What is a Protocol?

Protocol defines the language for the communication. It sets the spelling and the grammar of the language. Both ends of the communication channel should agree on these rules. Only then an effective and understanding conversation takes place. Like there are different languages used to communicate with each other, there are different protocols available.

The Internet uses Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) to link computers. TCP/IP is designed to link networks not just computers in the network, so each individual network can be managed separately. The TCP/IP protocol is arranged into four layers and they are:

• The Network Interface layer - Handles hardware-dependent function and presents a standardized interface to the internet layer. So you may need several network interfaces to communicate with different types of networks.

• The Internet layer - Moves information between source and destination through the network. The source and destination may be computers in different types of networks, on different continents.

• The Transport Layer - Provides end-to-end data delivery services for the TCP/IP. It looks after the assurance of delivery, the order in which the information is delivered, etc.

• The Application Layer - Includes different network applications like Telnet, FTP(File Transfer Protocol), SMTP(Simple Mail Transfer Protocol), HTTP(HyperText Transfer Protocol), Domain Name Service(DNS), simple Network Management Protocol(SNMP), etc.

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What is Internet?
What is WWW?
What is a Browser?
What are popular Browsers?
What is a Protocol?
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