by Cisco Sy ...
and
NetMeeting
Microsoft NetMeeting is a discontinued VoIP and multi-point videoconferencing program offered by Microsoft. NetMeeting allows multiple clients to host and join a call that includes video and audio, text chat, application and desktop sharing, and f ...
.
switched from the T.120 protocols to
HTTP
HTTP (Hypertext Transfer Protocol) is an application layer protocol in the Internet protocol suite model for distributed, collaborative, hypermedia information systems. HTTP is the foundation of data communication for the World Wide Web, wher ...
(
S) in version 8.5.
The prefix ''T'' designates the ITU subcommittee that developed the standard, but it is not an abbreviation. The ITU (re)assigns these prefixes to committees incrementally and in alphabetic order.
The T.123 standard specifies that T.120 protocols use
network port
In computer networking, a port is a communication endpoint. At the software level within an operating system, a port is a logical construct that identifies a specific process or a type of network service. A port is uniquely identified by a numbe ...
1503 when communicating over
TCP/IP
The Internet protocol suite, commonly known as TCP/IP, is a framework for organizing the communication protocols used in the Internet and similar computer networks according to functional criteria. The foundational protocols in the suite are ...
.
Components
See also
References
External links
* {{official website, http://www.itu.int/rec/T-REC-T.120/en
ITU-T recommendations
ITU-T T Series Recommendations