Protocol stack: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 15:54, 9 November 2006

Revision as of 21:53, 19 November 2006

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A '''protocol 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 [[modular]]ization 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 wontedlyusually deal only with the topmost layers (See also [[OSI model]]).

In practical implementation, protocol stacks are often divided into three major sections, for media, transport, and applications. A particular [[operating system]] or platform will often have two well-defined software interfaces: one between the media and transport layers, and one between the transport layers and applications.