The Ultimate Guide to Protocol and Standard in Computer Networks

Introduction

In today’s world of network communication, protocol and standard in computer networks are the heart of every device. Various devices located in the world need to exchange data efficiently and accurately to perform tasks, and for this communication to happen smoothly. So, all of these devices need to follow the same rules for sending data simultaneously and accurately. These rules are what we call protocols. On the other hand, standards are universally accepted frameworks that ensure different devices and technologies will work together.  In this article, we will explore the key concepts of protocol and standard in computer networks, how they work, and why there they are essential for modern computer networking.

Protocol

A protocol defines rules or standards that how communicating devices, like computers, servers, mobiles, or other communicating devices transmit, receive, or interpret data. Protocols act as communication standards, which are followed by hosts to determine how they communicate with each other.

Protocol Types

There are two types of protocols which are given below:

  • Standard Protocol- Standard protocol works in multi-vendor environments for reliable communication. It supports multi-vendor devices for reliable communication, e.g. IP, LLDP, OSPF, RIP, etc.
  • Proprietary Protocol: This protocol that an organization develops for its products only. It doesn’t work with other vendor products, e.g. iMessage, EIGRP, CDP, etc.

Some common features of protocols are:

  • Data formatting: Protocols have predefined rules that how data is formatted, due to which the receiving device will interpret it.
  • Error handling: There is no guarantee that the transmitted data will be sent to the destination without errors. If any error occurs in it, then this is the protocol that handles all types of errors, e.g. CRC, Parity bits, sequence number, etc.
  • Compression: Compression occurs while we send and transmit data, and the compression is done through the protocol. Examples of data compression protocols are Gzip, Brotli LZMA, etc.
  • Flow control: Flow control enables devices to send or receive data at regular intervals of time, to prevent congestion.

The network standards

The term “network standard” refers to the documents that contain all the physical and technical specifications of the network we are going to build. By following these standards, our network becomes reliable and efficient, allowing data to flow without any interruptions.

There are two types of standards:

1) de facto

2) de jure

i) De facto

De facto refers to “by tradition or by facts”, that are developed without any prior or formal planning. De facto are those documents that are used by an organization within its network. Other organizations may also use these standards for their network. but it is not verified or standardized by any standardization organization, such as IEEE, ANSI, or ISO. Examples of De facto standards are QWERTY keyboard, USB, TCP/IP, Linux operating system, etc.

2) De Jure

De jure means “according to law”. These are those standards that are formed by standardization organizations such as IEEE, ISO, or ANSI through proper research and prior planning. It follows proper guidelines and instructions which enable reliable communication over the internet. Examples of De jure standards are ISO/OSI Model, IPSec, PDF, MPEG, Unicode standard, etc.

How Protocols and Standards Work Together

In computer networking, protocols, and standards work together for smooth communication. Moreover, protocols define how our devices communicate data between them. While standards ensure, that the method of communication is consistent across various systems and manufacturers.

For example, TCP/IP protocol follows the standards which are defined by IETF and ISO. These standards allow different devices to exchange data across the internet, regardless of whether it is from Windows, mac, or Linux.

Conclusion

Protocol and standard in computer networks are two important and main elements of modern digital computer networks. It ensures that different devices, regardless of manufacturer or operation, will communicate with each other without any disruption. With the emergence of new technologies, new protocols, and standards are evolving for reliable communication. Computer networking professionals must understand protocols and standards for their daily routine tasks and troubleshooting. We can’t only troubleshoot the network through it, but we can plan and expand our network for future purposes.

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