Which protocol suite is nonproprietary and used to communicate across networks?

• A. Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP)
• B. Open Shortest Path First (OSPF)
• C. User Datagram Protocol (UDP)
• D. Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP)

Answer: (D)

The idea being tested is a universal, vendor-neutral way devices communicate over different networks. TCP/IP is the set of protocols that underpins nearly all internet communication. It’s built as open standards, published publicly so anyone can implement them, which makes it nonproprietary. It provides the layered framework that lets data be addressed, routed, and delivered across diverse networks, from home setups to global backbones. Within this suite, IP handles addressing and routing, while transport protocols like TCP offer reliable delivery and UDP offers fast, connectionless transmission. HTTP is a web protocol that sits on top of this suite, and OSPF is a routing protocol used within networks, while UDP is just one transport protocol inside the suite. None of these alone defines cross-network communication the way TCP/IP does, so TCP/IP is the open, widely adopted protocol suite used to communicate across networks.