Editing Protocol stack (section)

{{Short description|Comprehensive computer networking implementation}}

[[File:OSI Model v1.svg|thumb|Protocol stack of the [[OSI model]]]]

The '''protocol stack''' or '''network stack''' is an [[implementation]] of a [[computer network]]ing '''protocol suite''' or '''protocol family'''.  Some of these terms are used interchangeably but strictly speaking, the ''suite'' is the definition of the [[communication protocol]]s, and the ''stack'' is the [[software]] implementation of them.<ref>{{cite web 
| title = What is a protocol stack?
| date = 24 September 1997
| access-date = 2010-02-21
| url = http://www.webopedia.com/TERM/P/protocol_stack.html
| publisher   = WEBOPEDIA
| quote = A [protocol stack is a] set of network protocol layers that work together. The [[OSI Reference Model]] that defines seven protocol layers is often called a stack, as is the set of TCP/IP protocols that define communication over the Internet.
}}</ref>

Individual protocols within a suite are often designed with a single purpose in mind. This [[Modularity (programming)|modularization]] simplifies design and evaluation. Because each protocol module usually communicates with two others, they are commonly imagined as [[Abstraction layer|layers]] in a stack of protocols. The lowest protocol always deals with low-level interaction with the communications hardware. Each higher layer adds additional capabilities. User applications usually deal only with the topmost layers.<ref>{{cite web
| title = The OSI Model, Part 10. The Application Layer
| access-date = 2010-02-21
| publisher = Ika-Reutte
| author = Georg N. Strauß
| date = 2010-01-09
| url = http://www.ika-reutte.at/elearning/OSI_Model.doc
| quote = The Application layer is the topmost layer of the OSI model, and it provides services that directly support user applications, such as database access, e-mail, and file transfers.
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20120320162240/http://www.ika-reutte.at/elearning/OSI_Model.doc
| archive-date = 2012-03-20
| url-status = dead
}}</ref>