group2_old bridge:network protocol analysis

Network protocol analysis is a process for a program to decode network protocol headers and trailers to understand the data and information inside the packet encapsulated by the protocol. To conduct protocol analysis, packets must be captured at real time for line speed analysis or later analysis. Such program or device is called a Protocol Analyzer.

We first have to understand what is a network.
A computer network is a system in which computers are connected to share information . The connection can be done as peer-to-peer or client/server.
Peer-to-peer is a communications model in which each party has the same capabilities and either party can initiate a communication session.
On the Internet, peer-to-peer (referred to as P2P) is a type of transient Internet network that allows a group of computer users with the same networking program to connect with each other and directly access files from one another's hard drives like the very famous

picture source-cyberpunknet.blogspot.com

Napster(www.napster.com, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/napster) & the not so famous Gnutella(en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gnutella)
Protocol-In information technology, a protocol is the special set of rules that end points in a network connection use when they communicate.
Its very interesting how they conferred it protocol.The word protocol is derived from the Greek word protocollon, which was a leaf of paper glued to a manuscript volume, describing its contents which is very similar to the rules that are being followed for communication in a network.
The tools that are used for network protocol analysis are called as network protocol analyzers example-Ethereal (www.ethereal.com/)& wireshark(www.wireshark.org/) which can also be used on windows platform
the screenshot of ethereal on windows platform

Picture source -ethereal.com

As we can see in the picture, it analyses the protocol. Ethereal is used by network professionals around the world for troubleshooting, analysis, software and protocol development, and education.wireshark is a improved version of ethereal it can also be run on windows platform

picture source
-linuxmigration.com