How To Play Nice

A protocol is an agreed method of completing an activity. For example there are protocols for how to greet someone. Greetings might include a kiss on the cheek, a kiss on both cheeks, a hand shake or a hug. How do we know which is appropriate in a particular circumstance, for example how would you greet a;

·         Casual acquaintance - handshake

·         Your best friend - hug

·         Your Grandma - kiss

·         An old friend you have not seen for a long time - hug

In some ways computer systems are the same, communication between them relies upon agreed methods. These methods are called communication protocols.

The list below has some of the protocols that we have discussed before. Give an example of where they would be used.

·         TCP/IP

used for the Internet and other similar networks

·         http

data transfer protocol used on the World Wide Web.

·         simple mail transfer protocol (smtp)

sending and recieving e-mail messages across the internet

·         file transfer protocol  (FTP)
information transfer between devices

·         html
on webpages

·         xml

representation of arbitrary data structures