The role and need for protocols
Any form of communication requires rules. These rules determine how the communication is actually made. For example:
- transmission speed
- error checking
- method of addressing - how to locate another Any device connected to a network. on the A group of interconnected computers/devices.
Rules that govern communication are known as A set of rules for how messages are turned into data packets and sent across networks.. Many types of protocol exist - each has a different purpose.
Network protocols
An example of a network protocol
There are a wide range of protocols that cover all sorts of types of computer communication. The major ones are:
- A set of protocols used in a wired local area network that describes how data is transmitted within it. - used in wired Local area network. A network of computers that covers a small area, eg a school or college.. Ethernet covers a wide range of standards from types of cable to Units of information. In computing there can be different data types, including integers, characters and Boolean. Data is often acted on by instructions. transmission speed.
- A method of connecting to the internet wirelessly using radio waves. - used in wireless LANs.
- Transmission Control Protocol - one of the main protocols in the set of protocols used on the internet. TCP allows two computers to establish a connection./Internet Protocol - A set of rules for communicating over the internet. IP can also stand for intellectual property. (Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol) enables communication over the internet.
- Hypertext Transfer Protocol - a request/response standard. Web browsers send requests and websites or servers respond to requests. and HTTPS (Hypertext Transfer Protocol) governs communication between a A computer that serves web pages to users. and a A computer that holds data to be shared with other computers. Servers require server software.. HTTPS (secure) includes secure Files that are encrypted have been altered using a secret code and are unreadable to unauthorised parties. to allow transactions to be made over the internet.
- File Transfer Protocol - a protocol used to transfer large files across the internet (File Transfer Protocol) governs the transmission of Anything you save. It could be a document, a piece of music, a collection of data or something else. across a network and the internet.
Email protocols
Electronic mail. A method for sending messages and files to other people. is widely used and protocols are needed to ensure that email from one system can be sent to another system and still be readable. The major protocols involved in sending and receiving emails are:
- Simple Mail Transfer Protocol - used to send emails between servers. (Simple Mail Transfer Protocol) governs the sending of email over a network to a mail server.
- Post Office Protocol - an internet protocol used by email clients to retrieve email. and Internet Message Access Protocol - an internet protocol that enables access to emails using multiple email clients. (Post Office Protocol and Internet Message Access Protocol) govern retrieving emails from email servers. POP is an older implementation, largely replaced by IMAP. A newer version of POP is POP3.
More guides on this topic
- Decomposition and abstraction - Edexcel
- Algorithms - Edexcel
- Further algorithms - Edexcel
- Truth tables - Edexcel
- Binary and data representation - Edexcel
- Computers - Edexcel
- Programming languages - Edexcel
- Network security and cybersecurity - Edexcel
- Encryption - Edexcel
- Environmental, ethical and legal concerns - Edexcel
