TCP/IP protocols

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Protocols are sets of rules for message formats and procedures that allow machines and application programs to exchange information. These rules must be followed by each machine involved in the communication in order for the receiving host to be able to understand the message. The TCP/IP suite of protocols can be understood in terms of layers (or levels).

This figure depicts the layers of the TCP/IP protocol. From the top they are, Application Layer, Transport Layer, Network Layer, Network Interface Layer, and Hardware.

TCP/IP carefully defines how information moves from sender to receiver. First, application programs send messages or streams of data to one of the Internet Transport Layer Protocols, either the User Datagram Protocol (UDP) or the Transmission Control Protocol (TCP). These protocols receive the data from the application, divide it into smaller pieces called packets, add a destination address, and then pass the packets along to the next protocol layer, the Internet Network layer.

The Internet Network layer encloses the packet in an Internet Protocol (IP) datagram, puts in the datagram header and trailer, decides where to send the datagram (either directly to a destination or else to a gateway), and passes the datagram on to the Network Interface layer.

The Network Interface layer accepts IP datagrams and transmits them as frames over a specific network hardware, such as Ethernet or Token-Ring networks.

Figure 2. Movement of information from sender application to receiver host

This figure shows the flow of information down the TCP/IP protocol layers from the Sender to the Host.

Frames received by a host go through the protocol layers in reverse. Each layer strips off the corresponding header information, until the data is back at the application layer.

Figure 3. Movement of information from host to application

This figure shows the flow of information up the TCP/IP protocol layers from the Host to the Sender.

Frames are received by the Network Interface layer (in this case, an Ethernet adapter). The Network Interface layer strips off the Ethernet header, and sends the datagram up to the Network layer. In the Network layer, the Internet Protocol strips off the IP header and sends the packet up to the Transport layer. In the Transport layer, the TCP (in this case) strips off the TCP header and sends the data up to the Application layer.

Hosts on a network send and receive information simultaneously. Figure 4 more accurately represents a host as it communicates.

Figure 4. Host data transmissions and receptions

This figure shows data flowing both ways through the TCP/IP layers.