Function The Internet Protocol is responsible for addressing hosts and for routing datagrams (packets) from a source host to a destination host across one or more IP networks. For this purpose, the Internet Protocol defines the format of packets and provides an addressing system that has two functions: identifying hosts; and providing a logical location service.[citation needed] Datagram construction Sample encapsulation of application data from UDP to a Link protocol frame Each datagram has two components: a header and a payload. The IP header is tagged with the source IP address, the destination IP address, and other meta-data needed to route and deliver the datagram. The payload is the data that is transported. This method of nesting the data payload in a packet with a header is called encapsulation. IP addressing and routing Main articles: IP address and IP forwarding algorithm IP addressing entails the assignment of IP addresses and associated parameters to host interfaces. The address space is divided into networks and subnetworks, involving the designation of network or routing prefixes. IP routing is performed by all hosts, but most importantly by routers, which transport packets across network boundaries. Routers communicate with one another via specially designed routing protocols, either interior gateway protocols or exterior gateway protocols, as needed for the topology of the network. IP routing is also common in local networks. For example, many Ethernet switches support IP multicast operations.[1] These switches use IP addresses and Internet Group Management Protocol to control multicast routing but use MAC addresses for the actual routing.[citation needed]
Posted on: Thu, 16 Jan 2014 08:17:06 +0000
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