The Benefits of Using a Layered Model

The benefits to using a layered model to describe network protocols and operations include: Assisting in protocol design because protocols that operate at a specific layer have defined information that they act upon and a defined interface to the layers above and below. Fostering competition because products from different vendors can work together. Preventing technology or capability changes in one layer from affecting other layers above and below. Providing a common language to describe networking functions and capabilities. As shown in the figure, the TCP/IP model and the Open Systems Interconnection...

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Electronics and Communications Standard Organizations

Other standard organizations have responsibilities for promoting and creating the electronic and communication standards used to deliver the IP packets as electronic signals over a wired or wireless medium. Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE, pronounced “I-triple-E”) – Organization of electrical engineering and electronics dedicated to advancing technological innovation and creating standards in a wide area of industries including power and energy, healthcare, telecommunications, and networking. Figure 1 shows several of the standards related to networking. ...

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Open Standards

Open standards encourage interoperability, competition, and innovation. They also guarantee that no single company’s product can monopolize the market, or have an unfair advantage over its competition. A good example of this is when purchasing a wireless router for the home. There are many different choices available from a variety of vendors, all of which incorporate standard protocols such as IPv4, DHCP, 802.3 (Ethernet), and 802.11 (Wireless LAN). These open standards also allow a client running Apple’s OS X operating system to download a web page from a web server running the Linux operating system....

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TCP/IP Communication Process

Figures 1 and 2 demonstrate the complete communication process using an example of a web server transmitting data to a client. This process and these protocols will be covered in more detail in later chapters. Click the Play button to view the animated demonstrations: 1. In Figure 1, the animation begins with the web server preparing the Hypertext Markup Language (HTML) page as data to be sent. 2. The application protocol HTTP header is added to the front of the HTML data. The header contains various information, including the HTTP version the server is using and a...

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Protocol Suites and Industry Standards

A protocol suite is a set of protocols that work together to provide comprehensive network communication services. A protocol suite may be specified by a standards organization or developed by a vendor. Protocol suites, like the four shown in the figure, can be a bit overwhelming. However, this course will only cover the protocols of the TCP/IP protocol suite. The TCP/IP protocol suite is an open standard, meaning these protocols are freely available to the public, and any vendor is able to implement these protocols on their hardware or in their software. A standards-based protocol...

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Network Protocols

At the human level, some communication rules are formal and others are simply understood based on custom and practice. For devices to successfully communicate, a network protocol suite must describe precise requirements and interactions. Networking protocols define a common format and set of rules for exchanging messages between devices. Some common networking protocols are Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP), Transmission Control Protocol (TCP), and Internet Protocol (IP). Note: IP in this course refers to both the IPv4 and IPv6 protocols. IPv6 is the most recent version of IP and the replacement...

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Message Delivery Options

A message can be delivered in different ways, as shown in Figure 1. Sometimes, a person wants to communicate information to a single individual. At other times, the person may need to send information to a group of people at the same time, or even to all people in the same area. There are also times when the sender of a message needs to be sure that the message is delivered successfully to the destination. In these cases, it is necessary for the recipient to return an acknowledgment to the sender. If no acknowledgment is required, the delivery option is referred to as unacknowledged. ...

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