for grace DCS 902

Peer Review : Thomas

Internet Protocols

The Internet Protocol (IP) is the method that computers communicate with on another. Every computer or host on the internet has a unique identifier (IP address) that allows other hosts to communicate with it. Without putting it lightly, this standard is what makes the internet possible. One of the core protocols that is used is the Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) which specifies how messages are broken down, addressed, transmitted, routed, and received between devices. Messages (information) shared go through several different layers on both the receiver and the sender side of the communication. 

For the sending device, this order (Application, Transport, Internet, Network Access) is the order the data flows through the layers of the TCP/IP model.  For the receiving device, the data flows the opposite direction (Network Access, Internet, Transport, Application) which allows uniformity and consistency in transmission which ensures the internet devices functions properly.  The Application layer is the layer that users interact with and has the most visibility to. It requires the users input to be able to move the data through the subsequent layers.  The Transport layer prepares the data to be sent by segmenting the data, ensuring the traffic flow will allow it, and completes error checking to ensure all of the packets will be sent.  The Internet layer is responsible for the successful transmission of the data over the network by assigning an IP address to the data, so the internet knows where to send it.  The Network Access layer ensures the data can meet the requirements needed to be received. Again, these protocols or "rules" make the internet possible as hosts are programmed to understand how to send and receive information on it.