When computers communicate with one another, certain rules, or protocols, allow them to transmit and receive data in an orderly fashion. Throughout the world, one of the most routinely used sets of protocols is the Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP). (Much of Europe, however, uses the X.25 protocol.) Some common functions for using TCP/IP are electronic mail, computer-to-computer file transfer, and remote login.
Topics discussed in this chapter are: