Based on our chosen organization and the layout of our upgraded design, the South Dakota Campus needed some revamping in order to meet its user needs and allow the network to flow without issues. It is important to understand how protocols play an important role in the decision making and upgrading of any network. We can start by understanding what a protocol is. A protocol is basically a way of ensuring that devices are able to talk to each other effectively. In most cases, a protocol describes how communication is accomplished between one particular software or hardware element in two or more devices. In the OSI model, a protocol is defined as a set of rules governing communication between entities at the same Reference Model layer. In other words, a protocol specifies a means of communication with predetermined agreements for effective relay of information. Protocols are important because they define a language and a set of rules and procedures that enable devices and systems to communicate. Network protocols ensure that all devices on a network are in agreement about how actions must be performed in the communication process.
A few things needed to be considered in order to figure out the layout of our network and protocol. One key goal was to keep the network as basic and simple as possible, while still meeting all the requirements for communicating data packets. A data packet is a unit of data made into a single package that travels along a given network path. Data packets are used in Internet Protocol (IP) transmissions for data that navigates the Web, and in other kinds of networks. The system needs to support self-configuration, meaning each host needs to join the network and know where to send its packets without user intervention. Building the network protocols using a layered approach, as with the Open Systems Interconnection (OSI) model,