Which field in the IPv4 header indicates whether the IP packet carries TCP or UDP traffic?
Which field in the IPv4 header indicates whether the IP packet carries TCP or UDP traffic?
The Protocol field in the IPv4 header specifies the type of data carried in the payload of the IP packet. It indicates whether the packet is carrying TCP, UDP, or other types of traffic by using protocol numbers, such as 6 for TCP and 17 for UDP. Therefore, this field allows the IP layer to properly handle and pass the data to the appropriate transport layer protocol.
A: The Protocol field in the IPv4 header contains a number indicating the type of data found in the payload portion of the datagram. The most common values are 17 (for UDP) and 6 (for TCP). This field provides a demultiplexing feature so that the IP protocol can be used to carry payloads of more than one protocol type.