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IP Overview Configuring IP
page 14-4 OmniSwitch 6600 Family Network Configuration Guide April 2006
IP Overview
IP is a network-layer (Layer 3) protocol that contains addressing and control information that enables
packets to be forwarded on a network. IP is the primary network-layer protocol in the Internet protocol
suite. Along with TCP, IP represents the heart of the Internet protocols.
IP Protocols
IP is associated with several Layer 3 and Layer 4 protocols. These protocols are built into the base code
loaded on the switch. A brief overview of supported IP protocols is included below.
Transport Protocols
IP is both connectionless (it forwards each datagram separately) and unreliable (it does not guarantee
delivery of datagrams). This means that a datagram may be damaged in transit, or thrown away by a busy
switch, or simply never make it to its destination. The resolution of these transit problems is to use a Layer
4 transport protocol, such as:
• TCP—A major data transport mechanism that provides reliable, connection-oriented, full-duplex data
streams. While the role of TCP is to add reliability to IP, TCP relies upon IP to do the actual delivering
of datagrams.
• UDP—A secondary transport-layer protocol that uses IP for delivery. UDP is not connection-oriented
and does not provide reliable end-to-end delivery of datagrams. But some applications can safely use
UDP to send datagrams that do not require the extra overhead added by TCP. For more information on
UDP, see Chapter 18, “Configuring DHCP Relay.”
Application-Layer Protocols
Application-layer protocols are used for switch configuration and management:
• Bootstrap Protocol (BOOTP)/Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP)—May be used by an end
station to obtain an IP address. The switch provides a DHCP Relay that allows BOOTP requests/replies
to cross different networks.
• Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP)—Allows communication between SNMP managers
and SNMP agents on an IP network. Network administrators use SNMP to monitor network perfor-
mance and manage network resources. For more information, see the “Using SNMP” chapter in the
OmniSwitch 6600 Family Switch Management Guide.
• Telnet—Used for remote connections to a device. You can telnet to a switch and configure the switch
and the network using the CLI.
• File Transfer Protocol (FTP)—Enables the transfer of files between hosts. This protocol is used to load
new images onto the switch.