The Internet Protocol
The primary protocol that relays packets across most of today’s diverse networks is the Internet Protocol (IP). IP is the most popular Layer 3 protocol for both large and small networks. The appeal of IP is in its ability to span networks. Network devices can efficiently use switching to direct packets to the correct destination in the same network; however, to direct packets to destinations outside the network, devices must examine the Layer 3 network address and route each packet to its destination. IP provides packet routing and host identification to deliver packets to their destinations. IP treats all packets, also called datagrams, separately. It doesn’t support the concept of grouping packets together. This means ...
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