Networking: Protocol Definition and Importance

What is a Protocol?

A standard set of regulations and requirements that allow two electronic items to connect to and exchange information with one another. Protocols regulate data transmission among devices as well as within a network of linked devices through both error control and specifying which data compression method to use. In particular, protocols decide: the method of error checking, how to compact data (if required), how the transmitting device signals that it has concluded sending data, and how the receiving device signals that it has completed receiving data.

What is a Protocol?

A uniform set of rules that enable two devices to connect and transmit data to one another. Protocols determine how data are transmitted between computing devices and over networks. They define issues such as error control and data compression methods. The protocol determines the following: type of error checking to be used, data compression method (if any), how the sending device will indicate that it has finished a message and how the receiving device will indicate that it has received the message. Internet protocols include TCP/IP (Transfer Control Protocol/Internet Protocol), HTTP (Hypertext Transfer Protocol), FTP (File Transfer Protocol), and SMTP (Simple Mail Transfer Protocol).

Importance of Protocol

 

Protocol has key role in today's communication world, without protocol it is not possible for one computer to communicate with another computer.

Let have a example from daily life to understand the working of protocol in Internet.
Just Imagine you are in France but you don't know how to speak French. Is it possible for you to talk to a man who doesn't know any other language except French?

Well certainly not, although you could try to communicate with him non verbally but again you'd be unable to let him know your though or idea, to get the ball rolling either you need to learn French or this need to know the language that you speak, than you both would be able to talk comfortably, so from this example we can conclude that if two human want to communicate than they must speak same language.
This same analogy applies to Internet Protocol, if one computer machine want to send or receive information to another computer, than both of these computers must use same protocol to accomplish the task.

So now we can define Protocol as" The Rules that govern communication between two or more than two computers"

The common Internet protocols are as follow
1. HTTP (Hyper Text Transfer Protocols) helps us to view pages residing on another computer
2. FTP (File Transfer Protocol) helps us to send or receive file from one file to another file
3. SMTP/POP3 (Simple Mail Transfer Protocol & Post Office Protocol) helps us to send and receive emails

There are many like Telnet, IP etc but these are the most common that are used. 

Reference: http://technology.blurtit.com; allaboutcookies.org