Introduction

TCP/IP, (short for Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol) is a term we recognize easily due to its ever-increasing function in connecting our computers to the Internet. TCP/IP is a network protocol used to provide the logical communication structure needed to send and receive data on a computer network. This logical communication structure is the complicated part, and what we will be primarily learning about in this chapter. The Network+ exam calls for an understanding of routable and routing protocols in terms of routing, addressing schemes, interoperability, and naming conventions. This chapter, as well as sections of the next chapter, will cover many aspects of TCP/IP, especially those areas made testable by the Network+ posted objectives.

In this chapter we will also be covering other not-so-well-known network protocols still in use in some networks, such as AppleTalk, IPX/SPX (Internetwork Packet Exchange/Sequenced Packet Exchange) and the rarely used NetBEUI (NetBIOS Enhanced User Interface). However, this chapter s main focus will be on TCP/IP. The reasoning for this is simple; not only is TCP/IP one of the most thoroughly tested knowledge areas on the exam, it is the most widely used and integrated protocol in use today around the world. Not knowing TCP/IP can be somewhat career-limiting when considering becoming a network engineer. The TCP/IP protocol suite is primarily what keeps the Internet running as well as it does. TCP/IP is also used to provide network communication in most of the world s companies, universities, and countries. Anywhere there is a network connection, it is...