Chapter 2: Protocols and Their Characteristics

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In This Chapter

• Basic Protocol Behavior

• Protocol Characteristics

A protocol is a set of rules defined to govern data transmission between applications residing on different systems. Protocols form the basis of all networks, and their function is to provide smooth transfer of data from source to destination. In addition to data transfer, protocols detect errors during data transmission, apply flow control, and facilitate retransmission of data packets corrupted during transmission. The protocols use acknowledgment signals to track data packets sent by the source node and received by the destination node.

The benefit of using a protocol for data transmission is that there are fewer chances of discrepancies such as loss of data during transmission. In addition, if a discrepancy occurs, the fault can be easily located and resolved.