What is the Internet Protocol: Basic Concepts

Today, virtually all users for the global access to the World Wide Web or creating a conventional LAN connection use the so-called Internet protocols. In each individual case, the situation with their application and configuration may differ significantly. Let's try to identify the basic concepts.

What is the Internet Protocol: the concept and history of creation

It is believed that the progenitor of the entire Internet is the once established in the US network APRANET, once obeyed even the military department. Its essence consisted in application of packet data transmission, that is some portions which could be interpreted and reproduced on the other terminal.

In other words, the Internet protocol both at that time and now implies a set of certain rules for managing the transfer of data between computer terminals, servers, mobile devices, etc. It is thanks to such unified settings and it is possible to connect devices around the world with each other through special programs or simultaneous access to the same resource.

What are the protocols of the Internet?

For an example of explaining what the Internet protocol is, consider the most common computer systems running Windows (Mac OS X and other UNIX-like systems such as Linux, we will not touch on now).

To date, several basic types are known-TCP / IP, UDP, FTP, ICMP, DNS, HTTP, etc. You can continue for a long time. What are they all different?

The difference is only in the levels of destination. For example, there are physical layers (creating a connection using twisted pair or fiber), an ARP layer including device drivers, a network layer (standard IP and ICMP protocols), a transport layer (TCP and UDP), and an application layer Protocols such as HTTP, FTP, DNS, NFS, etc.

Here, by the way, it is worth noting that absolutely all protocols (even those for which the Internet is being checked) are standardized on the ISO / OSI system so that when they are used on different platforms, never fail even in the case of different operating systems or equipment from different manufacturers, Used to establish a connection. It's easy to understand that at the moment it does not really matter which operating system is installed on a computer or laptop or what network components in the form of routers, network cards, modems, etc. Intended to establish communication.

Internet Protocol IP (TCP / IP)

To date, the most common protocol is called TCP / IP. In fact, such a system consists of a basic configuration (IP) and an add-in (TCP), which can not function without the first, because it does not contain any data about the packets being sent.

The TCP-caches themselves are sent as an IP-based request only. Therefore, there was a need to add three parameters to the basic protocol, which would ensure the storage of the basic transmitted information about the state of the packages themselves. This includes checksum segments, assigning to each byte information of a sequence number for determining priority and sending and receiving queue, an identifier for the so-called mechanical acknowledgment of sending and receiving data, and re-sending the request, if such data were either not sent or not were accepted.

Here it is worth paying attention to the fact that the totality of such protocols works only on the basis of the IP-protocol. But first, in the phase of the connection setup, then in the transmission mode, and at the end, to establish a disconnection after the transmission and reception of data.

Configuration and verification tools

Configure the Internet protocol in Windows systems does not represent labor. You only need to use network settings (or network adapter), where you select the appropriate menu bar. Previously, everything was simple, starting with Windows 7 and further, in the settings there are two categories: IPv4 and IPv6 (not including the other, installed by default attributes).

The standard setting is for IPv4 (as it was before). But the new IPv6 Internet protocol still remains unclaimed.

Actually, the test can be performed even through access to the network state using the system tray. The icon in the panel constantly notifies the user about the availability of the connection to the local network and the Internet. There is nothing complicated.

What to prefer?

In the matter of preference for the use of a protocol, it is worth starting from the purpose for which it is intended. For example, protocols such as FTP are needed, rather, to download information to a specific site or download files from resources that support such a data transmission system. Checking the Internet in this case can be performed using programs that control requests (upload and download) sent to a specific FTP server.

Protocols such as UDP are also not always used. Very often such settings are used in mobile technology. But, as it is already clear, now we did not touch upon such systems, since it was about stationary computer terminals and operating systems of the Windows family installed on them.

However, the issue of configuring protocols even in different OSs is fundamentally identical to each other. Only the specialized components can differ, and then, only in its name, but the very principle of installing and further using the newly created connection based on some protocol is practically the same.

Moreover, Windows systems are initially configured to use TCP / IP as a universal protocol. All the rest is either configured automatically or not configured at all. And we have not yet considered WAP-protocols, which correspond to the standards of mobile communication, limited only to computers.