RFC 1180 (rfc1180) - Page 1 of 28
TCP/IP tutorial
Alternative Format: Original Text Document
Network Working Group T. Socolofsky
Request for Comments: 1180 C. Kale
Spider Systems Limited
January 1991
A TCP/IP Tutorial
Status of this Memo
This RFC is a tutorial on the TCP/IP protocol suite, focusing
particularly on the steps in forwarding an IP datagram from source
host to destination host through a router. It does not specify an
Internet standard. Distribution of this memo is unlimited.
Table of Contents
1. Introduction................................................ 1
2. TCP/IP Overview............................................. 2
3. Ethernet.................................................... 8
4. ARP......................................................... 9
5. Internet Protocol........................................... 12
6. User Datagram Protocol...................................... 22
7. Transmission Control Protocol............................... 24
8. Network Applications........................................ 25
9. Other Information........................................... 27
10. References.................................................. 27
11. Relation to other RFCs...................................... 27
12. Security Considerations..................................... 27
13. Authors' Addresses.......................................... 28
1. Introduction
This tutorial contains only one view of the salient points of TCP/IP,
and therefore it is the "bare bones" of TCP/IP technology. It omits
the history of development and funding, the business case for its
use, and its future as compared to ISO OSI. Indeed, a great deal of
technical information is also omitted. What remains is a minimum of
information that must be understood by the professional working in a
TCP/IP environment. These professionals include the systems
administrator, the systems programmer, and the network manager.
This tutorial uses examples from the UNIX TCP/IP environment, however
the main points apply across all implementations of TCP/IP.
Note that the purpose of this memo is explanation, not definition.
If any question arises about the correct specification of a protocol,
please refer to the actual standards defining RFC.
Socolofsky & Kale