Internet Protocol

Internet protocol (IP) is a normally accepted methodology of sending data from one computer system to another over the internet. Every computer on the internet is given a unique IP address that identifies one computer from the other. When a message or email is sent from one computer to another, the message is split into smaller portions that are termed as packets or data grams. These packets carry both the sender and receiver’s IP address. The packet first reaches a gateway computer which sends it to another gateway within the network of the receiver’s area and from their it reaches the recipient’s IP address. The packets can reach the destination in any order and the message is reassembled in the correct form and delivered to the receiver’s address by a new protocol called transmission control protocol(TCP). The IPv4 (internet protocol version 4) has completely exhausted its address numbers and is now taken over by IPv6 which comes with many enhanced features.