Definition of Network Protocol

Like two people who want to establish a fruitful conversation, two electronic systems who want dialogue within the framework of a network, they must use a language that they both understand and that, in this case, would be a common network.

A network protocol consists of a series of rules implemented by software that are established in a "common language" for two devices to dialogue through a computer network

Whether this is a large area local network (LAN) (WAN, such as those that work at the city or region level) or Internet.

A network protocol defines all aspects of the interaction of devices on the network, from its registration in it until the way in which the information should be transmitted between the different nodes.

That is why we have specialized protocols in the physical layer of the connection, while others are in the connection layer, and others in the connection layer. app. The grouping of all of them is called

protocol stack, and consists of a set of various protocols that cover all aspects of communication, from the physical layer to applications, which work together.

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Among the most used network protocols we have:

TCP / IP, which is the one used on the Internet

Although, in fact, it consists of a set of protocols whose name -as we see quickly and logically- is marked by two: TCP (Transmission Control Protocol) and IP (Internet Protocol).

Within this family Some more protocols are included, corresponding to the different Internet services, the link layer and the physical network. Thus, and as we have explained before, TCP / IP is really a protocol stack.

The HTTP (HyperText Transfer Protocol is the application protocol for the web,

which allows information from a web page to be transferred to a browser determined from the server. It is, probably, the most known and used protocol by end users, although it only sounds like typical http: // that precedes the URLs, without knowing exactly where it comes from.

FTP is the protocol that corresponds to downloading files from servers on the Internet, and it was also one of the first and most popular until the great emergence of the Web.

POP (or POP3) and SMTP are the protocols that are responsible for receiving and sending email. Another more recent protocol for this purpose and as popular as these is IMAP

Most of the companies that offer Internet services provide support for both protocols when we hire them a hosting or a mail service, so that we can configure our client as it suits us best.

Other protocols less known by the final public are:

• Telnet for access to remote computers through a command line (does not offer support for graphical environment).
• SSH What evolution of the previous one.
• DNS for server name resolution on the Internet. It is the one that allows us to enter a www.name.com address instead of having to enter a numerical IP address.
• DHCP for configuration of a computer In the net. It is the one that assigns an IP address.
• RTP for streaming audio and video in real time over the Internet. It is also used in other applications such as IP telephony, which requires the transmission of audio in real time.
• NetBEUI widely used by Microsoft on Windows before this operating system openly embrace TCP / IP. It was very simple, but it was also very troublesome.
• AppleTalk Apple's proprietary protocol, designed to interconnect computers and systems of the apple company. Completely closed, it was replaced by TCP / IP.
• UDP A very unknown member of the network protocols that make up the core of the Internet, for sending messages between computers connected to a network.

Photos: Fotolia - Denys Prykhodov / Vege

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