Linux in a Nutshell, Fifth Edition

Overview of TCP/IP | 21

Sys Admin

Overview

This is the Title of the Book, eMatter Edition

Copyright © 2006 O’Reilly & Associates, Inc. All rights reserved.

Overview of TCP/IP

TCP/IP is a suite of communications protocols that define how different types of

computers talk to one another. It’s named for its foundational protocols, the

Transmission Control Protocol and the Internet Protocol. The Internet Protocol

provides logical addressing as data moves between hosts: it splits data into

packets, which are then forwarded to machines via the network. The Transmis-

sion Control Protocol ensures that the packets in a message are reassembled in the

correct order at their final destination and that any missing datagrams are re-sent

until they are correctly received. Other protocols provided as part of TCP/IP

include:

Address Resolution Protocol (ARP)

Translates between Internet and local hardware addresses (Ethernet, etc.).

Internet Control Message Protocol (ICMP)

Error-message and control protocol.

Point-to-Point Protocol (PPP)

Enables TCP/IP (and other protocols) to be carried across both synchronous

and asynchronous point-to-point serial links.

Reverse Address Resolution Protocol (RARP)

Translates between local hardware and Internet addresses (opposite of ARP).

Simple Mail Transport Protocol (SMTP)

Used by sendmail to send mail via TCP/IP.

Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP)

Performs distributed network ...