TCP/IP Concepts and Protocols Flashcards

Vocabulary flashcards defining core terms, protocols, network classes, and messaging mechanisms from the TCP/IP lecture notes.

TCP/IP

The Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol, which is the most commonly used set of transport and network layer protocols.

Transport Layer

The layer that links application software with the network, responsible for segmenting messages and managing end-to-end delivery.

Network Layer

The layer that routes messages through the network by selecting the best path from computer to computer and adding an IP packet.

Transmission Control Protocol (TCP)

The transport layer protocol that links the application layer to the network layer, performing segmenting, numbering, ordering, and error checking.

Internet Protocol (IP)

The network layer protocol responsible for addressing and routing messages to their final destination.

IP Address

A 32-bit number, usually expressed in dotted-decimal format, that uniquely identifies a host on a TCP/IP network.

Octet

An eight-bit section of a 32-bit IP address when written in binary notation.

InterNIC

The organization that administers the Internet and allocates Internet IP addresses into classes.

Class A Network

An IP network class with a first octet range of 0 to 127, a default subnet mask of 255.0.0.0, and $2^{24} - 2$ host addresses per network.

Class B Network

An IP network class with a first octet range of 128 to 191, a default subnet mask of 255.255.0.0, and $2^{16} - 2$ host addresses per network.

Class C Network

An IP network class with a first octet range of 192 to 223, a default subnet mask of 255.255.255.0, and $2^n - 2$ host addresses per network.

RFC 1918

The specification that defines private, non-routable IPv4 address ranges reserved for internal network infrastructures.

Default Gateway

A router specified on a host that links the host's subnet to remote networks.

Internet Control Message Protocol (ICMP)

A simple interior diagnostic and error-reporting protocol belonging to the IP suite that enables computers to report routing errors.

Address Resolution Protocol (ARP)

A protocol used by network software to determine the data link layer address of a destination computer on the same subnet via a broadcast message.

Port Address

A unique identifier assigned to an application layer software package, placed in the header fields of a TCP segment to direct incoming and outgoing traffic.

Three-Way Handshake

The process used to establish a TCP connection involving the exchange of SYN, SYN/ACK, and ACK segments between sender and receiver.

Connection-Oriented Messaging

A communication method using TCP that sets up a dedicated connection (session) between sender and receiver before transmitting data.

Connectionless Messaging

A communication method where each packet is treated as an independent entity and routed separately without establishing a prior connection.

User Datagram Protocol (UDP)

A connectionless transport layer protocol with an 8-byte header, commonly used for control messages such as DHCP, RIP, and SNMP.