TCP/IP: Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol
TCP/IP has 4 layers, the application is the layer for SMTP (e-mail), FTP (file transfer) and HTTP (web browsing). The transport layer is meant for transferring data (TCP) from the application layer and dividing them into packets and transferring it to the next layer which is Internet. Internet is what receives the packets that we can send out and it will then be sent to the next computer, the internet knows what your ip address is and knows the ip address of the surrounding computers. The last layer is Network Interface, this layer is in charge of accepting the packets that were sent from the Internet, and sends it to the receiving computer.
An ip address is the address given to each computer or device that connects to the internet, it is a way of knowing where these computers are located, much like a mail box it is there to send and recieve information, also known as packets.
An ip address is designed to have 4 sections that are divided by dots (.) this makes it easier for our brains to remember. The ip address is actually much like this (11011000.00011011.00111101.10001001)
A router is a device that connects you pc to all the other pc’s in your house, it sends internet and data to the pc’s that are in its range. A router can also add security to your internet surfing, it can block connections that are not wanted.
A switch is a device much like the router but instead of connecting everybody to the internet wirelessly it connects people to a LAN. It is a large device that has many inputs that are used to connect many computers so they can communicate without any security breaches.
A hub is very much like the switch except there is very little security, it basically takes in information and repeats it to all the other connections that are wired in. They are a lot less common because of the low price and the sophistic nature of the network switch.
The MAC Address also known as the Media Access Control Address is assigned to all network adapters, it is assigned to give the person an address like a home so they can be transferred data without any confusion. An example of a MAC address is (00-B0-D0-86-BB-F7)
