What You Need To Know About IP

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Azura Liu
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Do you know about IP? Today let TTProxy to explain what is IP.

IP is one of the currently hot technologies. It is usually associated with new nouns, such as IP network, IP switching, IP phone, IP fax, etc, which have also eappeared one after another. So, what is IP?

IP is the abbreviation of Internet Protocol, which means "the protocol of interconnection between networks", that is, a protocol designed for communication between computer networks. In the Internet, it is a set of rules that enable all computer networks connected to the Internet to communicate with each other. It specifies the rules that computers should follow when communicating on the Internet. Computer systems made by any manufacturer can be interconnected with the Internet as long as they comply with the IP protocol. Because of the IP protocol, the Internet has developed into the world's largest, open computer communication network. Therefore, the IP protocol can also be called "Internet Protocol".

How does IP achieve network interconnection? Network systems and equipment, such as Ethernet and packet-switched networks, cannot communicate with each other. The main reason for this is that the basic units of data they transmit (technically called "frames") are in different formats. IP protocol is actually a set of protocol software composed of software programs. it will be a variety of different "frames" unified into the "IP datagram" format, this conversion is one of the most important features of the Internet, so that all kinds of computers can achieve interoperability on the Internet, that is, it has the characteristics of "openness".

So, what is a datagram? What are its characteristics? A datagrams is also a form of packet switching, which means that the transmitted data is segmented into "packets" and then transmitted. However, unlike the traditional "connection-type" packet switching, it beongs to the "connectionless-type". Each packet is transmitted as an "independent message", so it is called a datagram. In this way, there is no need to connect a circuit before the communication starts, and each datagram may not be transmitted through the same path, so it is called "connectionless". This feature is very important. It greatly improves the robustness and security of the network.

Each datagram has two parts: a header and a message. The header contains the destination address and other necessary contents, so that each datagram can reach its destination accurately without going through the same path. Recombine at the destination to restore the original sent data.This requires that IP has the functions of packet packaging and collection assembly.

In the actual transmission process, the datagram must also be able to change the length of the datagram according to the packet size specified by the network. The maximum length of the IP datagram can be up to 65,535 bytes.

There is also a very important content in the IP protocol, which is to specify a unique address for each computer and other devices on the Internet, called an "IP address". Because of this unique address, it is guaranteed that users can efficiently and conveniently select their desired objects from tens of thousands of computers when they operating on networked computers.

Now the telecommunication network is moving towards the convergence with the IP network, new technologies based on IP are popular, such as the technology of transmitting voice over IP network (that is, VoIP). Other technologies such as IP over ATM, IP over SDH, IP over WDM, and so on. They are the research focus of IP technology.