1 Introduction

The Offline Address Book (OAB) Retrieval File Format enables a client to retrieve an address book from the server for local storage when the server is offline. A server can represent properties of known recipients and make them available in an address book to its clients. When the client cannot reach the server because the server is offline or there is a high network cost to access it, the client can use the OAB retrieval file format to keep a local copy of the address book. The offline address book (OAB) version 4 Web-based retrieval mechanism is a way of delivering an offline address book from the server to the client.

As part of OAB Web distribution, the server publishes an OAB manifest document. The format of that manifest is detailed in this document.

Sections 1.5, 1.8, 1.9, 2, and 3 of this specification are normative. All other sections and examples in this specification are informative.