TCP (Transmission Control Protocol, but often called Transport Control Protocol)
is that part of the system which is responsible for getting our data from one place to
the next. It will resend anything that did not get through and it will divide large amounts
of data into smaller, more manageable packets, or "datagrams" and make sure
they all arrive safely.
IP (Internet Protocol)
establishes various rules for formatting, routing and processing our data.
The various protocols in the TCP/IP family include:
- FTP (File Transfer Protocol).
This is used to exchange files with another FTP user elsewhere on the Network. Any kind of data may be transferred using FTP, including programs and other Binary Files.
- TELNET.
This facility allows you to conduct a person-to-person chat with another user on the Network. It allows Remote Login which means you can log in on any other computer system on the Network. While connected to that station, anything you type will be sent to that screen and anything the other guy types will appear on your screen.
- SMTP (Simple Mail Transfer Protocol).
This allows you to send messages to other TCP/IP users on the Network. The idea is to leave a message in your own system and the SMTP will automatically feed it into the Network for Forwarding to the destination.
- POP (Post Office Protocol).
This is a variant of the SMTP mail handling facility where you may nominate some other system as your "Post Office" so that any mail addressed to you will be stored there for you. Then, when you run POP, your mail will be automatically Forwarded to you from the Post Office station.
- PING (Packet INternet Groper)
A PING allows you to put out a feeler to see if some particular station is on the air. If that station is there, you will get a response, telling you the time it took for the round trip.
TCP/IP is widely used on the Internet, a world wide network of computers. In fact it is a collection of networks, all of which are connected to each other. I heard there were over 20 million people in 125 countries with access to Internet. Of course I am talking about the telephone subscribers with their landline modems, not Amateur Radio operators, but it is a huge system by any standards. Users can chat, exchange programs and files, conduct research, explore the world, play games, or just engage in some meaningful conversation with another user on Internet - some have even been seen courting and proposing! It is much the same as we can do on Amateur Radio but on a wider scale.
Each TCP/IP user is allocated a station address which consists of a four part number. For example, my TCP/IP address is 44.136.56.3. This number is not just a random number but is carefully managed and allocated by IP Address Coordinators all over the world. The first part is 44 which is the number allocated to Amateur radio stations. The second part, 136 for me, identifies the Country (or a State in the USA), the third part identifies a region or area and the last part is one station within that region.
In Amateur Radio the program mostly used to access the TCP/IP system is NOS developed by Phil Karn, KA9Q although a variant called GRINOS has been developed by Gerard van der Grinten, PA0GRI. PaKet can be used to access a TCP/IP system but it does not currently implement the various TCP/IP protocols mentioned here.
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