RTP Control Protocol: Difference between revisions

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{{short description|Sister protocol of the Real-time Transport Protocol that provides control information}}

{{distinguish|Real Time Streaming Protocol}}

{{Infobox networking protocol

| title = RTP Control Protocol

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| ports =

| rfcs = {{IETF RFC|3550|plainlink=yes}}

| hardware =

}}

{{distinguish|Real Time Streaming Protocol}}

{{short description|Sister protocol of the Real-time Transport Protocol that provides control information}}

The '''RTP Control Protocol''' ('''RTCP''') is a binary-encoded [[out-of-band signaling|out-of-band]] [[signaling protocol]] that functions alongside the [[Real-time Transport Protocol]] (RTP). Its basic functionality and packet structure is defined in RFC 3550. RTCP provides statistics and control information for an RTP session. It partners with RTP in the delivery and packaging of multimedia data but does not transport any media data itself.

The primary function of RTCP is to provide feedback on the [[quality of service]] (QoS) in media distribution by periodically sending statistics information such as transmitted [[Octet (computing)|octet]] and packet counts, [[packet loss]], [[packet delay variation]], and [[round-trip delay time]] to participants in a streaming multimedia session. An application may use this information to control quality of service parameters, perhaps by limiting flow, or using a different [[codec]].

{{Internet protocol suite|application=RTP Control Protocol}}

{{IPstack}}

== Protocol functions ==

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The Hierarchical Aggregation is used with [[Source-Specific Multicast]] where only a single source is allowed, i.e. [[IPTV]]. Another type of multicast could be [[Any-Source Multicast]] but it is not so suitable for large-scale applications with huge number of users.

{{asofas of|June 2007}}, only the most modern IPTV systems use Hierarchical aggregation.{{Citation needed|date=March 2009}}

=== Feedback Target ===