What is the TCP/IP Model?

TCP/IP Model helps you to determine how a specific computer should be

connected to the internet and how data should be transmitted between them.
It helps you to create a virtual network when multiple computer networks are
connected together.
The purpose of TCP/IP model is to allow communication over large distances.

TCP/IP stands for Transmission Control Protocol/ Internet Protocol. TCP/IP Stack
is specifically designed as a model to offer highly reliable and end-to-end byte
stream over an unreliable internetwork.
Four Layers of TCP/IP model

Figure: TCP/IP Conceptual Layers

The functionality of the TCP IP model is divided into four layers, and each includes
specific protocols.
TCP/IP is a layered server architecture system in which each layer is defined according to
a specific function to perform.
All these four TCP IP layers work collaboratively to transmit the data from one layer to
another i.e.
 Application Layer
 Transport Layer
 Internet Layer
 Network Interface
 Application Layer
Application layer interacts with an application program, which is the highest
level of OSI model.
The application layer is the OSI layer, which is closest to the end-user.
It means the OSI application layer allows users to interact with other
software application.

Application layer interacts with software applications to implement a

communicating component.

Example of the application layer is an application such as file transfer, email,

remote login, etc.
The function of the Application Layers are:

 Application-layer helps you to identify communication partners, determining

resource availability, and synchronizing communication.

 It allows users to log on to a remote host

 This layer provides various e-mail services

 This application offers distributed database sources and access for global

information about various objects and services.

 Transport Layer
 Transport layer builds on the network layer in order to provide data transport
from a process on a source system machine to a process on a destination
system. It is hosted using single or multiple networks, and also maintains the
quality of service functions.
 It determines how much data should be sent where and at what rate. This
layer builds on the message which are received from the application layer. It
helps ensure that data units are delivered error-free and in sequence.
 Transport layer helps you to control the reliability of a link through flow
control, error control, and segmentation or de-segmentation.
 The transport layer also offers an acknowledgment of the successful data
transmission and sends the next data in case no errors occurred. TCP is the
best-known example of the transport layer.
 Functions of Transport Layers:

 It divides the message received from the session layer into segments and

numbers them to make a sequence.

 Transport layer makes sure that the message is delivered to the correct process

on the destination machine.

 It also makes sure that the entire message arrives without any error else it should

be retransmitted.
Internet Layer
 An internet layer is a second layer of TCP/IP layers of the TCP/IP model. It is also
known as a network layer. The main work of this layer is to send the packets from
any network, and any computer still they reach the destination irrespective of the
route they take.
 The Internet layer offers the functional and procedural method for transferring
variable length data sequences from one node to another with the help of various
networks.
 Message delivery at the network layer does not give any guaranteed to be reliable
network layer protocol.
 The Network Interface Layer

 Network Interface Layer is this layer of the four-layer TCP/IP model. This layer is

also called a network access layer. It helps you to defines details of how data

should be sent using the network.

 It also includes how bits should optically be signaled by hardware devices which

directly interfaces with a network medium, like coaxial, optical, coaxial, fiber, or

twisted-pair cables.

 A network layer is a combination of the data line and defined in the article of OSI

reference model.

 This layer is responsible for the transmission of the data between two devices on

the same network.

Summary of TCP/IP model
Differences between OSI and TCP/IP models
 Table 1: Differences between OSI and TCP/IP models

OSI Model TCP/IP model

It is developed by ARPANET (Advanced Research Project
It is developed by ISO (International Standard Organization)
Agency Network).
OSI model provides a clear distinction between interfaces, TCP/IP doesn’t have any clear distinguishing points between
services, and protocols. services, interfaces, and protocols.
OSI refers to Open Systems Interconnection. TCP refers to Transmission Control Protocol.
OSI uses the network layer to define routing standards and
TCP/IP uses only the Internet layer.
protocols.
OSI follows a vertical approach. TCP/IP follows a horizontal approach.
OSI model use two separate layers physical and data link to
TCP/IP uses only one layer (link).
define the functionality of the bottom layers.
OSI layers have seven layers. TCP/IP has four layers.
A layer of the TCP/IP model is both connection-oriented and
OSI model, the transport layer is only connection-oriented.
connectionless.
In the OSI model, the data link layer and physical are In TCP, physical and data link are both combined as a single host-
separate layers. to-network layer.
Session and presentation layers are not a part of the TCP
There is no session and presentation layer in TCP model.
model.
It is defined after the advent of the Internet. It is defined before the advent of the internet.
The minimum size of the OSI header is 5 bytes. Minimum header size is 20 bytes.
Most Common TCP/IP Protocols
Some widely used most common TCP/IP protocol are:
 TCP: Transmission Control Protocol is an internet protocol suite which breaks up the
message into TCP Segments and reassembling them at the receiving side.
 IP: An Internet Protocol address that is also known as an IP address is a numerical
label. It is assigned to each device that is connected to a computer network which uses
the IP for communication. Its routing function allows internetworking and essentially
establishes the Internet. Combination of IP with a TCP allows developing a virtual
connection between a destination and a source.
 HTTP: The Hypertext Transfer Protocol is a foundation of the World Wide Web. It is
used for transferring webpages and other such resources from the HTTP server or web
server to the web client or the HTTP client. Whenever you use a web browser like
Google Chrome or Firefox, you are using a web client. It helps HTTP to transfer web
pages that you request from the remote servers.
 SMTP: SMTP stands for Simple mail transfer protocol. This protocol supports
the e-mail is known as a simple mail transfer protocol. This protocol helps you
to send the data to another e-mail address.
 SNMP: SNMP stands for Simple Network Management Protocol. It is a
framework which is used for managing the devices on the internet by using the
TCP/IP protocol.
 DNS: DNS stands for Domain Name System. An IP address that is used to
identify the connection of a host to the internet uniquely. However, users prefer
to use names instead of addresses for that DNS.
 TELNET: TELNET stands for Terminal Network. It establishes the connection
between the local and remote computer. It established connection in such a
manner that you can simulate your local system at the remote system.
 FTP: FTP stands for File Transfer Protocol. It is a mostly used standard
protocol for transmitting the files from one machine to another.
 Table 2 TCP/IP Protocol Stack

OSI Ref. Layer No.  OSI Layer Equivalent  TCP/IP Layer  TCP/IP Protocol Examples 

5,6,7  Application, Session, Application NFS, NIS+,

Presentation  DNS, telnet, ftp, rlogin, rsh, 
rcp, RIP, RDISC, SNMP, and
others

4  Transport   Transport TCP, UDP 

3  Network  Internet IP, ARP, ICMP 

2  Data Link  Data Link (network layer) PPP, IEEE 802.2 

1  Physical  Physical Network (network Ethernet (IEEE 802.3) Token

layer) Ring, RS-232, others  
 Advantages of the TCP/IP model
Here, are pros/benefits of using the TCP/IP model:

 It helps you to establish/set up a connection between different types of computers.

 It operates independently of the operating system.

 It supports many routing-protocols.

 It enables the internetworking between the organizations.

 TCP/IP model has a highly scalable client-server architecture.

 It can be operated independently.

 Supports a number of routing protocols.

 It can be used to establish a connection between two computers.

 Disadvantages of the TCP/IP model

Here, are few drawbacks of using the TCP/IP model:

 TCP/IP is a complicated model to set up and manage.

 The shallow/overhead of TCP/IP is higher-than IPX (Internetwork Packet Exchange).

 In this, model the transport layer does not guarantee delivery of packets.

 Replacing protocol in TCP/IP is not easy.

 It has no clear separation from its services, interfaces, and protocols.

THANK YOU