A computer-implemented method for negotiating the communication of groups of parameters between a server and a client includes sending a first request for a parameter negotiating session from the client to the server using HTTP, specifying the client's desired session timeout for the session in the first request, receiving at the client an XML-formatted message sent from the server via HTTP specifying whether the server is able to support the requested session, and sending from the client a second request with an XML-formatted message via HTTP for a group of parameters desired from the server, wherein the second message includes the client's desired destination address, the client's desired update period for receiving updated parameter data, identification of a UDP port of the client for receipt of updated parameter data from the server in a UDP datagram, and identifiers of parameters desired by the client.