NAME: AJIBODE ADEKUNLE AKINJOBI

STUDENT NUMBER: L20192E060109

PROGRAM: MASTER

SIMPLE MEANING AND BACKGROUND OF TCP/IP

TCP basically means Transmission Control Protocol and IP simply means Internet Protocol. These are the two terms which are basically network protocol that explain and defines the comprehensive details of how data is received and sent across network connection tools at different layers. These are two different tools that was designed and developed by United State Department of Defense for the sole of connecting government computer systems through a global network for the systems to communicate and access resources.

This department network that was designed then now opened up to research institutions and later to general public to create a universal network and cloud called Internet

THE FUNCTIONALITIES

The advent of this TCP/IP has superseded and conquers all other protocols that was invented before and after it. TCP/IP functions in four layers with their respective appropriate protocols.

The first one is DATA LINK LAYER which consists of methods and protocols that operate only on a link, which is the network component that interconnects nodes or hosts in the network. This data link layer is also referred to as Physical layer which includes Ethernet for LAN and Address Resolution Protocol.

The second one is INTERNET LAYER which is a layer that connects independent networks to transport the packet containing the data across network boundaries. This can also be called NETWORK LAYER and the protocols on this layer are IP (Internet Protocol), ICMP (Internet Control Message Protocol).

The third on is the TRANSPORT LAYER which handles communications between hosts, and also responsible for flow control, reliability and multiplexing. This protocol carries User Datagram Protocol (UDP) and Transmission Control Protocol (TCP)

The last layer that TCP/IP functions on is the APPLICATION LAYER which is a standardized data exchange for applications. This layer carries Hypertext Transfer Protocol, File Transfer Protocol, Post Office Protocol 3, Simple Mail Transfer Protocol and Simple Network Management Protocol.

HOW DOES TCP/IP WORK

One will be thinking and pondering that how does TCP/IP work on all the layers and still carries different protocols. TCP/IP is designed in such a way that each computer or network device has a unique "IP Address" and each address can open and communicate over up to 65535 different ports for sending and receiving data to or from any other network device. The IP Address uniquely identifies the computer or device on the network and a "Port Number" identifies a specific connection between one computer or device and another (i.e. between two IP Addresses). A TCP/IP "port" can be thought of as a private two-way communications line where the port number is used to identify a unique connection between two devices.

But unlike other ports in some electronic device, the TCP/IP protocol creates a "virtual IP port" and the network hardware and software is responsible for routing data in and out of each virtual IP port.