What does the acronym "SDP" stand for in SIP?

The acronym "SDP" stands for Session Description Protocol. This protocol is critical in the context of SIP (Session Initiation Protocol), as it is used to describe multimedia communication sessions in a format that can be read by both humans and machines. SDP contains essential information about the media types that will be used in the session, such as codecs, formats, network information, and timing details, thereby enabling participants in a SIP-based session to understand how to connect and interact with each other properly.

Session Description Protocol plays a vital role in session establishment, as SIP messages often include SDP payloads to convey the parameters of the communication. This ensures that all parties involved have the necessary information to join the session with the correct configurations for their media streams. Without SDP, the signaling provided by SIP would lack the necessary details for effective communication, making it an integral component of voice and video over IP discussions.