Have you ever wondered what enables modern applications like video calls, social media and streaming services? Underlying all these technologies are TCP/IP – standardized protocols that allow networked communication to take place reliably and efficiently. I‘ll provide an overview capturing the development and promise of TCP/IP along with unpacking key technical details on how it works.
A Historical Quest to Interconnect Networks
TCP/IP has its roots in ARPANET, an early computer network created in 1969 which initially connected four university research computers in California and Utah. This grew to 15 sites by 1971, but networking technology of the day made consistent expansion challenging. Proprietary protocols differed across hardware types and could not facilitate general communication standards.
Seeking to address this, DARPA began funding work in 1973 towards an open architecture protocol that could meet three key connectivity goals:
- Interoperability – seamlessly connect existing and future networks
- Scalability – expand to support an increasing number of devices
- Adaptability – allow networks to evolve and change flexibly
After testing early versions, TCP/IP was formally adopted as the ARPANET protocol standard in 1983. This proved a watershed moment in the advancement of networking.
| Year | Key TCP/IP Milestone |
|---|---|
| 1983 | Adopted as ARPANET protocol |
| 1990 | Decommissioned ARPANET |
| 2000 | 432 million users online |
| 2020 | 4.9 billion users online |
TCP/IP fueled rapid growth of a new globally interconnected network – what we now call the Internet. The protocols remain at the heart of networked communications today. Next we‘ll break down how this technology works.
Anatomy of the TCP/IP Suite
TCP/IP is a standardized set of protocols providing rules for how data should be transported across interconnected networks. Key responsibilities are divided between layers:
Internet Layer:
- IP protocol – Defines addressing formats for sending packet data
- ICMP, IGMP – Diagnostics and group communication
Host-to-Host Transport Layer:
- TCP, UDP – Manage transmission and reassembly of message sequences
Application Layer:
- HTTP, FTP, SMTP etc – Format data exchange for end user applications
This separation of concerns provides flexibility…
