paper 1 - laws and protocols Flashcards
what is a protocol?
a set of rules for how devices communicate and how data is transmitted across a network
what information do protocols cover?
how communication between two devices should start and end, how the data should be organised, and what the devices should do if data goes missing
what are the three components of a data packet?
- header - contains control information - like the envelope of a letter - includes packet’s destination address (where it’s going), the source address (where it’s come from) and the packet number
- payload - the letter inside the envelope - the thing the person is likely to read, and the reason it was sent in the first place. might be part of an email, document, web page of streamed video.
- likely to include a checksum number - a form of validation used to check that the payload data hasn’t been corrupted during transit. the sending and receiving devices both calculate a checksum value by performing a function on the payload data. if the values match then the data has been received correctlly
what does the TCP/IP protocol do?
dictate how data is sent between networks
what two protocols is the TCP/IP protocol made up of?
Transmission control protocol (TCP) and Internet Protocol (IP)
what does the transmission control protocol (TCP) do?
set the rules for how devices connect on the network. It’s in charge of splitting the data into packets and reassembling the packets back into the original data once they reach the receiving device. It’s also responsible for checking the data is correctly sent and delivered
what is the internet protocol (IP) responsible for?
packet switching
what is the Hyper Text Transfer Protocol (HTTP) used for?
used by web browsers to access websites and communicate with web servers
what is the HTTPS protocol?
a more secure version of HTTP. encrypts all information sent and received
what is the file transfer protocol (FTP) used for?
used to access, edit and move files between devices on a network e.g. to access the files on a server from a client computer
what does POP3 stand for?
Post Office Protocol - version 3
what is POP3 used for?
used to retrieve emails from a server. The server holds the email until you download it at which point it is deleted from the server
what does IMAP stand for?
Internet Message Access Protocol
what is IMAP used for?
used to retrieve emails from a server. The server holds the email until you delete it - you only download a copy. Used by most web-based email clients
what does SMTP stand for?
simple mail transfer protocol
what is SMTP used for?
used to send emails. Also used to transfer emails between servers
what is a layer?
a group of protocols which have similar functions
what is the name of layer 4?
application layer
what does layer 4 do?
turns data into websites and other applications and vice versa
what is the name of layer 3?
transport layer
what does layer 3 do?
controls data flow - e.g. splitting data into packets and checking packets are correctly sent and delivered