Communication Protocols - Tcp/ip

TCP/IP

There are scores of different communication protocols. Those that work behind the scenes as people engage in e-commerce are used on the Internet—a network of many computer networks, that includes millions of different computer systems. In order for networks to share data, the Internet relies on a collection of protocols often referred to as the TCP/IP model. Short for Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol, there are many different TCP/IP protocols. Roughly 30 of them are among the most widely used and important protocols on the Internet. They are used when information is transmitted between a host computer (one containing information) and the remote users who obtain information from them. The TCP/IP model can be compared to the OSI model. However, beyond physical networks, it relies upon only four layers to send and receive information (the data link, network, transport, and application layers).

Among the most recognizable TCP/IP protocols are Hypertext Markup Language (HTML), used for creating documents that can be linked together with hypertext; Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP), used by computers to transfer hypertext documents and other chunks of information over the Internet; Domain Name System (DNS), which ties the name of computers or networks to specific addresses; File Transfer Protocol (FTP), used for transferring files between computer systems; Point-to-Point Protocol (PPP), which allows a host computer to link directly with a network; and World Wide Web (WWW), which allows users to graphically view a system of hypertext documents, or Web pages.