Today, almost all users use the so-called Internet protocols for global access to the World Wide Web or for creating a normal LAN connection. In each individual case, the situation with their application and configuration can vary quite significantly. Let's try to identify the basic concepts.
What is the Internet Protocol: the concept and history of creation
It is believed that the ancestor of the entire Internet is the APRANET network that was once created in the USA, which at one time was subordinate even to the military department. Its essence was the use of packet data, that is, in certain portions that could be interpreted and reproduced on another terminal.
In other words, the Internet protocol both at that time and now implies a set of certain rules for managing data transfer between computer terminals, servers, mobile devices, etc. Thanks to such unified settings, it became possible to connect devices around the world with each other through special programs or simultaneous access to the same resource.
What are Internet protocols?
For an example of explaining what the Internet protocol is, let us consider the most common computer systems running Windows (Mac OS X and other UNIX-like systems like Linux, we will not touch on now).
Today, there are several basic types that are known : TCP / IP, UDP, FTP, ICMP, DNS, HTTP, etc. You can continue long enough. How are they all different?
The difference is only in the destination levels. For example, there are physical layers (creating a connection using twisted pair or fiber), an ARP layer that includes device drivers, a network layer (standard IP and ICMP protocols), a transport layer (TCP and UDP), and an application layer, which includes protocols like HTTP, FTP, DNS, NFS, etc.
Here, by the way, it is worth noting that absolutely all protocols (even those that check the Internet) are standardized according to the ISO / OSI system, so that when they are used on different platforms, failures never occur even in the case of differing operating systems or equipment from different manufacturers, used to establish communication. It is easy to understand that at the moment it does not matter which OS is installed on a computer or laptop or which network components in the form of routers, network cards, modems, etc. are intended for communication.
Internet Protocol IP (TCP / IP)
Today, the most common protocol is referred to as TCP / IP. In fact, such a system consists of a basic configuration (IP) and an add-in (TCP), which cannot function without the first, since it does not contain any data about the packets being sent.
TCP packets themselves are sent as an IP-based request only. Therefore, it became necessary to add three parameters to the main protocol, which would ensure the storage of basic transmitted information about the state of the packets themselves. These include segments of checksums, assignment of a serial number to each byte to determine the priority and queue of sending and receiving, the identifier of the so-called mechanical confirmation of sending and receiving data, as well as re-sending the request, if such data was either not sent or not were accepted.
Here it is worth paying attention also to the fact that the totality of such protocols works only on the basis of the IP protocol. But first, in the phase of establishing a connection, then in transmission mode, and at the end to establish a break in communication after completion of transmission and reception of data.
Configuration and verification tools
Configuring the Internet Protocol on Windows systems is not difficult. You need to use only the network settings (or network adapter), where the corresponding menu bar is selected. Everything used to be simple, starting from Windows 7 onwards, in the settings there are two categories: IPv4 and IPv6 (not counting the other attributes set by default).
The default configuration is for IPv4 (as it was before). But the new Internet Protocol IPv6 still remains unclaimed.
Actually, the check can be done even through access to the network state using the system tray. The icon in the panel constantly notifies the user of the availability of a connection to the local network and the Internet. There is nothing complicated.
What to prefer?
In the matter of preference for using one or another protocol, it is worth starting from what it is intended for. For example, protocols such as FTP are needed, rather, to upload information to a specific site or download files from resources that support such a data transfer system. Checking the Internet in this case can be done using programs that control requests (downloads and downloads) sent to a specific FTP server.
Protocols like UDP are not always used either. Very often, these settings are used in mobile technology. But, as is already clear, now we did not affect such systems, since it was about stationary computer terminals and Windows operating systems installed on them.
However, the issue of protocol configuration, even in different operating systems, is fundamentally identical to one another. Only specialized components can vary, and then, only by its name, but the very principle of installing and further using a newly created connection based on some protocol is practically no different.
Moreover, Windows systems were initially set up to use TCP / IP as a universal protocol. Everything else is either automatically configured or not configured at all. And we have not yet considered WAP protocols that comply with mobile communication standards, limiting ourselves only to computers.