User’s Manual
Protocols like Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) and Internet Protocol (IP) provide rules for
communication and allow us to discuss computer communication independent of any particular
vendor’s network hardware. These protocols contain the details of message formats, describe how
a computer responds when a message arrives, and specify how a computer handles errors or other
abnormal conditions. As an integral part IP includes the ICMP (Internet Control Message Protocol)
and error message protocol that handles messages and control errors. The entire protocol suite is
often referred to as TCP/IP because TCP and IP are the two fundamental protocols.
TCP/IP protocols define the unit of data transmission, called a datagram, and specify how to
transmit datagrams on a particular network. A TCP/IP internet allows any pair of computers to
which it attaches to communicate. Each computer is assigned an IP address that is universally
recognized throughout the internet. Every datagram carries the addresses of its source and
destination. Intermediate switching computers (routers) use the destination address to make routing
decision.
For Further Study
Many textbooks cover the basics of the internetworking and related protocols. The text in this
Appendix is based on the book by Comer, D.E. “Internetworking with TCP/IP Vol. 1 Principles,
Protocols and Architectures” Prentice-Hall, Inc., New Jersey 2000.
ESERV-10 35 Viola Systems Ltd.
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