Glossary of Data Communications TermsCourtesy Enterprise-Wide Computing, Inc. |
Term:
protocol
Definition: (1) A specification for the format and relative timing of information exchanged between communicating parties. (2) In SNA, the meanings of, and the sequencing rules for, requests and responses used for managing the network, transferring data, and synchronizing the states of network components. (3) A formal set of conventions governing the format and relative timing of message exchange in a communications network. (4) formal description of a set of rules and conventions that govern how devices on a network exchange information. |