TCP/IP Model

The TCP/IP model is a fundamental framework for computer

networking. It stands for Transmission Control Protocol/Internet
Protocol, which are the core protocols of the Internet. This model
defines how data is transmitted over networks, ensuring reliable
communication between devices. It consists of four layers: the Link
Layer, the Internet Layer, the Transport Layer, and the Application
Layer. Each layer has specific functions that help manage different
aspects of network communication, making it essential for
understanding and working with modern networks.TCP/IP was
designed and developed by the Department of Defense (DoD) in the
1960s and is based on standard protocols. The TCP/IP model is a
concise version of the OSI model.
What Does TCP/IP Do?
The main work of TCP/IP is to transfer the data of a computer from
one device to another. The main condition of this process is to make
data reliable and accurate so that the receiver will receive the same
information which is sent by the sender. To ensure that, each
message reaches its final destination accurately, the TCP/IP model
divides its data into packets and combines them at the other end,
which helps in maintaining the accuracy of the data while
transferring from one end to another end.
Difference Between TCP and IP
TCP (Transmission
Feature Control Protocol) IP (Internet Protocol)

Ensures reliable, ordered, and Provides addressing and

Purpose error-checked delivery of data routing of packets across
between applications. networks.

Type Connection-oriented Connectionless

Manages data transmission Routes packets of data from

Function between devices, ensuring data the source to the destination
integrity and order. based on IP addresses.
 TCP (Transmission
Feature Control Protocol) IP (Internet Protocol)

No, IP itself does not handle

Yes, includes error checking
Error Handling errors; relies on upper-layer
and recovery mechanisms.
protocols like TCP.

Yes, includes flow control

Flow Control No
mechanisms.

Yes, manages network

Congestion Control No
congestion.

Breaks data into smaller

Breaks data into packets but
Data Segmentation packets and reassembles them
does not handle reassembly.
at the destination.

Header Size Larger, 20-60 bytes Smaller, typically 20 bytes

Does not guarantee delivery,

Reliability Provides reliable data transfer
reliability, or order.

Transmission Yes, acknowledges receipt of

No
Acknowledgment data packets.

How Does the TCP/IP Model Work?

Whenever we want to send something over the internet using the
TCP/IP Model, the TCP/IP Model divides the data into packets at the
sender’s end and the same packets have to be recombined at the
receiver’s end to form the same data, and this thing happens to
maintain the accuracy of the data.

Layers of TCP/IP Model

 Application Layer
 Transport Layer(TCP/UDP)
 Network/Internet Layer(IP)
 Network Access
1. Network Access Layer
It is a group of applications requiring network communications. This
layer is responsible for generating the data and requesting
connections. It acts on behalf of the sender and the Network Access
layer on the behalf of the receiver. During this article, we will be
talking on the behalf of the receiver.
The packet’s network protocol type, in this case, TCP/IP, is identified
by network access layer. Error prevention and “framing” are also
provided by this layer. Point-to-Point Protocol (PPP) framing and
Ethernet IEEE 802.2 framing are two examples of data-link layer
protocols.
2. Internet or Network Layer
This layer parallels the functions of OSI’s Network layer. It defines
the protocols which are responsible for the logical transmission of
data over the entire network. The main protocols residing at this
layer are as follows:
 IP: IP stands for Internet Protocol and it is responsible for
delivering packets from the source host to the destination
host by looking at the IP addresses in the packet headers. IP
has 2 versions: IPv4 and IPv6. IPv4 is the one that most
websites are using currently. But IPv6 is growing as the
number of IPv4 addresses is limited in number when
compared to the number of users.
 ICMP: ICMP stands for Internet Control Message Protocol. It
is encapsulated within IP datagrams and is responsible for
providing hosts with information about network problems.
 ARP: ARP stands for Address Resolution Protocol. Its job is
to find the hardware address of a host from a known IP
address. ARP has several types: Reverse ARP, Proxy ARP,
Gratuitous ARP, and Inverse ARP.
The Internet Layer is a layer in the Internet Protocol (IP) suite, which
is the set of protocols that define the Internet. The Internet Layer is
responsible for routing packets of data from one device to another
across a network.
3. Transport Layer
The TCP/IP transport layer protocols exchange data receipt
acknowledgments and retransmit missing packets to ensure that
packets arrive in order and without error. End-to-end communication
is referred to as such. Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) and User
Datagram Protocol are transport layer protocols at this level (UDP).
  TCP: Applications can interact with one another
using TCP as though they were physically connected by a
circuit. TCP transmits data in a way that resembles
character-by-character transmission rather than separate
packets. A starting point that establishes the connection, the
whole transmission in byte order, and an ending point that
closes the connection make up this transmission.
 UDP: The datagram delivery service is provided by UDP, the
other transport layer protocol. Connections between
receiving and sending hosts are not verified by UDP.
Applications that transport little amounts of data use UDP
rather than TCP because it eliminates the processes of
establishing and validating connections.
4. Application Layer
This layer is analogous to the transport layer of the OSI model. It is
responsible for end-to-end communication and error-free delivery of
data. It shields the upper-layer applications from the complexities of
data. The three main protocols present in this layer are:
 HTTP and HTTPS: HTTP stands for Hypertext transfer
protocol. It is used by the World Wide Web to manage
communications between web browsers and servers. HTTPS
stands for HTTP-Secure. It is a combination of HTTP with
SSL(Secure Socket Layer). It is efficient in cases where the
browser needs to fill out forms, sign in, authenticate, and
carry out bank transactions.
 SSH: SSH stands for Secure Shell. It is a terminal emulations
software similar to Telnet. The reason SSH is preferred is
because of its ability to maintain the encrypted connection.
It sets up a secure session over a TCP/IP connection.
 NTP: NTP stands for Network Time Protocol. It is used to
synchronize the clocks on our computer to one standard
time source. It is very useful in situations like bank
transactions. Assume the following situation without the
presence of NTP. Suppose you carry out a transaction,
where your computer reads the time at 2:30 PM while the
server records it at 2:28 PM. The server can crash very badly
if it’s out