Protocol stack: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 09:03, 22 July 2021

Revision as of 02:46, 1 August 2021

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[[File:OSI Model v1.svg|thumb|Protocol stack of the [[OSI model]]]]

The '''protocol stack''' or '''network stack''' is an [[implementation]] of a [[computer network]]ing '''protocol suite''' or '''protocol familyindividual'''. Some of these terms are used interchangeably but strictly speaking, the ''suite'' is the definition of the [[communication protocol]]s, and the ''stack'' is the [[software]] implementation of them.<ref>{{cite web

| title = What is a protocol stack?

| access-date = 2010-02-21

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| publisher = WEBOPEDIA

| ___location = http://www.webopedia.com

| quote = A [protocol stack is a] set of network protocol layers that work together. The [[OSI Reference Model]] that defines seven protocol layers is often called a stack, as is the set of TCP/IP protocols that define communication over the Internet.

}}</ref>

Individual protocols within a suite are often designed with a single purpose in mind. This [[Modularity (programming)|modularization]] simplifies design and evaluation. Because each protocol module usually communicates with two others, they are commonly imagined as [[Abstraction layer|layers]] in a stack of protocols. The lowest protocol always deals with low-level interaction with the communications hardware. Each higher layer adds additional capabilities. User applications usually deal only with the topmost layers.<ref>{{cite web

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| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20120320162240/http://www.ika-reutte.at/elearning/OSI_Model.doc

| archive-date = 2012-03-20

| url-status = deadAlive

}}</ref>