A network protocol defines the rules and procedures in which data communication occurs among devices over a network. Without predefined rules or procedures, the messages traversing a network would be without any particular formatting and may not be meaningful to the recipient device. To further discuss the importance of having protocols on a network/system, we will use the following analogy to provide you with a real-world situation compared to network protocols.
Let's imagine you work for an organization, ACME Corporation, and within the company there are many policies and procedures that govern the handling of day-to-day transactions and activities within the organization. One of the most important procedures is the emergency evacuation plan. If there's an emergency within the organization, the procedure documents the rules and guidelines each employee...