The importance of protocols and standards
Introduction
If you were to meet the Queen, for example, you would be expected to follow protocol. You would be expected, for example, to call her Ma'am' or 'Your Majesty'. You might be expected to bow and to dress appropriately as well. A set of rules that you have to follow is known as a 'protocol'. Computers make use of protocols as well, to enable them to communicate.
Protocols
Devices need to communicate. For example, a printer needs to send messages to a computer telling it that it has run out of paper or that it is ready to print while a computer needs to send the data it wants to print to the printer. Computers need to send data between themselves so that, for example, email can be exchanged and the Internet can function. When two devices want to successfully communicate, they must agree to follow some rules about the way they will do it. These are known as protocols.
A communications protocol is the phrase used to describe a set of rules that communication equipment adhere to when they send data to each other. If two devices are sending and receiving data but using different rules then the receiving device will not understand what was sent! A communications protocol needs to specify a range of things before successful communication can take place. These include:
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- What baud rate will be used.
- What parity checking will be used.
- Whether software or hardware ‘handshaking’ is to be used.
- What character set is to be used.
- How many bits will be used for data.
- How many control bits will be used to control data transfer.
The importance of standards in communication between computers
Setting standards, rules that all manufacturers of hardware and software will follow, are important for a number of reasons:
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- Standards describe accurately and unambiguously how information is transmitted.
- A manufacturer’s products will work successfully with other manufacturer’s products if they all follow the
- same standards.
- By defining a set of standards, you are providing a framework within w hich all manufacturers can design
- new, successful products.
- Standards break down complex ideas into smaller, methodical, easier-to-understand components.
Because communications protocols are so important, a special organisation known as the ITU, or International Telecommunications Union, exists to lay down the exact detail in the standards that everyone will use. They define the protocols. The two basic protocols used on the Internet are IP (Internet Protocol) and TCP (Transmission Control Protocol). Together, they are referred to as the TCP/IP. TCP/IP controls how information is successfully transferred between computers on the Internet. When web pages are requested and then sent over the Internet, another protocol used in addition to TCP/IP is the http protocol, or Hyper Text Transfer Protocol. When files are transferred over the Internet, the FTP protocol, or File Transfer Protocol, is used. Sending email can be done using the SMTP, or Simple Mail Transfer Protocol.