1.3 Overview
SSDP (as specified in [UPNPARCH1]) is used to detect Universal Plug and Play (as specified in [UPnP]) devices on a network. SSDP is maintained by the UPnP Forum and is published by the UPnP Implementers Corporation.
The SSDP: Networked Home Entertainment Devices (NHED) Extensions, also known as SSDPE, provide a mechanism for a control point to discover a device on the network without requiring the device to implement a complete SSDP stack. SSDP is simplified by removing the requirement for a description document (substituted with device-specific information in an Alternate Location (AL) header in each announcement) and by removing the need for a multicast listener (substituted with frequent periodic announcements).