What is Bonjour

Zero-configuration networking allows automatic discovery of technological devices such as computers, printers, and other services on IP networks by using industry standards IP protocols. In simple terms, that is Bonjour service for you, Apple devotees. It is with the help of these protocols that Bonjour enables automatic discovery of devices without the need to enter IP addresses or even configure DNS servers. When talking about the compatibility of Bonjour software, it would be amazing to know that this software comes built-in with Apple's MAC OS X operating system, as well as iOS for Apple's darlings iPhone, iPod Touch, iTunes, and not to forget, the Apple iPad. Not only on Mac OS, but this software runs on Microsoft windows operating systems, if you install the software Bonjour for windows. Is Bonjour service necessary at all? What all is this software capable of? Let's answer all questions in the following section.

Bonjour Software: An Overview

Providing a general approach to discover services on LAN, Bonjour is extensively brought into use through Mac OS X, for it enables users to set up a network with no need for any configuration. For now, Bonjour is most extensively used for locating printers and servers that allow file sharing. For Apple iTunes and iPhoto, this software is no less than a bliss! One can easily find shared photos, iChat, Skype, Adobe systems, and many other software, just to share local recordings with multitudinous clients. And you were unnecessarily wondering, is Bonjour needed for iTunes and iPhoto, really?

Bonjour software defines an entirely new protocol for discovering services, and supports every application protocol layered on top of TCP/IP or UDP/IP. Bonjour works within a single broadcast domain or a small area without any special Domain Name System (DNS) configuration. The developers of Apple computers have put forth source code for the Bonjour multi-cast DNS responder in order to build the responder daemon for a rather wide range of platforms that include Mac OS 9, OS X, Linux, Windows, and many more. Not many people are aware of the capabilities of Bonjour software. To start with, Bonjour, with an attractively patterned protocol, is not only used to discover information, but also the timely changes that the information undergoes. Static, variable, and changed information is what Bonjour discovers, by notifying all the clients that are present on the local network about the change. As an instance, you could consider iChat, wherein, when a person changes his status from Available to Offline, Bonjour notifies all the clients present on the local computer network about the person's status.

In case of printers, the Bonjour Print Service allows discovery and configuration of Bonjour-enabled printers with the help of Bonjour Printer Wizard. This service works with network printers either over Wi-Fi or the Ethernet. If not Wi-Fi, the Bonjour Print Service also works with USB printers that are shared via Mac or an AirPort base station.

As for non-technical users, Bonjour is really not needed, as it is just beneficial for companies for their software to check for necessary updates. However, it could prove to be a useful technology that gets computer operating systems and devices work together in connectivity. Both the computer as well as the devices with Bonjour broadcast their services, thereby, offering their usage to others too. Even if you do not own a printer, your computer might just see a printer that is available for printing. On the other hand, you could just fetch an all new iTunes playlist to listen to, or do video-conferencing with a friend using iChat. Working with the most prominent connection technologies as mentioned above, bringing use of the standard IP networking protocols for its connections, rendering ease in file sharing... you asked what is Bonjour capable of. You now know all of it.