Please Whitelist This Site?

I know everyone hates ads. But please understand that I am providing premium content for free that takes hundreds of hours of time to research and write. I don't want to go to a pay-only model like some sites, but when more and more people block ads, I end up working for free. And I have a family to support, just like you. :)

If you like The TCP/IP Guide, please consider the download version. It's priced very economically and you can read all of it in a convenient format without ads.

If you want to use this site for free, I'd be grateful if you could add the site to the whitelist for Adblock. To do so, just open the Adblock menu and select "Disable on tcpipguide.com". Or go to the Tools menu and select "Adblock Plus Preferences...". Then click "Add Filter..." at the bottom, and add this string: "@@||tcpipguide.com^$document". Then just click OK.

Thanks for your understanding!

Sincerely, Charles Kozierok
Author and Publisher, The TCP/IP Guide


NOTE: Using software to mass-download the site degrades the server and is prohibited.
If you want to read The TCP/IP Guide offline, please consider licensing it. Thank you.

The Book is Here... and Now On Sale!

Get The TCP/IP Guide for your own computer.
The TCP/IP Guide

Custom Search







Table Of Contents  The TCP/IP Guide
 9  Networking Fundamentals
      9  Fundamental Network Characteristics

Previous Topic/Section
Networking Layers, Models and Architectures
Previous Page
Pages in Current Topic/Section
1
2
Next Page
Circuit Switching and Packet Switching Networks
Next Topic/Section

Protocols: What Are They, Anyway?
(Page 2 of 2)

Different Uses of the Word “Protocol”

Despite the strict OSI definition, the term “protocol” is often used colloquially to refer to many different concepts in networking. Some of the more common “alternative” uses of the word include the following:

  • Protocol Suites: It is very common to hear the word “protocol” used to refer to sets of protocols that are more properly called protocol suites (or stacks, in reference to a stack of layers). For example, TCP/IP is often called just a “protocol” when it is really a (large) set of protocols.

    Sometimes, the name of the technology itself leads to this confusion. The
    Point-to-Point Protocol (PPP), for example, is not one protocol; it contains many individual protocols that serve different functions and even have distinct message formats. Thus, PPP is really a protocol suite, or alternately, can be considered a protocol with “sub-protocols”.

  • Microsoft Windows Protocols: One important example of the issue of referring to protocol suites as single protocols is the networking software in Microsoft Windows. It usually calls a full networking stack like TCP/IP or IPX/SPX just a “protocol”. When you install one of these “protocols”, however, you actually get a software module that supports a full protocol suite.

  • Other Technologies: Sometimes technologies that are not protocols at all are called protocols, either out of convention or perhaps because people think it sounds good. For example, TCP/IP Remote Network Monitoring (RMON) is often called a protocol when it is really just an enhancement to the Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP)—which is a protocol!

So, does it really matter whether a protocol is a “true” protocol or not? Well, the networking hardware devices and software programs sure don’t care. J But hopefully having read about the term and what it means, you will be able to better understand the word when you encounter it in your studies—especially in the places where it may not always be used in a way entirely consistent with its formal definition.


Previous Topic/Section
Networking Layers, Models and Architectures
Previous Page
Pages in Current Topic/Section
1
2
Next Page
Circuit Switching and Packet Switching Networks
Next Topic/Section

If you find The TCP/IP Guide useful, please consider making a small Paypal donation to help the site, using one of the buttons below. You can also donate a custom amount using the far right button (not less than $1 please, or PayPal gets most/all of your money!) In lieu of a larger donation, you may wish to consider purchasing a download license of The TCP/IP Guide. Thanks for your support!
Donate $2
Donate $5
Donate $10
Donate $20
Donate $30
Donate: $



Home - Table Of Contents - Contact Us

The TCP/IP Guide (http://www.TCPIPGuide.com)
Version 3.0 - Version Date: September 20, 2005

© Copyright 2001-2005 Charles M. Kozierok. All Rights Reserved.
Not responsible for any loss resulting from the use of this site.