The present invention provides several methods and apparatuses for transmitting
multimedia data using streaming media protocols such as real-time transfer protocols
(RTP) and real-time streaming protocols (RTSP) in a computer network environment.
A request for RTP data is sent from the caching proxy server to the server. The
request may be for one specific type of data or multiple unrelated types of data.
The server responds to the request indicating its support for the requested data.
The caching proxy server determines whether to proceed or terminate the data transmission
process based on the response provided by the server. If it is determined to proceed
with the data transmission process, the caching proxy informs the server to send
the requested data. The server sends the requested data in a body of a RTP packet.
The RTP packet uses a RTP Meta-Info payload format, which includes a body and a
field header. The field header includes fields to identify the streaming media
data, and the field body includes the requested streaming media data.