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Communications Protocol

A communications protocol is a set of rules for digital message formatting and exchange between computing systems. Protocols define syntax, semantics, and synchronization and may include capabilities like error detection. Protocols are implemented in hardware, software, or both and are often layered into protocol stacks with different protocols handling different communication tasks. Common examples are the Internet Protocol and Transmission Control Protocol.

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80 views5 pages

Communications Protocol

A communications protocol is a set of rules for digital message formatting and exchange between computing systems. Protocols define syntax, semantics, and synchronization and may include capabilities like error detection. Protocols are implemented in hardware, software, or both and are often layered into protocol stacks with different protocols handling different communication tasks. Common examples are the Internet Protocol and Transmission Control Protocol.

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bhuvaneshkmrs
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© Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
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COMMUNICATIONS PROTOCOL

A communications protocol is a formal description of digital message formats and the


rules for exchanging those messages in or between computing systems and in
telecommunications. Protocols may include signaling, authentication and error detection and
correction capabilities. A protocol describes the syntax, semantics, and synchronization of
communication and may be implemented in hardware or software, or both.

Contents:

 1 Protocol suites
 2 Protocol development
 3 Common types of protocols
 4 Protocol testing
 5 See also
 6 References
 7 External links

Protocol suites

The protocols in human communication are rules about appearance, speaking, listening
and understanding. These rules, also called protocols of conversation, represent different layers
of communication. They work together to help people communicate successfully. The need for
protocols also applies to computing systems. Network engineers have written rules for
communication that must be strictly followed for successful host-to-host communication. These
rules apply to different layers of sophistication such as which physical connections to use, how
hosts listen, how to interrupt, how to terminate communications, which language to use and
many others. These rules, or protocols, that work together to ensure successful communication
are grouped into what is known as a protocol suite.

The widespread use and expansion of communications protocols has been a prerequisite
for the development of the Internet. The Internet Protocol (IP) and the Transmission Control
Protocol (TCP) are the most important of these, and the term Internet Protocol Suite, or TCP/IP,
refers to a collection of its most used protocols. Most of the communication protocols in use on
the Internet are described in the Request for Comments (RFC) documents of the Internet
Engineering Task Force (IETF).

Object-oriented programming has extended the use of the term to include the
programming protocols available for connections and communication between objects. Protocols
fall into many levels of processes and complexity.

Generally, only the simplest protocols are used alone. Most protocols, especially in the
context of communications or networking, are layered together into protocol stacks where a
variety of tasks are divided among different protocols in the stack.

Whereas the protocol stack denotes a specific combination of protocols that work
together, a reference model is a software architecture that defines each layer and the services
each should offer. A prominent reference model is the seven-layer OSI model, which is used for
conceptualizing protocol stacks and peer entities. This reference model also provides an
opportunity to teach more general software engineering concepts such as hiding, modularity, and
delegation of tasks. This model has endured in spite of the demise of many of its protocols (and
protocol stacks) originally sanctioned by the International Organization for Standardization
(ISO). Despite its success as a teaching tool, the design process and the architecture of the
Internet do not specifically adhere to the principles of the OSI model, but a general analogy is
commonly recognized. Instead, Internet design is based on the Internet Protocol Suite.

Protocol development

Communications protocols are often designed, developed and promulgated by groups of


engineering professionals organized by standards organizations, such as the International
Organization for Standardization (ISO), the International Telecommunications Union (ITU), the
Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), or the Internet Engineering Task Force
(IETF). The IETF maintains the protocols in use on the Internet. The IEEE controls many
software and hardware protocols in the electronics industry for commercial and consumer
devices. The ITU is an umbrella organization of telecommunications engineers designing the
public switched telephone network (PSTN), as well as many radio communication systems. For
marine electronics the NMEA standards are used.

Many communication protocols are also designed by commercial entities, such as small
and large corporations in the software and data communications industries. Xerox Corporation
(Xerox PARC), Microsoft, Intel, and many others have developed communications protocols that
are in wide-spread use. Some were developed initially in proprietary fashion, but were published
and were accepted later by the broader public. Some remain in proprietary status.

Common types of protocols


This section requires expansion.

Main article: List of network protocols

 Internet Protocol (IP)

The IP protocol is the basis for more commonly used protocols:

 Transmission Control Protocol (TCP)


 User Datagram Protocol (UDP)
 Internet Control Message Protocol (ICMP)

Many services are based on protocols that use the TCP protocol, like:

 Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP)


 Post Office Protocol (POP3)
 File Transfer Protocol (FTP)

Protocol testing

In general, protocol testers or protocol analyzers work by capturing the information


exchanged between a device under test (DUT) and a reference device known to operate properly.
In the example of a manufacturer producing a new keyboard for a personal computer, the DUT
would be the keyboard and the reference device, the PC. The information exchanged between the
two devices is governed by rules set out in a technical specification called a "communication
protocol". Both the nature of the communication and the actual data exchanged are defined by
the specification. Since communication protocols are state-dependent (what should happen next
depends on what previously happened), specifications are complex and the documents describing
them can be hundreds of pages.

The captured information is decoded from raw digital form into a human-readable format
that permits users of the protocol tester to easily review the exchanged information. Protocol
testers vary in their abilities to display data in multiple views, automatically detect errors,
determine the root causes of errors, generate timing diagrams, etc.

Some protocol testers can also generate traffic and thus act as the reference device. Such
testers generate protocol-correct traffic for functional testing, and may also have the ability to
deliberately introduce errors to test for the DUT's ability to deal with error conditions.

Protocol testing is an essential step towards commercialization of standards-based


products. It helps to ensure that products from different manufacturers will operate together
properly ("interoperate") and so satisfy customer expectations.

See also

 Application programming interface


 Calling convention
 Connection-oriented protocol
 Connectionless protocol
 Digital radio
 Tunneling protocol
References

 Radia Perlman: Interconnections: Bridges, Routers, Switches, and Internetworking


Protocols. 2nd Edition. Addison-Wesley 1999, ISBN 0-201-63448-1. In particular Ch. 18
on "network design folklore", which is also available online at
http://www.informit.com/articles/article.aspx?p=20482
 Gerard J. Holzmann: Design and Validation of Computer Protocols. Prentice Hall, 1991,
ISBN 0-13-539925-4. Also available online at http://spinroot.com/spin/Doc/Book91.html

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