Why protocols are needed in networking

Standard protocols are not vendor-specific i. Proprietary protocols are developed by an individual organization for their specific devices. We have to take permission from the organization if we want to use their protocols. It is not a standard protocol and it supports only specific devices. We may have to pay for these protocols. The key elements of the protocol determine what to be communicated, how it is communicated, and when it is communicated.

Syntax refers to the structure or format of data and signal levels. It indicates how to read the data in the form of bits or fields. It also decides the order in which the data is presented to the receiver.

Example: A protocol might expect that the size of a data packet will be 16 bits. So, every communication that is following that protocol should send bit data. Semantics refers to the interpretation or meaning of each section of bits or fields. It specifies which field defines what action. It defines how a particular section of bits or pattern can be interpreted, and what action needs to be taken.

It includes control information for coordination and error handling. Example: It interprets whether the bits of address identify the route to be taken or the final destination of the message or something else. Example: A sender can send the data at a speed of Mbps, but the receiver can consume it only at a speed of 20 Mbps, then there may be data losses or the packets might get dropped. So, proper synchronization must be there between a sender and a receiver.

Do share this blog with your friends to spread the knowledge. Due to this phenomenon, the client and server can't both retain information between requests. IMAP is an email protocol that lets end users access and manipulate messages stored on a mail server from their email client as if they were present locally on their remote device. IMAP follows a client-server model, and lets multiple clients access messages on a common mail server concurrently.

IMAP includes operations for creating, deleting, and renaming mailboxes; checking for new messages; permanently removing messages; setting and removing flags; and much more.

The current version of IMAP is version 4 revision 1. The Post Office Protocol is also an email protocol. Using this protocol, the end user can download emails from the mail server to their own email client.

Once the emails are downloaded locally, they can be read without an internet connection. Also, once the emails are moved locally, they get deleted from the mail server, freeing up space. SMTP is a protocol designed to transfer electronic mail reliably and efficiently. SMTP transfers emails between systems, and notifies on incoming emails.

Using SMTP, a client can transfer an email to another client on the same network or another network through a relay or gateway access available to both networks. Telnet is an application layer protocol that enables a user to communicate with a remote device. A Telnet client is installed on the user's machine, which accesses the command line interface of another remote machine that runs a Telnet server program. Telnet is mostly used by network administrators to access and manage remote devices.

To access a remote device, a network admin needs to enter the IP or host name of the remote device, after which they will be presented with a virtual terminal that can interact with the host.

SNMP is an application layer protocol used to manage nodes, like servers, workstations, routers, switches, etc. SNMP enables network admins to monitor network performance, identify network glitches, and troubleshoot them. The SNMP agent resides on the managed device. The agent is a software module that has local knowledge of management information, and translates that information into a form compatible with the SNMP manager.

Both versions 1 and 2 have many features in common, but SNMP v2 offers enhancements such as additional protocol operations. LPP is not applicable to entities whose application context is more extensive, i. RPC is a protocol for requesting a service from a program in a remote computer through a network, and can be used without having to understand the underlying network technologies.

RPC also works on client-server model. The requesting program is the client, and the service providing program is the server. TCP is a transport layer protocol that provides a reliable stream delivery and virtual connection service to applications through the use of sequenced acknowledgement.

TCP is a connection-oriented protocol, as it requires a connection to be established between applications before data transfer. Through flow control and acknowledgement of data, TCP provides extensive error checking. TCP ensures sequencing of data, meaning the data packets arrive in order at the receiving end. Retransmission of lost data packets is also feasible with TCP. UDP is a connection-less transport layer protocol that provides a simple but unreliable message service.

Retransmission of lost data packets isn't possible with UDP. IPv4 is a network layer protocol that contains addressing and control information, which helps packets be routed in a network. IP works in tandem with TCP to deliver data packets across the network. Under IP, each host is assigned a bit address comprised of two major parts: the network number and host number. The network number identifies a network and is assigned by the internet, while the host number identifies a host on the network and is assigned by a network admin.

The IP is only responsible for delivering the packets, and TCP helps puts them back in the right order.

IPv6 is the latest version of the Internet Protocol, a network layer protocol that possesses addressing and control information for enabling packets to be routed in the network. IT pros should know what a PON is and how it can provide network solutions. Communication protocols allow different network devices to communicate with each other. They are used in both analog and digital communications and can be used for important processes, ranging from transferring files between devices to accessing the internet.

Network management protocols define and describe the various procedures needed to effectively operate a computer network. These protocols affect various devices on a single network — including computers, routers and servers — to ensure each one, and the network as a whole, perform optimally. Security protocols, also called cryptographic protocols, work to ensure that the network and the data sent over it are protected from unauthorized users.

Network protocols do not simply define how devices and processes work; they define how devices and processes work together. Without these predetermined conventions and rules, the internet would lack the necessary infrastructure it needs to be functional and useable.

Network protocols are the foundation of modern communications, without which the digital world could not stand. Download the exam objectives to see all the topics covered by this IT certification.