Most of a technician’s work, in either a small or a large network, will in some way be involved with network protocols. Network protocols support the applications and services used by employees in a small network. Common network protocols include:

Click the servers in the figure for a brief description of the network services each provides.

These network protocols comprise the fundamental tool set of a network professional. Each of these network protocols defines:

Many companies have established a policy of using secure versions of these protocols whenever possible. These protocols are HTTPS, SFTP, and SSH.