Internet Protocols: TCP/IP, Communication Standards and Evolution

This report provides an overview of internet protocols, focusing on the Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) and its role in governing communication across the internet. It details how TCP/IP facilitates data exchange by breaking data into packets, addressing, and routing, and examines the layered architecture of the protocol including the application, transport, internet, and link layers. The report also discusses the evolution of the internet from its early stages to its current state, highlighting the introduction of IPv6, the rise of social media, and the Internet-of-Things. Furthermore, it addresses the security challenges and cyber threats associated with the internet's increasing reliance and interconnectedness, emphasizing the need for mechanisms to deter cybercriminals and protect valuable information. Desklib offers this document along with a wealth of study resources for students.

Running head: Internet protocols 1
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Executive summary
Internet protocols are a set of rules governing communication of devices across the
Internet and networks. There are several protocols today the most popular being the transmission
control protocol/internet protocol (TCP/IP). Internet protocols are a part of the “communication”
over the Internet working to ensure that people send and receive messages using their devices
(Laser, 2013). Communication over the Internet also depends on various factors like IP
addresses, communication media, ports. All these factors (devices, networks, protocols,
communication channels) are interrelated to make the Internet what it is. The Internet is an
interesting tool that is of great importance to us in our day to day lives forming an integral part of
our mundane lives.

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Internet protocol are the set of rules governing communication through the Internet i.e. an
internet protocol defines the method of sending data from one device to another through the
Internet. Protocols govern the rules of semantics, syntax, and timing (speed matching and
sequencing) over communication channels. Protocols are implemented by hardware, software or
a combination of hardware/software. Today, there are several protocols available that are used in
communications. Some of these protocols include transmission control protocol/internet protocol
(TCP/IP), hypertext transfer protocol (HTTP), address resolution protocol (ARP), dynamic host
configuration protocol (DHCP), file transfer protocol (FTP), domain name system (DNS),
internet control message protocol (ICMP) just to mention a few. Of interest in this paper is the
TCP/IP protocol, how it works and its application over the internet.
The TCP/IP protocol is a layered protocol used to determine the communications
standards over the Internet (Stallings, 2014) i.e. it specifies how data is exchanged over the
Internet by breaking down the data into packets, determining addressing, transmission, routing
and how it is received at the destination. The TCP/IP protocol is used in communications
between applications, computers/devices, and networks. This is made possible by dividing the
tasks (transfer of data from one application to another) into layers i.e. application layer, transport
layer, Internet layer and link layer. The application layer specifies the logic that supports the
various user applications like file transfer. Transport layer determines access to data and routing
of data where devices may be attached to different networks. Internet layer is responsible for the
exchange of data between the devices (server-user). Link layer determines the physical interface
between a communication device e.g. a workstation and the transmission medium or the
network.

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Communication over the Internet involves the flow of data from one device to another
through a medium (bounded or wireless). For data to be transferred from one device to another
through a single network or multiple networks, there must be an IP address to uniquely identify
the devices and a protocol to govern the communication between or among the devices (Acton,
2013). An example is the TCP which uses the three-handshake model (SYN, ACK and FIN) to
keep track of packets sent to ensure that they are reliably delivered. For successful “movement”
of the data from one device to another, there must be routing, propagation of the data and the
communicating devices must have a valid IP address and a port to make the transfer of data
possible.
The Internet has evolved drastically since its inception four decades ago as a military
experiment. Today, there are several factors and technologies that have come along with the
Internet i.e. the Internet has evolved from a preserve of the technological, academic and research
elite to become a part of our daily lives. The Internet has become “the backbone” of the society
today and has become a very important utility traversing governments, business, social,
healthcare, transport, mining, and marine sectors. The Internet has grown tremendously from a
connection of a few computers to have billions of devices and networks connected. The
ballooning number of devices even made it necessary to introduce IPv6 networking addresses to
support IPv4 addresses which were projected to be depleted in the future (Schlager, 2015).
In addition to the changes mentioned above, there has also been the introduction of social
media networks over the Internet bringing together billions across the globe and making it easy
to share and receive information. The Internet-of-things is also a current trend over the Internet
that has made it possible for everyday devices (home appliances, vehicles, mobile devices,
electronica) to connect, collect and exchange data (Bouhaï & Saleh, 2017). There are also new

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congestion algorithms, improves security infrastructures, new wired and wireless technologies
and discoveries that allow more bandwidth. The Internet has also made it possible to share
information very fast and efficiently. With the “overreliance” on the Internet with a lot of people
interconnected, there are cybercriminals who are on the lookout for vulnerabilities that they may
exploit to disrupt services and steal personal and valuable information making it necessary to
employ various mechanisms to deter criminals and make it difficult for them to breach the
networks (Stallings & Chandavarkar, 2014).
The “trends” of the Internet come with various advantages and downsides. The TCP/IP
protocol suite is a good example i.e. the TCP/IP connection is a stateful connection that makes it
possible to monitor how packets are sent over the Internet and a network by using the three-
handshake algorithm. There are issues that arise from the use of the Internet like cyber-terrorism,
espionage, identity theft just to mention a few. These grey areas need to be countered to reduce
these risks to manageable levels keeping the users “safe” from the criminals over the Internet.

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References
Acton, A. (2013). Internet Protocols—Advances in Research and Application. ScholarlyEditions.
Bouhaï, N., & Saleh, I. (2017). Internet of Things : Evolutions and Innovations. London : ISTE
Ltd. ; Hoboken, NJ : J ohn Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Laser, T. (2014). TCP/IP - The Internet Protocol Stack. GRIN Verlag.
Schlager, R. (2015). IP v4 and IPv6 addresses: An introduction. Indianapolis, Ind: Schlager
communication services.
Stallings, W. (2014). Data and computer communications (10th ed.). Boston, Mass: Pearson.
Stallings, W., & Chandavarkar, B. (2014). Network security essentials: Applications and
Standards, International Edition (5th ed.). Harlow, Essex: Pearson Educational Limited.