Topic Exploration: Data Transmission

1.3.6: Define the terms: protocol, data packet

Define Protocol:

According to TechTerms, a protocol is when computers communicate with each other, there needs to be a common set of rules and instructions that each computer follows. Therefore, a specific set of communication rules is called a protocol.

Define Data Packet:

According to Techopedia, a data packet is a unit of data made into a single package that travels along a given network path. Data packets are used in IP (Internet Protocol) transmissions for data that navigates the Web, and in other types of networks.

Overview of Protocols:

Protocols are sets of mutually accepted and implemented rules at both ends of the communications channel for the proper exchange of information. According to Computer Notes, this information exchanged is data that has been processed in such a way as to be meaningful to the person who receives it. These protocols may dictate how to format, transmit, and receive data so that devices attached to a computer network can exchange and communicate regardless of their differences in their underlying infrastructure, designs, or standards. To successfully send and receive information, devices on both ends of the transaction must accept and act in accordance with protocol conventions. These protocols conventions are developed by organizations across a number of industries. All data stored within the physical protocol is then stored in binary information and composed of a language that is a combination of integers, bits, and characters. This support for network protocols can therefore be built into software, hardware, or both.

Many would consider the Internet to be dysfunctional without these Protocols. This is because protocols provide computers the capability of communicating or “talking” to each other across the large network of the Internet with the assurance of security and privacy. In communicating with each other, protocols also allow and help computers to identify themselves over different computer networks when exchanging data. This exchange commences when a client introduces itself to the server it desires data from. This is a client/server protocol, a communications protocol that provides a structure for requests between a client and server in a network. After the “handshake” between the two parties, the exchange occurs; some occur over short bursts while others can stream over long instances of time. In these long interactions, the server may send a bundle of data and then terminate the connection, or it may sustain the connection until the client decides to leave the conversation itself. Protocols were established over computer networks to allow computers to communicate in an organized fashion without room for misinterpretation. In the case where clients decide not to follow or misinterpret the established set of rules part of the protocol, they may be disconnected from the server, however it is mostly dependent on the terms and specifications of the protocol.

There are many different types of protocols established over the Internet with each protocol being defined in different terms and different use with its unique name. Each of them have their own access method of exchanging data over a computer network. In addition, according to Computer Hope each protocol has its own mechanism of how data is formatted, when sent and what to do with it once received, how that data is compressed (meaning a reduction in the number of bits needed to represent data according to Tech Target), or how to check for errors in the data. Several types of protocols include:

FTP: File Transfer Protocol (Click to View!)

The File Transfer Protocol is a client/server protocol that is used when transferring or exchanging files with a host computer. To ensure security and privacy during the physical exchange of files, it can be authenticated with a password and username. On the other hand, an anonymous FTP enables users to access files, programs and other data from the Internet without a need for a password and username. FTP also serves as the internet standard or Internet protocol when moving or transferring files from from using TCP (Transmission Control Protocol) or IP (Internet Protocols) networks (which will be explained and evaluated later in the investigation). Furthermore, the File Transfer Protocol has various applications and uses, however its most significant application is simply allowing users to retrieve files from the Internet; this protocol has allowed the Internet to grow to its accessibility and functionality that is present today.

HTTP: Hypertext Transfer Protocol

Hypertext Transfer Protocol allows the retrieval of sources and documents such as HTML documents. HTML is the foundation of any document transaction over the Web and a client server protocol, which means requests are initiated by the recipient, most often the Web browser. According to Developer Mozilla, a complete document is reconstructed from different sub documents fetched, such as text, layout description, images, videos, scripts, and more. Furthermore, the Hypertext Transfer Protocol defines how messages are formatted and transmitted, and what actions Web servers and browsers should take in response to various commands. According to Webopedia, HTTP is considered a “stateless” protocol; this means that HTTP is executed independently, without any knowledge of what commands preceded it. This as a “stateless” protocol contributes to the difficulty in implementing websites that act intelligently and responsively to their users.

PPP: Point-to-Point Protocol

According to Tech Target, Point-to-Point Protocol refers to a family of computer networking protocols that provide a standard way to transport multiprotocol data over point-to-point links. PPP has three main components: a way to encapsulate (a mechanism whereby the implementation details of a class are kept hidden from the user) multi protocol datagrams; a Link Control Protocol to establish, configure and test data-link connection; and a group of network control protocols that establish and configure different types of network-layer protocols. PPP has many mediums for point-to-point connectivity such as computers, mobile phones, and telephone lines. Specifically, when two computers are connected directly, both ends send a request for configuration. When the computers are connected, the Point-to-Point Protocol then controls information exchange such as data transportation and protocol encapsulation.

TCP/IP: Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol

The Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol are a series of communication protocols used to interconnect network devices on the Internet. Specifically, TCP/IP controls how data is exchanged over the Internet by providing end-to-end communications that identify how it should be broken into packets, addressed, transmitted, routed and received at the destination. TCP/IP requires little central management and it is designed to make networks reliable, with the ability to recover automatically from the failure of any device on the network. As far as how it works, TCP/IP follows the client/server model of communication, a program relationship in which one program (the client) requests a service or resource from another (the server). In this model of communication, a user of a machine, the client is provided a service, such as sending a webpage by another computer, the server, on the network. The advantage to this system is that TCP/IP is applicable to all operating systems, hardware, and networks. Thus, it can communicate with any other system and can easily determine the quickest and most efficient path through a network from one computer to another.

Overview of Data Packet:

In simple terms, a data packet is a basic unit of communication over a network and can be referred to as a datagram, a segment, a block, a cell, or a frame; what it is referred to as is mostly dependent on the type of protocol it is used in. During the physical transportation of data, it is broken down into similar structures of data, called packets, prior to its transmission; once these packets reach their destination, it is then where they are reassembled into the original structure of data. During the transmission, packets have two significant structures: a header and a payload. The header keeps overhead information about the packet, the service, and other transmission related data. On the other hand, the payload represents the physical data that is being sent through a network from one device to another. Finally, data packets can take the form of images, audio, and video; this is why, for instance, when a picture loads over a slow connection, you see portions of it appearing one after another.

Data Packet Involvement in TCP/IP:

All communication of information on the Internet involves the transportation of data packets; for instance, a Web page that one loads is shipped in packets as well as every email that one transmits leaves in packets. Packets are especially important to the TCP/IP (Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol). TCP/IP specifies how data is exchanged over the Internet and transmitted in packets both at its starting point and destination. Specifically, TCP defines how applications can create channels of communication across a network. It also manages how a message is assembled into smaller packets before they are then transmitted over the internet and reassembled in the right order at the destination address. IP defines how to address and route each packet to make sure it reaches the right destination. This is how IP addresses came about: to uniquely identify a computer through a string of numbers over a network using the Internet protocol. Thus, one of the main purposes for the TCP/IP, like other network protocols, is to successfully and efficiently direct packets of data over the large and vast network that is the internet.

Leading Causes of Data Loss

Review Quiz:

Check the answer to each multiple-coice question, and click on the "Send Form" button to submit the information.

1. True or false, a data packet is reassembled once it reaches its destination.
True
False

2. What is term used to refer to the physical data that is being send through a network from one device to another?
Packet
Payload
Header

3. Which protocol is a client/server protocol that is used when transferring or exchanging files with a host computer?
File Transfer Protocol (FTP)
Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP)
Point-to-Point Protocol (PPP)

Note: The correct answers will be revealed in the email draft.

Chicago Style Bibliography: Internet Sources (Click to View!)

Beal, Vangie. “What is HTTP?” Webopedia. (Date of Publication: Unknown). Accessed December 8, 2018. https://www.webopedia.com/TERM/H/HTTP.html.

Christensson, Per. "Protocol Definition." TechTerms. (2006). Accessed December 8, 2018. https://techterms.com/definition/protocol

Computer Hope. “What is a Protocol.” Computer Hope. (September 3, 2018). Accessed December 8, 2016. https://www.computerhope.com/jargon/p/protocol.htm.

Polenin, Mikhail. “Why are Network Protocols Needed?” Techwalla. (Date of Publication: Unknown). Accessed December 8, 2018. https://www.techwalla.com/articles/why-are-network-protocols-needed.

Rouse, Margaret. “Data Compression.” Tech Target. (August 2017). Accessed December 8, 2018. https://searchstorage.techtarget.com/definition/compression.

Rouse, Margaret. “Network Protocol.” Tech Target. (November 2018). Accessed December 8, 2018. https://searchnetworking.techtarget.com/definition/protocol.

Rouse, Margaret. “PPP (Point-to-Point Protocol).” Tech Target. (September 2016). Accessed December 8, 2018. ttps://searchnetworking.techtarget.com/definition/PPP.

Rouse, Margaret. “TCP/IP (Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol).” Tech Target. (August 2017). Accessed December 8, 2018. https://searchnetworking.techtarget.com/definition/TCP-IP.

Thakur, Dinesh. “What do you mean by Data and Information?” Computer Notes. (Date of Publication: Unknown). Accessed December 8, 2018. http://ecomputernotes.com/fundamental/information-technology/what-do-you-mean-by-data-and-information.

Unuth, Nadeem. “Data Packets: The Building Blocks of Networks.” Lifewire. (November 15, 2018). Accessed December 8, 2018. https://www.lifewire.com/what-is-a-data-packet-3426310.

Author: Unknown. “An overview of HTTP.” Developer Mozilla. (June 24, 2018). Accessed December 8, 2018. https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/HTTP/Overview.

Author: Unknown. “Data Packet.” Techopedia. (Date of Publication: Unknown). Accessed December 8, 2018. https://www.techopedia.com/definition/6751/data-packet.

Author: Unknown. “File Transfer Protocol (FTP).” Techopedia. (Date of Publication: Unknown). Accessed December 8, 2018. https://www.techopedia.com/definition/1872/file-transfer-protocol-ftp.

Author: Unknown. “Point-to-Point Protocol (PPP).” Techopedia. (Date of Publication: Unknown). Accessed December 8, 2018. https://www.techopedia.com/definition/25315/point-to-point-protocol-ppp.

Author: Unknown. “Understanding Point-to-Point Protocol.” Juniper Networks. (August 30, 2018). Accessed December 8, 2018. https://www.juniper.net/documentation/en_US/junos/topics/concept/interface-security-encapsulation-point-to-point-protocol-understanding.html.