👉 Overview
What ?
TCP, which stands for Transmission Control Protocol, is one of the main protocols in the Internet protocol suite. It sits at the heart of the internet, transmitting and ensuring the successful delivery of data between computers. Its fundamental concepts involve establishing a connection, data transmission, and connection termination. In simple terms, TCP acts like a courier service, picking up data packets from the sender, ensuring they reach the destination, and confirming their safe delivery. TCP also has the capability to detect errors during transmission and re-transmit the data, ensuring data integrity.
Why ?
TCP is crucial for the functioning of the internet. It is used to establish a connection between the sender and receiver and guarantees the delivery of packets in the order they were sent. This ordered, reliable delivery is essential for applications such as web browsers, email, and file transfers, where missing or jumbled data could be problematic. For our readers, understanding TCP is fundamental to understanding how data moves around the internet, which is crucial in today's digitally-powered world.
How ?
TCP is implemented in the operating system of a computer. When an application wants to send data, it hands it off to TCP. TCP then breaks the data into smaller packets, numbers them for sequencing, and then sends them across the network. At the receiving end, TCP collects the packets, puts them in the correct order using the sequence numbers, checks for any errors, and hands the data back to the application. When TCP detects any missing packets, it requests a re-transmission.
When ?
TCP was first introduced in 1974 in a paper by Vinton Cerf and Robert Kahn, commonly known as the "fathers of the internet." It was initially designed as a research experiment for the United States Department of Defense's Advanced Research Projects Agency Network (ARPANET). However, TCP quickly became the standard protocol for network communication, and it has been widely used ever since. It has evolved over the years to handle the increasingly complex and high-speed requirements of modern internet communication.