Using TCP/IP

As mentioned previously, TCP/IP is the common name given to a suite of networking protocols. TCP/IP is a shorthand expression for Transport Control Protocol/Internet Protocol. The name includes the two most commonly used protocols in the suite separated by a slash.

The TCP/IP suite of protocols operates on four levels stacked one on top of the other like four boxes. From bottom to top they are

  • Network Access layer

  • Network layer

  • Transport layer

  • Application layer

TCP handles transmission control and error checking at the transport layer, while IP only handles addressing at the network layer.

The Network Access Layer

Network Access is the bottom layer that sits right next to the physical connection to the network. It provides a large number ...

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