TCP/IP ProtocolThe TCP/IP protocol (Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol) is the most widely used protocol today, encompassing over 100 protocols used on the Internet, with the two most important being TCP and IP. Due to its cross-platform and routable characteristics, TCP/IP enables the interconnection of networks and communication across different network segments. This has led many network operating systems to adopt TCP/IP as their built-in network protocol. When setting up a local area network (LAN), TCP/IP is generally the primary protocol used. However, configuring TCP/IP can be relatively complex compared to other protocols, as each node requires at least an IP address, subnet mask, default gateway, DNS server, and computer name (hostname).IP AddressTo facilitate communication between hosts on the Internet, each connected computer must be assigned a unique IP address to avoid confusion during data transmission or reception. An IP address is a 32-bit binary number, consisting of four 8-bit fields (each 8 bits is one byte), separated by dots. The most critical part of the IP protocol is the IP address within the data frame. Every device on the network must have its unique IP address to distinguish itself from other devices on the network.
Subnet Mask
A subnet mask is a “translation” of the IP address; it is a 32-bit binary number used for subnet management, primarily to extend the “network ID” in multi-segment environments.The two main functions of a subnet mask are: to divide the network into multiple subnets and to differentiate between the network number and the host number in the IP address.
Gateway
A gateway (Gateway), also known as an IP router (IP Router), is an intermediary device that connects an internal local area network to the Internet. It determines whether to send information from the user’s computer IP address out of the local network and also decides whether to receive information sent from the outside to the local network computer.
Domain Name Address (DNS)
It consists of resolvers and domain name servers. A domain name server is a server that stores the domain names and corresponding IP addresses of all hosts in the network and has the function of converting domain names into IP addresses.Each domain name must correspond to an IP address, while an IP address does not necessarily have a domain name.Domain name resolution: mapping a domain name to an IP address.
Hostname
The only unique identifier for user identity or device identity on the network is the IP address. Since IP addresses are not easy to remember and inconvenient to operate, each computer connected to the network can be assigned a hostname for easier memorization. However, it is important to note that there cannot be duplicate hostnames within the same local area network.