o The TCP/IP model was developed prior to the OSI model.

o The TCP/IP model is not exactly similar to the OSI model.

o The TCP/IP model consists of five layers: the application layer, transport layer, network layer, data link

layer and physical layer.

o The first four layers provide physical standards, network interface, internetworking, and transport

functions that correspond to the first four layers of the OSI model and these four layers are

represented in TCP/IP model by a single layer called the application layer.

o TCP/IP is a hierarchical protocol made up of interactive modules, and each of them provides specific

functionality.

Here, hierarchical means that each upper-layer protocol is supported by two or more lower-level protocols.

Physical Layer
It is a group of applications requiring network communications. This layer is responsible for generating the
data and requesting connections. It acts on behalf of the sender and the Network Access layer on the behalf of
the receiver.

2. Data Link Layer

The packet’s network protocol type, in this case, TCP/IP, is identified by the data-link layer. Error prevention
and “framing” are also provided by the data-link layer. Point-to-Point Protocol (PPP) framing and Ethernet IEEE
802.2 framing are two examples of data-link layer protocols.

3. Internet Layer
This layer parallels the functions of OSI’s Network layer. It defines the protocols which are responsible for the
logical transmission of data over the entire network. The main protocols residing at this layer are as follows:
  IP: IP stands for Internet Protocol and it is responsible for delivering packets from the source host to
the destination host by looking at the IP addresses in the packet headers. IP has 2 versions: IPv4
and IPv6. IPv4 is the one that most websites are using currently. But IPv6 is growing as the number
of IPv4 addresses is limited in number when compared to the number of users.

 ICMP: ICMP stands for Internet Control Message Protocol. It is encapsulated within IP datagrams and
is responsible for providing hosts with information about network problems.

 ARP: ARP stands for Address Resolution Protocol. Its job is to find the hardware address of a host
from a known IP address. ARP has several types: Reverse ARP, Proxy ARP, Gratuitous ARP, and
Inverse ARP.

The Internet Layer is a layer in the Internet Protocol (IP) suite, which is the set of protocols that define the
Internet. The Internet Layer is responsible for routing packets of data from one device to another across a
network. It does this by assigning each device a unique IP address, which is used to identify the device and
determine the route that packets should take to reach it.

Example: Imagine that you are using a computer to send an email to a friend. When you click “send,” the email
is broken down into smaller packets of data, which are then sent to the Internet Layer for routing. The Internet
Layer assigns an IP address to each packet and uses routing tables to determine the best route for the packet
to take to reach its destination. The packet is then forwarded to the next hop on its route until it reaches its
destination. When all of the packets have been delivered, your friend’s computer can reassemble them into
the original email message.

In this example, the Internet Layer plays a crucial role in delivering the email from your computer to your
friend’s computer. 

4. Transport Layer
The TCP/IP transport layer protocols exchange data receipt acknowledgments and retransmit missing packets
to ensure that packets arrive in order and without error. End-to-end communication is referred to as such.
Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) and User Datagram Protocol are transport layer protocols at this level
(UDP).

 TCP: Applications can interact with one another using TCP as though they were physically connected
by a circuit. TCP transmits data in a way that resembles character-by-character transmission rather
than separate packets. A starting point that establishes the connection, the whole transmission in
byte order, and an ending point that closes the connection make up this transmission.

 UDP: The datagram delivery service is provided by UDP, the other transport layer protocol.
Connections between receiving and sending hosts are not verified by UDP. Applications that
transport little amounts of data use UDP rather than TCP because it eliminates the processes of
establishing and validating connections.

5. Application Layer
This layer is analogous to the transport layer of the OSI model. It is responsible for end-to-end communication
and error-free delivery of data. It shields the upper-layer applications from the complexities of data. The three
main protocols present in this layer are:

 HTTP and HTTPS: HTTP stands for Hypertext transfer protocol. It is used by the World Wide Web to
manage communications between web browsers and servers. HTTPS stands for HTTP-Secure. It is a
combination of HTTP with SSL(Secure Socket Layer). It is efficient in cases where the browser needs
to fill out forms, sign in, authenticate, and carry out bank transactions.
  SSH: SSH stands for Secure Shell. It is a terminal emulations software similar to Telnet. The reason SSH
is preferred is because of its ability to maintain the encrypted connection. It sets up a secure
session over a TCP/IP connection.

 NTP: NTP stands for Network Time Protocol. It is used to synchronize the clocks on our computer to
one standard time source. It is very useful in situations like bank transactions. Assume the
following situation without the presence of NTP. Suppose you carry out a transaction, where your
computer reads the time at 2:30 PM while the server records it at 2:28 PM. The server can crash
very badly if it’s out of sync.

The host-to-host layer is a layer in the OSI (Open Systems Interconnection) model that is responsible for
providing communication between hosts (computers or other devices) on a network. It is also known as the
transport layer.

Other Common Internet Protocols

TCP/IP Model covers many Internet Protocols. The main rule of these Internet Protocols is how the data is
validated and sent over the Internet. Some Common Internet Protocols include:

 HTTP (Hypertext Transfer Protocol): HTTP takes care of Web Browsers and Websites. 

 FTP (File Transfer Protocol): FTP takes care of how the file is to be sent over the Internet.

 SMTP (Simple Mail Transfer Protocol): SMTP is used to send and receive data.

Difference  between TCP/IP and OSI Model

TCP/IP OSI Model

The full form of TCP/IP is The full form of OSI is

Transmission Control Open Systems
Protocol/ Internet
 Protocol. Interconnection.

It is a communication It is a structured model

protocol that is based on which deals which the
standard protocols and functioning of a network.
allows the connection of
hosts over a network.

In 1982, the TCP/IP model In 1984, the OSI model

became the standard was introduced by the
language of ARPANET. International Organisation
of Standardization (ISO).

It comprises of four It comprises seven layers:

layers:
 Physical
 Network  Data Link
Interface
 Network
 Internet 
 Transport
 Transport 
 Session
 Application
 Presentation
 Application

It follows a horizontal It follows a vertical

approach. approach.

The TCP/IP is the An OSI Model is a

implementation of the reference model, based
OSI Model. on which a network is
created.

It is protocol dependent. It is protocol

independent.

Similarities between the TCP/IP and OSI models

 Both the models are based upon layered structuring.

 In both models, data are mainly used to convert raw data into packets and help them reach their
destination node. 
 In both models, protocols are defined in a layer-wise manner.
 The layers in the models are compared with each other. The physical layer and the data link layer of
the OSI model correspond to the link layer of the TCP/IP model.
 The session layer, the presentation layer and the application layer of the OSI model together form the
application layer of the TCP/IP model.
 The network layers and the transport layers are the same in both models.