Ask HN: How do TCP/IP packets work?

https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14435876

by softvar • 9 years ago

1 2 9 years ago

news.ycombinator.com

dozzie• 9 years ago

https://tools.ietf.org/html/rfc791

https://tools.ietf.org/html/rfc793

ColinWright• 9 years ago

It's not clear what your question is. Here's a starting point.

The Internet runs on packets of data.

* IP : Internet Protocol : [0][1]

UDP is a simple wrapper around that to include a few extra things such as ports and the like.

* UDP : User Datagram Protocol : [2][3]

Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) describes how to break a stream into packets and send them over IP, to reassemble them at the other end, and send back acknowledgements to guarantee deliver. It also has mechanisms to help prevent congestion.

* TCP : Transmission Control Protocol : [4][5][6]

If you read, or at least skim those, then you will be able to ask a proper, well-formulated question.

However, the short version:

    Q: Ask HN: How do TCP/IP packets work?

    A: Very well, thank you.

----

[0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internet_Protocol

[1] https://tools.ietf.org/html/rfc791

[2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User_Datagram_Protocol

[3] https://tools.ietf.org/html/rfc768

[4] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transmission_Control_Protocol

[5] https://tools.ietf.org/html/rfc675

[6] https://tools.ietf.org/html/rfc793

Ask HN: How do TCP/IP packets work?

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