Transport Layer Protocols

There is no such thing as TCP/IP. TCP over IP is really many other things, such as HTTP, DHCP, POP, and about 500 more terms over TCP; plus UDP and ICMP over IP. Given that this overly complex but much more correct term is too hard to use, the people who invented this network protocol stack way back when decided to call it TCP/IP, even though that term is way too simplistic to cover all the functionality involved.

Note There is a strong movement out there that prefers the term "Internet Protocol" instead of the term "TCP/IP."

To enable you to appreciate how TCP/IP applications work, this tutorial breaks down the many unmentioned protocols and shows how they help make applications work. To start this process, let's consider how human beings communicate and you'll see some very interesting commonalities between computers and people.