protocol

1. the formal etiquette and code of behaviour, precedence, and procedure for state and diplomatic ceremonies

2. a memorandum or record of an agreement, esp one reached in international negotiations, a meeting, etc.

a. an amendment to a treaty or convention

b. an annexe appended to a treaty to deal with subsidiary matters or to render the treaty more lucid

c. a formal international agreement or understanding on some matter

4. Philosophy a statement that is immediately verifiable by experience

5. Computing the set form in which data must be presented for handling by a particular computer configuration, esp in the transmission of information between different computer systems

Collins Discovery Encyclopedia, 1st edition © HarperCollins Publishers 2005

protocol

[′prōd·ə‚kȯl]

(computer science)

A set of hardware and software interfaces in a terminal or computer which allows it to transmit over a communications network, and which collectively forms a communications language.

communication protocol

(science and technology)

A procedure that must be used when performing specified measurements or related operations in order for results to be acceptable to the specifying agency.

protocol

A set of formal rules describing how to transmit data, especially across a network. Low level protocols define the electrical and physical standards to be observed, bit- and byte-ordering and the transmission and error detection and correction of the bit stream. High level protocols deal with the data formatting, including the syntax of messages, the terminal to computer dialogue, character sets, sequencing of messages etc.

Many protocols are defined by RFCs or by OSI.

See also handshaking.

This article is provided by FOLDOC - Free Online Dictionary of Computing (foldoc.org)

protocol

The format of data and the procedure that manages the exchange of the data between two locations. The term protocol is commonly used with networks and communications. However, a protocol may refer to an exchange of data between applications within a computer, although that process is more likely called an application programming interface (see API). The term comes from the Greek "protokollon," which was the cover page to a manuscript that provided a description of the contents. See communications protocol, protocol stack, blockchain protocol and OSI model.

Copyright © 1981-2025 by The Computer Language Company Inc. All Rights reserved. THIS DEFINITION IS FOR PERSONAL USE ONLY. All other reproduction is strictly prohibited without permission from the publisher.

The following article is from The Great Soviet Encyclopedia (1979). It might be outdated or ideologically biased.

Protocol

a body of generally accepted rules, traditions, and conventions observed by governments, departments of foreign affairs, diplomatic representatives and employees, and other officials in international relations.

Protocol determines the order of visits, the forms of diplomatic correspondence, and the procedure for diplomatic receptions. It regulates the manner of receiving a foreign head of state, the head of government of a foreign state, and other foreign dignitaries and governmental delegations. All countries adhere to the rules of protocol, although each country applies them with due regard for its social structure, national characteristics, and customs.