Characteristics: The concepts of distributed processing and computer network system imply that entities in different systems need to communicate. We use the terms entity and system in a very general sense. Examples of entities are user application programs, file transfer packages, data base management systems, electronic mail facilities, and terminals. Examples of systems are computers, terminals, and remote sensors.
Note that in some cases the entity and the system in which it resides are coextensive (e.g., terminals). In general, an entity is anything capable of sending or receiving information and a system is a physically distinct object that contains one or more entities. For two entities to successfully communicate, they must “speak the same language.” What is communicated, how it is communicated, and when it is communicated must conform to some mutually acceptable set of conventions between the entities involved. The set of conventions is referred to as a protocol, which may be defined as a set of rules governing the exchange of data between two entities.
HDLC protocol is an example of a protocol. The data to be exchanged must be sent in frames of a specific format (syntax). The control field provides a variety of regulatory functions, such as setting a mode and establishing a connection (semantics). Provisions are also included for flow control (timing). Most of Part Four will be devoted to discussing other examples of protocols.
# Some important characteristics of a protocol are:
- Direct /indirect
- Monolithic/structured
- Symmetric/asymmetric
- Standard /nonstandard
Communication between two entities may be direct or indirect. Figure 11.1 depicts possible situations. If two systems share a point-to-point link, the entities in these systems may communicate directly; that is, data and control information pass directly between entities with no intervening active agent. The same may be said of a multipoint configuration, although here the entities must be concerned with the issue of access control, making the protocol more complex.
If systems connect through a switched communication network, a direct protocol is no longer possible. The two entities must depend on the functioning of other entities to exchange data. A more extreme case is a situation in which two entities do not even share the same switched network, but are indirectly connected through two or more networks. A set of such interconnected networks is termed an internet.
Fig 11.1: Means of connection of communicating systems.
A protocol is either monolithic or structured. It should become clear as Part Four proceeds that the task of communication between entities on different systems is too complex to be handled as a unit. For example, consider an electronic mail package running on two computers connected by a synchronous HDLC link. To be truly monolithic, the package would need to include all of the HDLC logic. If the connection were over a packet-switched network, the package would still need the HDLC logic (or some equivalent) to attach to the network.
It would also need logic for breaking up mail into packet-sized chunks, logic for requesting a virtual circuit, and so forth. Mail should only be sent when the destination system and entity are active and ready to receive; logic is needed for that kind of coordination, and, as we shall see, the list goes on. A change in any aspect means that this huge package must be modified, with the risk of introducing difficult-to-find bugs.
Fig 11.2 : The use of standard protocols.
