Network programming is a vast area. The internet protocol (IP) suite consists of four layers, each of which has a dozen or more protocols:
- The link layer: The group of protocols used when a client is physically connected to the host; three core protocols include the Address Resolution Protocol (ARP), the Reverse Address Resolution Protocol (RARP), and the Neighbor Discovery Protocol (NDP).
- The internet layer: The group of inter-networking methods, protocols, and specifications used to transport network packets from the originating host to the destination host, specified by an IP address. The core protocols of this layer are Internet Protocol version 4 (IPv4) and Internet Protocol version 6 (IPv6); IPv6 specifies a new packet format and allocates 128 bits for the dotted IP address, compared to 32 bits in IPv4. An example of an IPv4 address is 10011010.00010111...
