6 Different protocols in technology you must know about

Introduction:

In today’s world, technology is present in every aspect of our lives. From smartphones to the internet, from online shopping to remote working, technology has made life much more convenient and efficient. A fundamental part of technology is the use of protocols, which are standardised sets of rules and procedures for communication and data transfer. In this article, we will discuss five of the most important protocols in technology that you must know about: HTTP, TCP/IP, DNS, SSL/TLS, and FTP. These protocols play a crucial role in the functioning of the technology we use daily and understanding them can give us a better insight into how they work.

Technology continues to advance at a rapid pace, and with it, the number of different protocols used to facilitate communication and data transfer. Here are five different protocols that are commonly used in technology today, and that you should be aware of.

HTTP

The Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) is the protocol used for transferring data over the internet. It is the foundation of the World Wide Web and is used to transfer data between web browsers and web servers. HTTP allows clients, such as web browsers, to request resources from servers, such as web pages, images, and videos. It is a simple, stateless protocol that uses a request-response model to transfer data.

TCP/IP

TCP/IP, or Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol, is a set of protocols used to transmit data over a network. It is the foundation of the internet and enables the communication between different devices and networks.

TCP is responsible for ensuring that data is transmitted reliably and in the correct order. It does this by implementing flow control and error-checking mechanisms. Flow control ensures that the sender is not overwhelming the receiver with too much data, while error checking ensures that data is not corrupted during transmission.

IP, on the other hand, is responsible for routing data packets to their destination. It does this by identifying the source and destination addresses of each packet and forwarding it to the appropriate network.

TCP and IP work together to ensure that data is transmitted reliably and efficiently across networks. The combination of these two protocols is known as the TCP/IP protocol suite.

Selective repeat protocol is an ARQ(Automatic Repeat reQuest) protocol, which is used for error control in data transmission. It is a type of sliding window protocol, which means that it uses a window to track the status of packets that have been sent. It is different from the Go-Back-N protocol as it does not retransmit all the packets in the window if one packet is not acknowledged.

In selective repeat ARQ, if a packet is not acknowledged, only that specific packet is retransmitted. This reduces the amount of bandwidth consumed by retransmissions, making it more efficient than Go-Back-N in situations where there is a high error rate. However, selective repeat protocol requires more memory to store the packets that are waiting for an acknowledgment.

Overall, TCP/IP protocol suite and selective repeat protocol are important protocols for efficient and secure data transfer over the internet. These protocols ensure the data is delivered without corruption and with the best use of resources.

DNS

The Domain Name System (DNS) is a protocol that is used to convert human-friendly domain names, such as “www.example.com", into the IP addresses that are used by computers to identify each other on the internet. When you enter a domain name into your web browser, the browser sends a request to a DNS server to resolve the domain name to an IP address. The DNS server then looks up the IP address associated with the domain name and returns it to the browser, allowing it to connect to the correct server.

SSL/TLS

Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) and Transport Layer Security (TLS) are protocols that are used to encrypt data that is transferred over the internet. These protocols are typically used to protect sensitive information, such as credit card numbers and login credentials. When you visit a website that uses SSL/TLS, your web browser will establish a secure connection with the server, and all data transferred between the browser and the server will be encrypted, making it much more difficult for anyone to intercept or read the data.

FTP

The File Transfer Protocol (FTP) is a standard protocol that is used for transferring files between computers on a network. FTP allows users to upload and download files to and from servers, and can be used for everything from simple file transfers to complex automated file transfer operations. FTP provides a simple, reliable way to transfer files over the internet and is commonly used for web hosting, software distribution, and other file management tasks.

These five protocols are just some examples of the many different protocols that are used in technology today. Each of them plays an important role in facilitating communication and data transfer, and understanding how they work can help you better understand the technology that you use every day.

Stop and wait protocol

For error control in data transmission we use Stop & Wait protocol. It is a type of Automatic Repeat reQuest (ARQ) protocol, which is used to detect and recover from errors that may occur during the transmission of data. It is not very efficient but it is easy to implement.

Conclusion:

In conclusion, the five protocols discussed in this article are just a small sample of the many protocols that are used in technology today. Each of them plays a critical role in the functioning of technology and communication. Understanding how these protocols work can give us a better insight into the technology that we use every day and can help us to make more informed decisions when choosing and using technology. Whether you’re a computer scientist, a network administrator, or just someone who wants to know more about how technology works, these protocols are a great place to start.