Since TCP/IP is a protocol suite,
it is most often discussed in terms of the protocols that comprise it.
Each protocol “resides” in a particular layer of the TCP/IP
architectural model we saw earlier in
this section. Every TCP/IP protocol is charged with performing a certain
subset of the total functionality required to implement a TCP/IP network
or application. They work together to allow TCP/IP as a whole to operate.
First, a quick word on the word “protocol”.
You will sometimes hear TCP/IP called just a “protocol” instead
of a “protocol suite”. This is a simplification that while
technically incorrect, is widely used. I believe it arises in large
part due to Microsoft referring to protocol suites as “protocols”
in their operating systems.
As I mentioned earlier in this section,
there are a few TCP/IP protocols that are usually called the “core”
of the suite, because they are responsible for its basic operation.
Which protocols to include in this category is a matter of some conjecture,
but most people would definitely include here the main protocols at
the internet and transport layers: the Internet
Protocol (IP), Transmission
Control Protocol (TCP) and User
Datagram Protocol (UDP). These core protocols
support many other protocols, to perform a variety of functions at each
of the TCP/IP model layers. Still others enable user applications to
function.
On the whole, there are many hundreds
of TCP/IP protocols and applications, and I could not begin to cover
each and every one in this Guide. I do include sections discussing several
dozen of the protocols that I consider important for one reason or another.
Full coverage of each of these protocols (to varying levels of detail)
can be found in the other chapters of this Guide.
Below I have included a number of
tables that provide a summary of each of the TCP/IP protocols discussed
in this Guide. Each table covers one of the TCP/IP model layers, in
order from lowest to highest, and I have provided links to the sections
or topics where each is discussed. The organization of protocols in
the TCP/IP suite can also be seen at a glance in Figure
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