When sharing information or communicating over a network we exchange data through five components:
1. Message: This refers to the information or data to be communicated which could be text, numbers, pictures, audio, and video is the message.
2. Sender: Here we are referring to the sender as the device that sends the data message. It can be a computer, workstation, mobile phone, camera, and so on.
3. Receiver: Here we are referring to the receiver as the device that receives the message. It can be a computer, workstation, mobile phone, television, and so on.
4. Transmission/communication medium: This is the medium or path which facilitates messages to travel from sender to receiver. Some examples of transmission media include twisted-pair wire, coaxial cable, fiber-optic cable, radio waves, microwaves and satellites. Mostly it is a combination of different transmission media.
5. Protocol: This is a set of rules that govern data communications. It represents an agreement between the communicating devices and without a protocol, two devices may be connected but not communicating like two people who are speaking two different languages. Most used protocols are TCP/IP, HTTPS, SMTP, IMAP, POP3.
