Odd internet "protocol" (pnm://www.....)

[David_Jones]

Hi All,

I have come across an unusual 'protocol' on a website.

The link is of this form:

pnm://www.domain.com/FileName.ram

The file is a training video that I needed to watch, and will probably want to re-view again in the future.

I am familiar with http:\\ (and https), ftp:\\, and even news:\\, but I have never seen this one before.

At first nothing worked, but them I installed Real Player (the .ram extension on the filename gave me that clue), and after that it worked.

However, when I tried to download the file from IE 6, I could not get it to do anything.

Does anyone know what this protocol is, and how can I download the file rather than having to pay for volume usage each time I want to re-view it? We are on a fixed monthly plan with $ / Mb after exceeding our quota which works fine for us most months, but if I (and others) keep watching the sames clips repeatedly it could get expensive!

Thanks,

David.

[Redo40]

PNM (Progressive Networks protocol) uses port 7070, this protocol allows for backward compatibility with a RealPlayer 5.0 and below client. PNM protocol allows access and server publishing when serving large or high-quality files. “HTTP is not quite as robust as PNM and HTTP is best suited for those serving smaller files or not insistent upon the absolute best sound quality.” This is what the company that designed this protocol and client claim I and many others have not been able to find a difference between the two PNM and HTTP protocols when it comes to streaming.

RTSP (Real Time Streaming Protocol) uses port 554 for fast access and port 80 for slower access as before with MMS, RTSP is designed specifically for clips created and read with RealSystem G2 tools. It is an open standard protocol that supports SureStream files as well as SMIL, RealText, and RealPix files, which allows RealPlayer G2 and QuickTime 4 client access and server publishing capabilities.
Protocol URL format
RTSP rtsp://domain/file.rm
PNM pnm://domain/file.rm
HTTP http://domain/ramgen/file.rm

[David_Jones]

Hi Roger,

Thanks for your quick response!

Is it possible to get IE to download a file using that protocol?

If not, is there any other way to do the same thing so that we can keep a local copy of the .ram file?

Thanks,

David.

[Redo40]

I have never downloaded one myself, but you should be able to. Maybe right click and select "save as". But, I feel like you would need real player to play it.

Sorry, I can't be any more help, maybe someone else has had experience with this type of file.

[David_Jones]

Hi,

I tried that method, but IE gives an error message (see attached file).

Any other ideas anyone?

Thanks,

David.