About Protocols; How Information Travels On The Internet - Watchguard Firebox X15 User Manual

Introduction to Network Security

About protocols

A protocol is a group of rules that allow computers to connect across a network. Protocols are the grammar of
the language that computers use when they speak to each other across a network.
The standard protocol when you connect to the Internet is the IP (Internet Protocol). This protocol is the usual
language of computers on the Internet.
A protocol also tells how data is sent through a network. The most frequently used protocols are TCP
(Transmission Control Protocol) and UDP (User Datagram Protocol).
TCP/IP is the basic protocol used by computers that connect to the Internet.
You must know some settings of TCP/IP when you set up your Firebox X Edge. For more information on
TCP/IP, see Find your TCP/IP

How Information Travels on the Internet

The data that you send through the Internet is cut into units, or packets. Each packet includes the Internet
address of the destination. The packets that make up a connection can use different routes through the
Internet. When they all get to their destination, they are assembled back into the original order. To make sure
that the packets get to the destination, address information is added to the packets.
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