What Is TCP?

Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) is a communications standard that enables application programs and
computing devices to exchange messages over a network. It is designed to send packets across the
internet and ensure the successful delivery of data and messages over networks.

TCP organizes data so that it can be transmitted between a server and a client. It guarantees the integrity
of the data being communicated over a network. Before it transmits data, TCP establishes a connection
between a source and its destination, which it ensures remains live until communication begins. It then
breaks large amounts of data into smaller packets, while ensuring data integrity is in place throughout
the process.

What Is IP?

The Internet Protocol (IP) is the method for sending data from one device to another across the internet.
Every device has an IP address that uniquely identifies it and enables it to communicate with and
exchange data with other devices connected to the internet. Today, it’s considered the standard for fast
and secure communication directly between mobile devices.

IP is responsible for defining how applications and devices exchange packets of data with each other. It is
the principal communications protocol responsible for the formats and rules for exchanging data and
messages between computers on a single network or several internet-connected networks. It does this
through the Internet Protocol Suite (TCP/IP), a group of communications protocols that are split into four
abstraction layers.

IP is the main protocol within the internet layer of the TCP/IP. Its main purpose is to deliver data packets
between the source application or device and the destination using methods and structures that place
tags, such as address information, within data packets.

What Is The difference between TCP and IP?

TCP and IP are separate protocols that work together to ensure data is delivered to its intended
destination within a network. IP obtains and defines the address—the IP address—of the application or
device the data must be sent to. TCP is then responsible for transporting and routing data through the
network architecture and ensuring it gets delivered to the destination application or device that IP has
defined. Both technologies working together allow communication between devices over long distances,
making it possible to transfer data where it needs to go in the most efficient way possible.

In other words, the IP address is akin to a phone number assigned to a smartphone. TCP is the computer
networking version of the technology used to make the smartphone ring and enable its user to talk to
the person who called them.

Now that we’ve looked at TCP and ICP separately, what is TCP/IP? The two protocols are frequently used
together and rely on each other for data to have a destination and safely reach it, which is why the
process is regularly referred to as TCP/IP. With the right security protocols in place, the combination of
the TCP/IP allows users to follow a safe and secure process when they need to move data between two
or more devices.

Layers of TCP/IP Model

Application Layer

Transport Layer(TCP/UDP)

Network/Internet Layer(IP)

Network Access Layer

1. Network Access Layer

The Network Access Layer represents a collection of applications that require network communication.
This layer is responsible for generating data and initiating connection requests. It operates on behalf of
the sender to manage data transmission, while the Network Access layer on the receiver’s end processes
and manages incoming data. In this article, we will focus on its role from the receiver’s perspective.

The packet’s network protocol type, in this case, TCP/IP, is identified by network access layer. Error
prevention and “framing” are also provided by this layer. Point-to-Point Protocol (PPP) framing and
Ethernet IEEE 802.2 framing are two examples of data-link layer protocols

2. Internet or Network Layer

This layer parallels the functions of OSI’s Network layer. It defines the protocols which are responsible for
the logical transmission of data over the entire network. The main protocols residing at this layer are as
follows:

IP:IP stands for Internet Protocol and it is responsible for delivering packets from the source host to the
destination host by looking at the IP addresses in the packet headers. IP has 2 versions: IPv4 and IPv6.
IPv4 is the one that most websites are using currently. But IPv6 is growing as the number of IPv4
addresses is limited in number when compared to the number of users.

ICMP:ICMP stands for Internet Control Message Protocol. It is encapsulated within IP datagrams and is
responsible for providing hosts with information about network problems.

ARP:ARP stands for Address Resolution Protocol. Its job is to find the hardware address of a host from a
known IP address. ARP has several types: Reverse ARP, Proxy ARP, Gratuitous ARP, and Inverse ARP.

The Internet Layer is a layer in the Internet Protocol (IP) suite, which is the set of protocols that define
the Internet. The Internet Layer is responsible for routing packets of data from one device to another
across a network. It does this by assigning each device a unique IP address, which is used to identify the
device and determine the route that packets should take to reach it.
Example: Imagine that you are using a computer to send an email to a friend. When you click “send,” the
email is broken down into smaller packets of data, which are then sent to the Internet Layer for routing.
The Internet Layer assigns an IP address to each packet and uses routing tables to determine the best
route for the packet to take to reach its destination. The packet is then forwarded to the next hop on its
route until it reaches its destination. When all of the packets have been delivered, your friend’s
computer can reassemble them into the original email message.

In this example, the Internet Layer plays a crucial role in delivering the email from your computer to your
friend’s computer. It uses IP addresses and routing tables to determine the best route for the packets to
take, and it ensures that the packets are delivered to the correct destination. Without the Internet Layer,
it would not be possible to send data across the Internet.

3. Transport Layer

The TCP/IP transport layer protocols exchange data receipt acknowledgments and retransmit missing
packets to ensure that packets arrive in order and without error. End-to-end communication is referred
to as such. Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) and User Datagram Protocol are transport layer protocols
at this level (UDP).

TCP: Applications can interact with one another using TCP as though they were physically connected by a
circuit. TCP transmits data in a way that resembles character-by-character transmission rather than
separate packets. A starting point that establishes the connection, the whole transmission in byte order,
and an ending point that closes the connection make up this transmission.

UDP: The datagram delivery service is provided by UDP , the other transport layer protocol. Connections
between receiving and sending hosts are not verified by UDP. Applications that transport little amounts
of data use UDP rather than TCP because it eliminates the processes of establishing and validating
connections.

4. Application Layer

The Application Layer in the TCP/IP model combines the functions of three layers from the OSI model:
the Application, Presentation, and Session layers. It is responsible for end-to-end communication and
error-free delivery of data. It shields the upper-layer applications from the complexities of data.