Internet protocol suite

The layered collection of protocols used to connect networks and exchange data across them. Its core includes the Internet Protocol for addressing and routing packets and transport protocols such as TCP and UDP.

Internet Protocol: A network-layer protocol that addresses packets and routes them between networks. IP supplies the suite’s central mechanism for internetwork delivery.
Packet switching: A communication method that sends data as separate packets sharing network links. The suite uses packet switching to carry data without reserving an end-to-end circuit.
ARPANET: A United States research network that pioneered packet switching and became a precursor to the Internet. ARPANET provided the early network environment in which Internet protocols were developed and tested.
OSI model: A seven-layer reference model for describing network communication and protocol functions. Its seven layers contrast with the suite’s more compact, implementation-oriented layering.
Transmission Control Protocol: A transport protocol that provides reliable, ordered byte streams between applications. TCP adds reliable delivery above IP’s best-effort packet service.
IP address: A numerical identifier assigned to an interface for communication using the Internet Protocol. IP addresses identify packet sources and destinations across interconnected networks.
Robert E. Kahn: An American engineer who co-designed the TCP/IP architecture and led major networking programs. Kahn helped formulate the architecture for connecting independent packet networks.
X.25: A packet-switched networking standard that provides virtual circuits and reliable delivery within the network. X.25 places reliability in the network, unlike IP’s best-effort datagram service.
User Datagram Protocol: A transport protocol that sends datagrams without guaranteeing delivery or order. UDP offers a lightweight alternative to TCP for applications using the suite.
IP routing: The process of selecting paths for IP packets through interconnected networks. Routers use routing information to forward packets toward their destination networks.

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