Paper 1 - Network protocols

what is a network protocol

a set of rules for how devices communicate and how data is transmitted across a network

what is a network standard

a set of agreed requirements for hardware and software

what are MAC addresses

addresses that are assigned to all network-enabled devices by the manufacturer. they are unique to the device and cannot be changed

what is the format of a MAC address

6 segments of 2 hexadecimal characters separated by colons

what is the format of IPv4

4 denary numbers between 0 and 255 separated by dots

what is the format of IPv6

8 segments of 4 hexadecimal characters separated by colons

what is an IP address

a unique identifier given to a device when it accesses an IP network

why was IPv6 created

due to the increasing number of devices that need unique IP addresses

what is TCP/IP

a set of protocols which dictate how data is sent over the internet

What is the Transmission Control Protocol (TCP)

It’s in charge of splitting the data into the packets and reassembling the packets back into the original data once they reach the receiving device. Also responsible for checking the data is correctly sent and delivered

What is the Internet Protocol (IP) responsible for

directing packets to their destination across the network

What does HTTP stand for and what is it used for

stands for Hyper Text Transfer Protocol and is used by web browsers to access websites and communicate with web server

What does HTTPS stand for and what is it used for

stands for HTTP Secure and it is a more secure version of HTTP it encrypts all information sent and received

what does FTP stand for and what is it used for

stands for File Transfer Protocol and is used to access, edit and move files between devices on a network

What does POP3 stand for and what does it do

stands for Post Office Protocol-version 3 and its 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 and what is it used for

stands for Internet Message Access Protocol and its used to retrieve emails from a server. The server holds the email until you delete it - only you can download a copy. Used by most web-based email clients

What does SMTP stand for and what is it used for

stands for simple mail transfer protocol and is used to send emails and to transfer emails between servers

what is a layer

a group of protocols which have similar functions

what are the advantages of using layers

breaks the network into manageable pieces

as layers are self contained they can be changed without the other layers being affected

having standards for each layer forces companies to make compatible, universal hardware and software so different brands will work with each other and always work in basically the same way

how does breaking network communication into manageable pieces help developers

they can concentrate on only one area of the network without having to worry about the others

each layers serves …

the layer above it

why is a network standard important

they allow manufacturers to create products and programs that will be compatible with products and programs from other manufacturers