TCP/IP Networking Protocols

The TCP/IP suite of protocols is the set of protocols used to communicate across the internet. It
is also widely used on many organizational networks due to its flexiblity and wide array of
functionality provided. Microsoft who had originally developed their own set of protocols now is
more widely using TCP/IP, at first for transport and now to support other services.

TCP/IP by Layer
Link Layer

 SLIP - Serial Line Internet Protocol. This protocol places data packets into data frames
in preparation for transport across network hardware media. This protocol is used for
sending data across serial lines. There is no error correction, addressing or packet
identification. There is no authentication or negotiation capabilities with SLIP. SLIP will
only support transport of IP packets.
 CSLIP - Compressed SLIP is essentially data compression of the SLIP protocol. It uses
Van Jacobson compression to drastically reduce the overhead of packet overhead. This
may also be used with PPP and called CPPP.
 PPP - Point to Point Protocol is a form of serial line data encapsulation that is an
improvement over SLIP which provides serial bi-directional communication. It is much
like SLIP but can support AppleTalk, IPX, TCP/IP, and NetBEUI along with TCP/IP
which is supported by SLIP. It can negociate connection parameters such as speed along
with the ability to support PAP and CHAP user authentication.
 Ethernet - Ethernet is not really called a protocol. There are also many types of ethernet.
The most common ethernet which is used to control the handling of data at the lowest
layer of the network model is 802.3 ethernet. 802.3 ethernet privides a means of
encapsulating data frames to be sent between computers. It specifies how network data
collisions are handled along with hardware addressing of network cards.

Network Layer

 ARP - Address Resolution Protocol enables the packaging of IP data into ethernet
packages. It is the system and messaging protocol that is used to find the ethernet
(hardware) address from a specific IP number. Without this protocol, the ethernet
package could not be generated from the IP package, because the ethernet address could
not be determined.
 IP - Internet Protocol. Except for ARP and RARP all protocols' data packets will be
packaged into an IP data packet. IP provides the mechanism to use software to address
and manage data packets being sent to computers.
 RARP - Reverse address resolution protocol is used to allow a computer without a local
permanent data storage media to determine its IP address from its ethernet address.
Transport Layer

 TCP - A reliable connection oriented protocol used to control the management of

application level services between computers. It is used for transport by some
applications.
 UDP - An unreliable connection less protocol used to control the management of
application level services between computers. It is used for transport by some
applications which must provide their own reliability.
 ICMP - Internet control message protocol (ICMP) provides management and error
reporting to help manage the process of sending data between computers. (Management).
This protocol is used to report connection status back to computers that are trying to
connect other computers. For example, it may report that a destination host is not
reachable.
 IGMP - Internet Group Management Protocol used to support multicasting. IGMP
messages are used by multicast routers to track group memberships on each of its
networks.

Application Layer

 FTP - File Transfer Protocol allows file transfer between two computers with login
required.
 TFTP - Trivial File Transfer Protocol allows file transfer between two computers with no
login required. It is limited, and is intended for diskless stations.
 NFS - Network File System is a protocol that allows UNIX and Linux systems remotely
mount each other's file systems.
 SNMP - Simple Network Management Protocol is used to manage all types of network
elements based on various data sent and received.
 SMTP - Simple Mail Transfer Protocol is used to transport mail. Simple Mail Transport
Protocol is used on the internet, it is not a transport layer protocol but is an application
layer protocol.
 HTTP - Hypertext Transfer Protocol is used to transport HTML pages from web servers
to web browsers. The protocol used to communicate between web servers and web
browser software clients.
 BOOTP - Bootstrap protocol is used to assign an IP address to diskless computers and
tell it what server and file to load which will provide it with an operating system.
 DHCP - Dynamic host configuration protocol is a method of assigning and controlling
the IP addresses of computers on a given network. It is a server based service that
automatically assigns IP numbers when a computer boots. This way the IP address of a
computer does not need to be assigned manually. This makes changing networks easier to
manage. DHCP can perform all the functions of BOOTP.
 BGP - Border Gateway Protocol. When two systems are using BGP, they establish a TCP
connection, then send each other their BGP routing tables. BGP uses distance vectoring.
It detects failures by sending periodic keep alive messages to its neighbors every 30
 seconds. It exchanges information about reachable networks with other BGP systems
including the full path of systems that are between them. Described by RFC 1267, 1268,
and 1497.
 EGP - Exterior Gateway Protocol is used between routers of different systems.
 IGP - Interior Gateway Protocol. The name used to describe the fact that each system on
the internet can choose its own routing protocol. RIP and OSPF are interior gateway
protocols.
 RIP - Routing Information Protocol is used to dynamically update router tables on
WANs or the internet. A distance-vector algorithm is used to calculate the best route for a
packet. RFC 1058, 1388 (RIP2).
 OSPF - Open Shortest Path First dynamic routing protocol. A link state protocol rather
than a distance vector protocol. It tests the status of its link to each of its neighbors and
sends the acquired information to them.
 POP3 - Post Office Protocol version 3 is used by clients to access an internet mail server
to get mail. It is not a transport layer protocol.
 IMAP4 - Internet Mail Access Protocol version 4 is the replacement for POP3.
 Telnet is used to remotely open a session on another computer. It relies on TCP for
transport and is defined by RFC854.

Bandwidth Control

 BAP - Bandwidth Allocation Protocol is a bandwidth control protocol for PPP

connections. It works with BACP.
 BACP - Bandwidth Allocation Control Protocol.

TCP/IP by Function
Packaging and Low Level

 IP - Internet Protocol. Except for ARP and RARP all protocols' data packets will be
packaged into an IP data packet. IP provides the mechanism to use software to address
and manage data packets being sent to computers.
 SLIP - Serial Line Internet Protocol. This protocol places data packets into data frames in
preparation for transport across network hardware media. This protocol is used for
sending data across serial lines. There is no error correction, addressing or packet
identification. There is no authentication or negotiation capabilities with SLIP. SLIP will
only support transport of IP packets.
 CSLIP - Compressed SLIP is essentially data compression of the SLIP protocol. It uses
Van Jacobson compression to drastically reduce the overhead of packet overhead. This
may also be used with PPP and called CPPP.
 PPP - Point to Point Protocol is a form of serial line data encapsulation that is an
improvement over SLIP which provides serial bi-directional communication. It is much
like SLIP but can support AppleTalk, IPX, TCP/IP, and NetBEUI along with TCP/IP
which is supported by SLIP. It can negociate connection parameters such as speed along
with the ability to support PAP and CHAP user authentication.
  Ethernet - Ethernet is not really called a protocol. There are also many types of ethernet.
The most common ethernet which is used to control the handling of data at the lowest
layer of the network model is 802.3 ethernet. 802.3 ethernet privides a means of
encapsulating data frames to be sent between computers. It specifies how network data
collisions are handled along with hardware addressing of network cards.

Transport and Basic Functions

 TCP - A reliable connection oriented protocol used to control the management of

application level services between computers. It is used for transport by some
applications.
 UDP - An unreliable connection less protocol used to control the management of
application level services between computers. It is used for transport by some
applications which must provide their own reliability.

Network Management

 SNMP - Simple Network Management Protocol is used to manage all types of network
elements based on various data sent and received.
 ICMP - Internet control message protocol provides management and error reporting to
help manage the process of sending data between computers. (Management). This
protocol is used to report connection status back to computers that are trying to connect
other computers. For example, it may report that a destination host is not reachable. This
protocol is required for basic TCP/IP operations.
 ARP - Address Resolution Protocol enables the packaging of IP data into ethernet
packages. It is the system and messaging protocol that is used to find the ethernet
(hardware) address from a specific IP number. Without this protocol, the ethernet
package could not be generated from the IP package, because the ethernet address could
not be determined. protocol is used to report connection status back to computers that are
trying to connect other computers. For example, it may report that a destination host is
not reachable. This protocol is required for basic TCP/IP operations.

Host Management

 BOOTP - Bootstrap protocol is used to assign an IP address to diskless computers and

tell it what server and file to load which will provide it with an operating system.
 DHCP - Dynamic host configuration protocol is a method of assigning and controlling
the IP addresses of computers on a given network. It is a server based service that
automatically assigns IP numbers when a computer boots. This way the IP address of a
computer does not need to be assigned manually. This makes changing networks easier to
manage. DHCP can perform all the functions of BOOTP.
 RARP - Reverse address resolution protocol is used to allow a computer without a local
permanent data storage media to determine its IP address from its ethernet address.

Mail Protocols
  SMTP - Simple Mail Transfer Protocol is used to transport mail. Simple Mail Transport
Protocol is used on the internet, it is not a transport layer protocol but is an application
layer protocol.
 POP3 - Post Office Protocol version 3 is used by clients to access an internet mail server
to get mail. It is not a transport layer protocol.
 IMAP4 - Internet Mail Access Protocol version 4 is the replacement for POP3.

Multicasting Protocols

 IGMP - Internet Group Management Protocol used to support multicasting. IGMP

messages are used by multicast routers to track group memberships on each of its
networks.

Routing Protocols

 BGP - Border Gateway Protocol. When two systems are using BGP, they establish a TCP
connection, then send each other their BGP routing tables. BGP uses distance vectoring.
It detects failures by sending periodic keep alive messages to its neighbors every 30
seconds. It exchanges information about reachable networks with other BGP systems
including the full path of systems that are between them. Described by RFC 1267, 1268,
and 1497
 EGP - Exterior Gateway Protocol is used between routers of different systems.
 IGP - Interior Gateway Protocol. The name used to describe the fact that each system on
the internet can choose its own routing protocol. RIP and OSPF are interior gateway
protocols.
 RIP - Routing Information Protocol is used to dynamically update router tables on
WANs or the internet.
 OSPF - Open Shortest Path First dynamic routing protocol. A link state protocol rather
than a distance vector protocol. It tests the status of its link to each of its neighbors and
sends the acquired information to them.
Before talking about Services, Interfaces and Protocols concepts, due to OSI Model, we could
define these words :

Service : it tells only what the layer does, and not how entities above it access it or how the
layer work.
Interfaces : it tells the processes above it how to access it, and specifies parameters and results.
Protocol : With this definition, the layer can characterize its own protocols, as many as he
wants, and change them without affecting software in higher layers.

So we can introduce main differences between from these concepts :

TCP/IP Model
OSI Model Reference
Reference
Service, interface and Protocols in the OSI model
protocol are not clearly are better hidden and can be
defined. For example, the replaced relatively easily as
Service, interface
only real services offered the technology changes,
and protocol
by the Internet layer are which is one of the main
- Send IP Packet objective of layered
- Receive IP Packet protocols.
Because models were In this case, the protocols
invented before protocols, have been invented before
Functionalities functionalities put in each models, so the
layer are not very functionalities are perfectly
optimized. described.
Seven layers, Network
Numbers of (Internet), Transport and
Only four layers.
layers Application layers being
similar to TCP/IP
Both connectionless and
Only one mode in the
connection-oriented
Connectionless/ network layer
communication are
Connection- (connectionless) but both
supported in the network
oriented modes in the transport layer
layer, but only connection-
communication are supported, giving the
oriented communication in
users a choice.
the transport layer.