I am starting out in IT and am about to complete A+ cert course. I understand that TCP/IP is a foundation element of the internet and is implemented with many other protocols. I would like to know exactly what it’s function is tho. What does it do, how long has it been around, and how it work in tandem with other protocols? I’ve tried researching it but always end up reading a bunch of high level tech jargon.
In: 1
TCP is a flow-control protocol.
Say you want to send a file to someone. You take the big chunk of data, and chop it up into packets, ready to send down the wire.
Now, it really matters that the file arrives in one piece, with no bits missing, and no bits out-of-order.
It’s not good just blasting them out and hoping; you need a system to make sure they all arrived at their destination, and that none of them arrived early or late in the queue.
So, you have a two-way conversation with the other end:
* I’mma send you a bunch of stuff
* Okay, I’m listening
* Cool, here’s the first packet, got it?
* Yep, got the first one.
* Okay, I’mma send some more, check the numbers as they come in
* woah, I didn’t get #38, send it again
* Okay, #38 again. Am I sending too fast?
* yeah, a little bit, I’m getting backed up here.
* Okay, here’s 39, and I’m cutting the rate for a while until you catch up.
* Yeah that’s better, handling nicely, turn it up again in a bit
* Okay, that’s the last one, got it?
* Yep, shutting down, bye.
etc etc.
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