What is the MSN Messenger Protocol?
The MSN Messenger protocol consists of a series of commands sent between the client and the server. For example, when someone on your contact list signs out, the server sends a message like this to your client: FLN example@hotmail.com. On receiving this, the client should mark that contact as offline. The MSN Messenger protocol has undergone several revisions over the years. Microsoft’s servers allow clients to use versions 8, 9, 12, 13, 14 & 15 of the protocol. Individual protocol versions are often written as ‘MSNP8’, ‘MSNP9’ and ‘MSNP12’, which stands for Microsoft Notification Protocol and is followed by the version number of the protocol. This site intends to fully document the MSN Messenger protocol and quirks of MSN Messenger servers so that third party software developers can write their own programs to interact with the network. The information on the protocol was gathered by reading the official IETF draft, reading various sources, analysing packets, analysing the official cl
