Evaluation and comparison of communication protocols

## Introduction

In the world of networking a protocol is a standard that activates and/or controls the communication, connection and data transfer between two computer nodes or endpoints. Protocols which are implemented into both hardware or software and sometimes at the same time can be simply described as a set of rules that operate the semantics, syntax and synergy of communication of the data transfer of two or more computer points. This wiki has already explored different forms of protocols that exist and they do vary in degree for their uses and properties.

## About

There are some common themes that all protocols share in form or the other these may include. The assessment of the current state of the wireless or wired physical connection between two different end computers or nodes. In some cases the parameters of the channels of communications involved between those said nodes/computers and finally looking at the message itself and the various fundamentals of it; such as the start and ending, the format and dealing with corrupted message types from potential network connection losses etc. The protocols that have been defined at some length in this wikia: TCP/IP, OSI, DNS, DHCP, and SNMP work in those manners to some level.

Two of the protocols DHCP (Dynamic Host configuration protocol) and DNS (Domain name service) are essential protocols for any network to function properly (however in saying that the lack of a DHCP would require the use of static IPs for everything which wouldn’t be the most practical thing one can spend their time with).  The domain name system will map objects, in many cases the host names into IP addresses. The computer alone couldn’t perform the task in finding a site by its name. The DHCP works with this as it will assign IP addresses to computers without this tool users would have to spend time allocating themselves with IP address. The DNS is the service that is in a way a translator from URLs to IP addresses and is a network on its own as if one server won’t know the IP address that corresponds to the URL it will request one that will know. Whilst the DHCP is a handy tool to simplify network administration by dynamically assigning IP addresses to computers.

http://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/products/ios-nx-os-software/dynamic-host-control-protocol-dhcp-domain-name-system-dns/index.html

Rules are needed on how networks can work together. The way that data is transmitting and received is looked at by a protocol with a set of rules. Nowadays the Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol is fairly prevalent and additionally to this a model which is used to compare and contrast protocols is used, it's known as the OSI model.

IP will define routing and addressing whilst TCP looks at how applications create channels of communication between one another. These two network standards define the internet. TCP/IP doesn't represent the OSI model though as it was developed to solve certain tasks and wasn't to be used as a reference model to describe network communications like the OSI model. Here is a table that looks at the similarities and differences in TCP/IP vs OSI (

☀http://searchnetworking.techtarget.com/answer/What-is-the-difference-between-OSI-model-and-TCP-IP-other-than-the-number-of-layers)

There are overlaps is them. For example IP looks at the nework layer just like the OSI model in the Layer 3 stage. Layer 4 transport, and to some extent layer 5 session correspond to TCP. The TCP/IP on the whole won't make as many assumptions about the network as like OSI. OSI will define what occurs after a network session after layer 5. OSI specfies two functions before a network session layer 3, the data link and physical side. TCP/IP won't make these perscriptions.

SNMP fits into this as this is a popular protocol for network management and is used for the gathering of data of various devices such as hubs, printers and switches etc. on an IP network. Network management functions on a TCP/IP network are associated with the protocol Simple Network Management Protocol. This is the method or approach that the networking side is dealt with in TCP/IP. in the SNMP model network performance is monitored, as well as network usage, and the detection of network faults or inappropriate access is performed. SNMP is deployed on the highest amount of networks devices as possible to over all have a minimum impact on the nodes and have minimal transport requirements, also it should continue to work along as other network applications can fail.

This picture shows a computer running SNMP manager requests status information from devices running the SNMP agent.

https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc776379(v=ws.10).aspx

Overall unlike a lot of other protocols SNMP is defined by the terms of commands used to check device status but the protocol is defined in terms of objects, which are t do with the management of information variables. These objects in the communication protocol can be examined and change accordingly by the network administrator.

http://www.tcpipguide.com/free/t\_SNMPProtocolOverviewHistoryandGeneralConcepts.htm

Overall these protocols are essential for modern day network communications with the exception of the OSI as it's mainly used as a reference model for learning about network communication. These services are all inter connected with each other to help achieve a good network experience. DNS is used to locate the corresponding IP addresses to URLs , whilst DHCP is used as a tool to dynamically assign IP addresses to computers. DHCP can be monitored using the network protocol by the SNMP protocol that is an overall network management tool. This tool then is part of the wider layer model of TCP/IP that describes the flow of inforamation from one end to another end point in a network environment.