Protocols

The Protocols section provides detailed Open Specifications technical documents for certain protocols that are implemented in Windows client (including .NET Framework) and Windows Server (collectively published under Windows Protocols), Office, SharePoint Products and Technologies, Exchange Server, and Microsoft SQL Server and are used to communicate with other Microsoft software products.

Although the Open Specifications technical documents are freely available, many of them include patented inventions. Some of these patents are available at no charge under the Open Specifications Promise or the Microsoft Community Promise. The remaining patents are available through various licensing programs. For more information, please visit the Microsoft Open Specifications Dev Center website or send an email message to the IP Licensing Team.

Forums and Blogs

	Open Specifications Forums These user forums are available to answer technical questions about the Open Specifications documents
	Open Specifications Blogs These blogs, authored by the engineers who support the Open Specifications documents, provide a different venue for further discussion of those documents.

Explore the Protocols Documentation

• Windows Protocols

• Office Protocols

• SharePoint Products and Technologies Protocols

• Exchange Server Protocols

• Microsoft SQL Server Protocols

Downloads	Related Sections	Sites
Windows Protocols .zip file (500+ MB) Microsoft Office Protocols .zip file (80+ MB) SharePoint Products and Technologies Protocols .zip file (200+ MB) Exchange Server Protocols .zip file (120+ MB) Microsoft SQL Server Protocols .zip file (50+ MB)	Document Programs Computer Languages Standards Support Data Portability	Open Specifications Dev Center