Section 4.1: Introduction

Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) is a family of many protocols, each tailored to address specific applications within an internet. The fact that it has gained such popularity in the last few years can be attributed mostly to the success of the Internet. With so many corporate networks connecting to the Internet, vendors are busy developing products for these corporate users.

In addition to the explosive growth of the Internet, many corporations are seeing the value in the TCP/IP technology. TCP/IP offers a robust suite of services and applications, and it is standardized (which resolves a number of interoperability issues). No other technology offers the services of TCP/IP, the ability to interconnect with almost any vendors equipment, and the maturity of the TCP/IP protocols (TCP and IP have been standardized and deployed for over 12 years).

TCP/IP is not a single protocol but is a suite of over 100 protocols, each addressing a specific application within an internet. This is one of the factors which makes TCP/IP so flexible; each protocol can be used independently of the others, making them compatible with other transport technologies.

The fact that TCP/IP was developed in the 1960s does not make it obsolete. Development on TCP/IP protocols continues, as new demands are placed on internets. IP addressing has been strained to the point that new addresses are distributed on a limited basis. Old protocols have been updated and in some cases replaced by newer more robust protocols. There is no doubt...