Network Protocols and Tools to Help Produce Them
H. R. Rudin · Annual Review of Computer Science · 1987
Protocols are the nervous system of computer-communication systems. They provide communication between remote as well as co-located pro cesses; they synchronize component tasks working towards a common goal. There are three reasons for the growing interest in protocols. First, now that it is economically feasible to build small processing units, distributed systems have become attractive for most applications. Protocols hold distributed systems together. Second, there is a growing desire to provide communication between heretofore independent information-handling systems. These systems are apt to function in different ways and have different internal languages, protocol conversion bridges the gaps. Third, as systems-even single-processor systems-provide more and more func tion, the only chance of containing complexity is to partition that function, using protocols to integrate the partitions. Most teleprocessing-equipment manufacturers have long since recog nized that to be able to interconnect their various products efficiently, they must define and abide by a well-defined architecture. Such an architecture defines (a) the format and structure of the messages that flow between the various system components, and (b) the protocols, the rules according to