- TCP/IP is an open standard, not owned by anybody.
- Hidden in software, generally invisible.
TCP protocols, for packet routing
- Information on the Internet is broken down into packets.
- Each packet contains an address, like letters going through the post office, each packet has all the information it needs to reach its destination.
- Different packets might take different routes.
- When the packets reach their destination they are reassembled into the original message.
- This follows a packet-switching model that is flexible and robust.
IP protocols, for addressing
- Every host computer on the Internet has a unique IP address.
- In the current version of IP (IPv4), the IP address is 4 bytes.
- The binary address is represented by four decimal numbers separated by dots that might look like 123.23.168.22
- Every packet includes the IP address of the sending (server) computer and the receiving (client) computer.
- To further confuse you (and because they are running out of IP addresses) there is another, longer, IP protocol coming out called IPv6.
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