1. Introduction to Network Protocols


2. Protocol Layers (OSI & TCP/IP Models)

OSI Model (7 Layers)

Layer Function Protocols
7. Application User interface (HTTP, SMTP, FTP) HTTP, FTP, SMTP, DNS, WebSocket
6. Presentation Data translation (encryption, compression) SSL/TLS, JPEG, MPEG, ASCII
5. Session Manages connections (establish, maintain, terminate) NetBIOS, RPC, SIP
4. Transport End-to-end communication (reliability, flow control) TCP, UDP, SCTP
3. Network Logical addressing & routing IP (IPv4, IPv6), ICMP, BGP, OSPF
2. Data Link Physical addressing (MAC), error detection Ethernet, Wi-Fi (802.11), PPP
1. Physical Raw bit transmission (cables, signals) DSL, USB, Fiber Optic, Bluetooth

TCP/IP Model (4 Layers)

Layer OSI Equivalent Protocols
Application L5-L7 HTTP, FTP, DNS, SMTP, SSH
Transport L4 TCP, UDP
Internet L3 IP, ICMP, ARP
Network Access L1-L2 Ethernet, Wi-Fi, PPP

3. Key Network Protocols

A. Application Layer Protocols

Protocol Port Use Case Key Features
HTTP/HTTPS 80/443 Web browsing Stateless, RESTful APIs, TLS encryption
FTP/SFTP 21/22 File transfer FTP (unencrypted), SFTP (SSH-based)
SMTP 25 Email sending Simple Mail Transfer Protocol
DNS 53 Domain name resolution Converts domain names to IPs
SSH 22 Secure remote access Encrypted alternative to Telnet
WebSocket 80/443 Real-time communication Full-duplex, persistent connection

B. Transport Layer Protocols

Protocol Reliability Speed Use Case
TCP ✅ (Acks, retransmission) Slower Web, email, file transfer
UDP ❌ (No guarantees) Faster Video streaming, gaming, VoIP
SCTP ✅ (Multi-streaming) Medium Telecom, VoIP

C. Network Layer Protocols

Protocol Purpose
IP (IPv4/IPv6) Logical addressing & routing
ICMP Error reporting (e.g., ping)
ARP Maps IP to MAC address
BGP Internet routing (between ISPs)
OSPF Internal network routing (within AS)

D. Data Link Layer Protocols