HOW TO CHOOSE A PROTOCOL?

Choosing and Combining Protocols

The factors that govern the choice and implementation of protocols on a network are:


Physical layout of the network: The Physical layout is the topology of the network used. For example, the star topology typically uses the Ethernet protocol.

Span of the network: Networks can span a room, a floor, a building, a city, a country, or continents. The span of the network also dictates what protocols need to be implemented. For example, networks that span across cities, countries, and continents can use protocols, such as TCP/IP, while networks in a room or on a floor can use protocols, such as NetBIOS and NetBEUI.

Network operating system (NOS): NOSs also influence the choice of protocols largely. For example, Netware v3.2 uses the IPX/SPX protocol suite, while Windows 3.11 uses NetBEUI, by default.
Budget of the organization: This factor is possibly the most important factor because it influences the physical layout of the network and the choice of NOS, which, in turn, influences the choice of protocol.


The choice of a protocol to be used on a network depends on the requirements of the network. The requirements of a network may change over time.
To understand this, consider a scenario in which an organization had a LAN setup of 10 computers a decade ago. This network used the NetBEUI protocol. Now, the company wishes to connect the LAN to the Internet. Because the Internet uses TCP/IP, the company cannot use NetBEUI to communicate over the Internet.

Similarly, consider a scenario in which an organization with a TCP/IP-based network takes over another organization, which has two mainframes. In this case, the SNA protocol is required to implement connectivity between the two mainframes and TCP/IP-based hosts.