The Internet’s been available to the public since 1985, but it wasn’t until the late nineties it was a household item like a television or a computer. Chances are, if you’re viewing this page you at least have had some background knowledge of using the Internet, but do you know how it has adapted to today’s protocols? Do you want to know how information transfers itself onto your browser, how emails are sent and received? If your answer is yes, keep reading and discover the protocols our modern-day Internet uses. How much do you know about your Internet, and the protocols behind it? Read on to find out!

A protocol is like a rule book – or a set or rules. They govern data use and how it is transmitted onto the internet, which essentially is between computer devices. Examples of protocols include TCP/IP, HTTP, FTP and SMTP.

Transmission control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) is a common language used for data and error detection and transmission. It works by breaking information and data into many packets of information and data – each of which contain information about the receiving computer address. The TCP tells this computer what’s in the packet and the IP Protocol tells the computer where and how to send the packet. What happens is that as many large blocks of information are split up into small packets, they are sent to another computer. When they arrive (which can occur by many different routes) they reassemble themselves into the original data.

What kind of data, you ask? Well, it can be anything! Text files, graphics, media, scripts, source code, anything that can be viewed by your computer has been transferred from another place, another hard drive, another server.

HyperText Transfer Protocol (HTTP) – Used for transferring the contents of a web page onto a browser, like an automatic copy-and-paste. Though it doesn’t download the files that make up the web page, HTTP uses http:// to connect to the server to make sure that the web page appears on your browser for viewing
The Hyper Text Transfer Protocol isn’t about the commercial .coms or the government .govs, it’s simply about getting that webpage onto your browser for your convenience.

File Transfer Protocol (FTP) – This is the Protocol that downloads and uploads files. Whenever ‘ftp’ appears in the URL then the browser is connecting to a FILE server. In this way, files or downloads can be downloaded from the page the browser is connecting to, and usually a change of files will take place.
Ever downloaded a game, or a software package? Your browser will have connected to an FTP server to get it onto your hard drive or screen before you can use it. If there’s a problem with the FTP server or one doesn’t exist, you wouldn’t be able to download anything
Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP)– this protocol is used for email. Most email messages are sent using this Protocol, and sent into cyberspace before reaching its destination.

The protocols themselves are being updated to suit more modern systems but the interesting fact is, they basically have remained the same for fourteen years, if you start counting from the free public release!

 And after reading this article in StealthyTech, you can enjoy the technology standards that most take for granted!