Which protocol is primarily responsible for reliable data transmission?

The protocol that is primarily responsible for reliable data transmission is TCP, or Transmission Control Protocol. TCP achieves reliability through several key mechanisms.

First, it establishes a connection between sender and receiver before data transmission begins, using a process known as the three-way handshake. This ensures that both the sender and receiver are ready for data transmission and can communicate effectively.

Once the connection is established, TCP guarantees that data packets are delivered in the correct order. It includes sequence numbers in each packet, allowing the receiving device to reassemble them in the proper order, even if they arrive out of sequence.

Another important aspect of TCP is its error-checking capability. It uses checksums to detect any errors in the transmitted data segments. If a corrupted packet is detected, TCP can request that the sender retransmits the affected segment, ensuring that the data received is accurate and complete.

TCP also implements flow control through a sliding window mechanism, regulating how much data can be sent before requiring an acknowledgment from the receiver. This prevents overwhelming the receiver with too much data at once, which further contributes to the reliability of the transmission.

In contrast, other protocols listed do not provide the same level of reliable data transmission. UDP, for example, is a connectionless protocol that does not