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Techtarget TCPIP

TCP/IP is a suite of communication protocols used to connect devices on the internet and private networks. It includes protocols like IP, TCP, UDP, and HTTP. TCP/IP works using a client-server model and is classified as stateless, though TCP provides stateful connections. It functions through four layers - physical, network, transport, and application - with specific protocols at each layer to transfer and assemble data packets from clients to servers. Common uses of TCP/IP include email, web browsing, file transfer, and remote access across networked devices.

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130 views

Techtarget TCPIP

TCP/IP is a suite of communication protocols used to connect devices on the internet and private networks. It includes protocols like IP, TCP, UDP, and HTTP. TCP/IP works using a client-server model and is classified as stateless, though TCP provides stateful connections. It functions through four layers - physical, network, transport, and application - with specific protocols at each layer to transfer and assemble data packets from clients to servers. Common uses of TCP/IP include email, web browsing, file transfer, and remote access across networked devices.

Uploaded by

yash
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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TCP/IP

techtarget.com/searchnetworking/definition/TCP-IP

What is TCP/IP?

TCP/IP stands for Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol and is a suite of


communication protocols used to interconnect network devices on the internet. TCP/IP is
also used as a communications protocol in a private computer network (an intranet or
extranet).

The entire IP suite -- a set of rules and procedures -- is commonly referred to as TCP/IP.
TCP and IP are the two main protocols, though others are included in the suite. The
TCP/IP protocol suite functions as an abstraction layer between internet applications and
the routing and switching fabric.

TCP/IP specifies how data is exchanged over the internet by providing end-to-end
communications that identify how it should be broken into packets, addressed,
transmitted, routed and received at the destination. TCP/IP requires little central
management and is designed to make networks reliable with the ability to recover
automatically from the failure of any device on the network.

The two main protocols in the IP suite serve specific functions. TCP defines how
applications can create channels of communication across a network. It also manages how
a message is assembled into smaller packets before they are then transmitted over the
internet and reassembled in the right order at the destination address.

IP defines how to address and route each packet to make sure it reaches the right
destination. Each gateway computer on the network checks this IP address to determine
where to forward the message.

A subnet mask tells a computer, or other network device, what portion of the IP address is
used to represent the network and what part is used to represent hosts, or other
computers, on the network.

Network address translation (NAT) is the virtualization of IP addresses. NAT helps


improve security and decrease the number of IP addresses an organization needs.

Common TCP/IP protocols include the following:

Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) handles the communication between a


web server and a web browser.
HTTP Secure handles secure communication between a web server and a web
browser.
File Transfer Protocol handles transmission of files between computers.

How does TCP/IP work?

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TCP/IP uses the client-server model of communication in which a user or machine (a
client) is provided a service, like sending a webpage, by another computer (a server) in the
network.

Collectively, the TCP/IP suite of protocols is classified as stateless, which means each
client request is considered new because it is unrelated to previous requests. Being
stateless frees up network paths so they can be used continuously.

The transport layer itself, however, is stateful. It transmits a single message, and its
connection remains in place until all the packets in a message have been received and
reassembled at the destination.

The TCP/IP model differs slightly from the seven-layer Open Systems Interconnection
(OSI) networking model designed after it. The OSI reference model defines how
applications can communicate over a network.

The 4 layers of the TCP/IP model


TCP/IP functionality is divided into four layers, each of which includes specific protocols:

1. The application layer provides applications with standardized data exchange. Its
protocols include HTTP, FTP, Post Office Protocol 3, Simple Mail Transfer Protocol
and Simple Network Management Protocol. At the application layer, the payload is
the actual application data.
2. The transport layer is responsible for maintaining end-to-end communications
across the network. TCP handles communications between hosts and provides flow
control, multiplexing and reliability. The transport protocols include TCP and User
Datagram Protocol, which is sometimes used instead of TCP for special purposes.
3. The network layer, also called the internet layer, deals with packets and connects
independent networks to transport the packets across network boundaries. The
network layer protocols are IP and Internet Control Message Protocol, which is used
for error reporting.
4. The physical layer, also known as the network interface layer or data link layer,
consists of protocols that operate only on a link -- the network component that
interconnects nodes or hosts in the network. The protocols in this lowest layer
include Ethernet for local area networks and Address Resolution Protocol.

Uses of TCP/IP
TCP/IP can be used to provide remote login over the network for interactive file transfer
to deliver email, to deliver webpages over the network and to remotely access a server
host's file system. Most broadly, it is used to represent how information changes form as
it travels over a network from the concrete physical layer to the abstract application layer.
It details the basic protocols, or methods of communication, at each layer as information
passes through.

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