Protocol stack: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 02:53, 6 January 2007

Revision as of 02:10, 6 February 2007

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A '''protocol stack''' (sometimes '''communications stack''') is a particular software implementation of a [[computer network]]ing protocol suite. The terms are often used interchangeably. Strictly speaking, the suite is the definition of the protocols, and the stack is the software implementation of them.

Individual [[network protocol|protocols]] within a suite are often designed with a single purpose in mind. This [[modularity (programming)|modularization]] makes design and evaluation easier. Because each protocol module usually communicates with two others, they are commonly imagined as ''layers'' in a stack of protocols. The lowest protocol always deals with "low-level", physical interaction of the hardware. Every higher layer adds more features. User applications usually deal only with the topmost layers (See also [[OSI model]]).