TCP is commonly employed alongside IP (Internet Protocol) to establish a two-way virtual connection between two computers.
TCP/IP sockets facilitate communication between computers, such as between a workstation with a browser and a web server, through the exchange of a stream of data packets.
The use of a TCP connection enables the transfer of large data items, which exceed the size limits of a single packet, including video clips, email attachments, or music files.
Although certain web pages are sufficiently small to fit within a single packet, they are typically transmitted over TCP connections for enhanced reliability and error control.
A notable use case arises when a computer, referred to as 'Computer A,' experiences a system crash during an active TCP connection.
A prototype "Buster" software package was demonstrated in 1995 that would send forged resets to any TCP connection that used port numbers in a short list.
[4] By late 2007, Comcast began using forged TCP resets to cripple peer-to-peer and certain groupware applications on their customers' computers.
[5] This started a controversy, which was followed by the creation of the Network Neutrality Squad (NNSquad) by Lauren Weinstein, Vint Cerf, David Farber, Craig Newmark and other well-known founders and champions of openness on the Internet.