TCP Full Form

TCP full form is Transmission Control Protocol. It is one of the Internet protocol suite's two primary protocols, the other protocol is the Internet Protocol.  A trustworthy way of transferring data over a network is provided. TCP is a very vital internet protocol. To know more about TCP, read this article.

What is the Full Form of TCP? 

The full form of TCP is Transmission Control Protocol. A reliable, safe, and secure method of sending data over a network,  through the use of TCP. This is achieved by dividing the data into little packets that are known as segments and sending them one at a time. Each segment is then provided with a sequence number which helps the receiver to rearrange them in a proper order.  To ensure that no damage is done during the transmission of segments, TCP employs a checksum.

In the event of a segment being lost or damaged, an error message is relayed by the receiver to the sender, who then transmits the segment again. Until all the segments are completely and successfully delivered this step is repeated over and over again.

WORKING OF THE TCP PROTOCOL

History of TCP 

 Two computer scientists at the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), Vint Cerf and Bob Kahn came up with the idea of inventing the Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) in the early 1970s.

 For the ARPANET, TCP had been designed. A packet-switched network that served as the internet's forerunner. The ARPANET was intended to be an extremely reliable network, and TCP was important to ensure that the data between network sites was being transmitted smoothly and perfectly.

In December 1974, TCP was introduced in RFC 675. TCP initially was a connection-oriented protocol, which means that before any data is ready to be transferred, a connection must first be established between the sender and the receiver. TCP also ensured that all data was delivered to the destination. 

Throughout the years TCP  has been modified and improved. The latest version is version 6, which was released in 2008. Version 6 contains a lot of new features, for example, IPv6 compatibility, an increase in speed, and updates regarding security issues. 

TCP is a widely used protocol for transmitting data all over the internet.  The World Wide Web, email, file transfer, and remote login make use of this protocol. 

Key Events in the History of TCP:-

• Vint Cerf and Bob Kahn established a connection-oriented protocol for the ARPANET in 1973.
• TCP was initially published in RFC 675 in 1974.
• The Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) standardized TCP in 1981.
• TCP was accepted as the internet's standard protocol in 1983.
• TCP was upgraded to version 2 in 1995.
• TCP was upgraded to version 6 in 2008.

Advantages of TCP 

Connection-oriented: Before transmission of any data, TCP creates a connection between the receiver and the sender. This guarantees that the data is delivered in a consistent and orderly method.

Reliable: TCP ensures that all data is successfully  transmitted to the end destination, otherwise it sends an error message to the se

Stream-oriented: TCP delivers data in the form of a constant stream of bytes with no breaks. If necessary, the receiver has the responsibility for breaking the data down into smaller portions.

Flow control: To regulate the flow of data, TCP employs a sliding window method.

Error detection and Correction: Checksums are utilized by TCP to detect and rectify faults in data packets. In case of error, it is retransmitted to the sender. 

Disadvantages of TCP 

Overhead: Since TCP is a connection-oriented protocol,  greater overhead is required than a connectionless protocol. Down data transmission might be delayed due to this overhead. 

Latency: TCP employs a sliding window method, to manage an uninterrupted flow of data. This might result in delay, or the time lag between when data is delivered and when it is received.

Not ideally suited:TCP is not ideally suited for applications that operate in real-time, as some other protocols, such as UDP, are. This makes real-time applications unreliable as TCP can add delay. 

Vulnerable to congestion: When an excessive amount of data is delivered over a network, TCP is very susceptible to congestion. This congestion would further result in transmission being delayed.

Layers of TCP 

Application layer: This layer has the responsibility of TCP-based applications. The HTTP protocol, for example, is utilized for surfing online, whereas the FTP protocol is utilized for the transmission of files. 

Transport layer:  This layer is responsible for distributing data into packets and guaranteeing that it is transmitted properly. 

Internet Layer:  This layer is in control of routing data packets to their end destinations. 

Network Access layer: In this layer, the protocols supply the means for a system to transmit the data to various other devices on a network that has a direct connection. The utilization of a network to deliver an IP datagram is described in this layer. 

Written By:
Mia Singh