TCP / IP Model
The TCP/IP model, or Internet Protocol Suite, describes a set of general design guidelines and implementations of specific networking protocols to enable computers to communicate over a network. TCP/IP provides end-to-end connectivity specifying how data should be formatted, addressed, transmitted, routed and received at the destination.
Layer | Description | Protocols |
Application | Defines TCP/IP application protocols and how host programs interface with transport layer services to use the network. | HTTP, Telnet, FTP, TFTP, SNMP, DNS, SMTP, X Windows, other application protocols |
Transport | Provides communication session management between host computers. Defines the level of service and status of the connection used when transporting data. | TCP, UDP, RTP |
Internet | Packages data into IP datagrams, which contain source and destination address information that is used to forward the datagrams between hosts and across networks. Performs routing of IP datagrams. | IP, ICMP, ARP, RARP |
Network interface | Specifies details of how data is physically sent through the network, including how bits are electrically signaled by hardware devices that interface directly with a network medium, such as coaxial cable, optical fiber, or twisted-pair copper wire. | Ethernet, Token Ring, FDDI, X.25, Frame Relay, RS-232, v.35 |
