IP

IP
Name	IP
Type	Protocol
Developer	Vint Cerf; Bob Kahn; Internet Engineering Task Force
First pub	1974
Latest	IPv6
Status	Active

IP

The Internet Protocol is a packet‑switched network layer protocol that provides addressing, routing, fragmentation, and delivery services for datagrams across heterogeneous networks. It forms the foundation for suites defined by the Internet Protocol Suite, interoperates with link protocols such as Ethernet, and is specified through documents produced by the Internet Engineering Task Force and the Internet Architecture Board. Implementations appear in operating systems like Unix, Microsoft Windows, and Android and underpin services delivered by providers such as AT&T and Verizon.

Overview

The protocol defines a datagram structure used by stacks including Transmission Control Protocol, User Datagram Protocol, and Stream Control Transmission Protocol to provide end‑to‑end communication across networks like ARPANET and modern backbones operated by Level 3 Communications and NAT Networks. Core functions include logical addressing compatible with addressing plans used by regional registries such as RIPE NCC and ARIN, fragmentation/reassembly used in environments involving DSL or 802.11, and header fields that interact with link technologies such as PPP and GRE. Implementations are embedded in routers from vendors including Cisco Systems, Juniper Networks, and Huawei Technologies.

History and development

Origins trace to experimental internetworking research at ARPANET and design work by Vint Cerf and Bob Kahn culminating in early specifications used in projects like TCP/IP experiments at Stanford University and UCLA. Adoption accelerated with standardization in documents from the RFC series and deployment in networks managed by entities such as National Science Foundation‑backed backbones and commercial providers like Sprint. Subsequent milestones include addressing exhaustion debates involving IANA and the development of successor specifications driven by organizations including IETF working groups and the Internet Society.

Technical specifications and versions

Two principal versions exist: the original version standardized in early RFCs and the successor version specified to address address space limits and feature extensions. Version-specific elements cover header formats used by stacks like BSD and GNU implementations, extension mechanisms employed in systems designed by Apple Inc. and Google, and fragmentation behaviors considered in routers from Cisco Systems and Huawei Technologies. Related protocol artifacts include packet checksum behaviors in implementations for FreeBSD and Windows Server and options utilized by tunneling solutions such as IPsec and MPLS.

Addressing and routing

Addressing schemes evolved from fixed 32‑bit schemas allocated by IANA and distributed through registries including APNIC and LACNIC to expanded 128‑bit plans that support hierarchical aggregation used by providers like Comcast and Deutsche Telekom. Routing protocols that carry network reachability information include Border Gateway Protocol, Open Shortest Path First, and Routing Information Protocol which are implemented in systems by Cisco Systems, Juniper Networks, and in community projects like Quagga and FRRouting. Address translation technologies deployed by vendors like Netgear and in platforms such as pfSense mediate between private allocations and public allocations issued by ARIN.

Implementations and use cases

Implementations appear across operating systems such as Linux, FreeBSD, Microsoft Windows, and embedded firmware from Broadcom and Qualcomm. Use cases include content delivery networks run by Akamai Technologies, cloud platforms offered by Amazon Web Services and Microsoft Azure, and large‑scale datacenter fabrics designed by Facebook and Google. Tunneling and mobility use cases leverage specifications implemented in projects like OpenVPN, WireGuard, and vendor solutions from Cisco Systems and Juniper Networks enabling virtual private networks for enterprises such as IBM and Oracle Corporation.

Security and privacy considerations

Security issues encompass spoofing, misuse of routing protocols such as incidents involving BGP Hijacking and vulnerabilities exploited in firmware from vendors like TP‑Link; mitigations include authentication and cryptographic mechanisms exemplified by IPsec and routing security practices promulgated by MANRS. Privacy concerns relate to address traceability addressed by proposals and deployments from organizations like IETF working groups and privacy projects such as Tor Project and anonymization techniques used in research at MIT and Stanford University. Operational controls are applied in products from Cisco Systems and Palo Alto Networks and by registries including ARIN enforcing allocation policies.

Standards and governance

Standards are produced through the IETF process captured in the RFC series overseen by the Internet Architecture Board and administered by IANA. Governance and policy coordination involve regional registries like RIPE NCC, APNIC, LACNIC, and AFRINIC alongside stakeholder organizations including the Internet Society and national entities such as Federal Communications Commission. Interoperability testing and certification efforts occur in consortiums and events organized by groups like ETSI and industry teams at IEEE conferences.

Category:Network protocols