SLIP Full Form

What is the full form of SLIP?

The full form of SLIP is Serial Line Internet Protocol. The RFC (Request for Comments) 1055 describes SLIP as a TCP/IP implementation. It creates a point-to-point serial connection by encapsulating the IP (Internet Protocol). This connection is functional across dial-up, serial ports, and routers. Over a serial line, SLIP acts to encapsulate IP packets. It achieves this while using a line speed ranging from 12000 bps to 19.2 kbps to make connections.

Rick Adams used SLIP to link 4.2 Berkeley Unix and Sun Microsystems machines in 1984, which led to the invention of the protocol. It quickly caught up to everyone else as a reliable TCP/IP implementation. It has since been superseded by PPP (Point to Point Protocol), which addresses many of its shortcomings. For internet connections, SLIP is used. Through telephone lines and the modem, this protocol offers internet access to the workstation or anywhere else. It only works with TCP/IP protocols.

Frame of SLIP

A flag that serves as an end delimiter and the payload make up the very basic structure of a SLIP frame. Typically, the flag is a special character that is equal to decimal 192. If this flag is present in the data, an escape sequence comes before it so that the receiver won't interpret it as the frame's end.

Background of SLIP

• In 1984, Rick Adams introduced SLIP by using it to link Microsystems workstations with 4.2 Berkeley Unix Sun.

• The rest of the world quickly caught up to SLIP as a reliable TCP/IP implementation.

• Since the Point-to-Point Protocol (PPP) took its place, SLIP is no longer in use. It addresses several SLIP shortcomings.

SLIP Characteristics

• It is the Point-to-Point Protocol's precursor protocol (PPP).

• SLIP doesn't offer any authentication.

• The ESC (decimal 129) and END are two new special characters introduced by SLIP (decimal 192). In a data packet, SLIP delivers either the two-byte sequence of ESC and octal 335 or ESC and octal 334 depending on whether the code of the data byte indicates the ESC or END character.

• It covers every packet of the internet protocol.

• A protocol built from SLIP is called compressed SLIP.

• Since there is no established standard, SLIP has no maximum packet size. However, the most often used datagram size for receiving and sending is 1006 bytes.

• When using SLIP, the sender must be aware of the IP addresses needed on both ends of the connection.

Advantages

• It may support a variety of network configurations, including host-host, host-router, router-router, and others.

• Its little overhead makes it simple to utilise with microcontrollers.

• Due to the widespread use of TCP/IP and the fact that it is a simple packet protocol, it is simple to implement.

Disadvantages

• It doesn't do any data authentication and utilising SLIP, IP addresses cannot be given dynamically.

• No type identification method is offered by SLIP. No indication of the protocol type conveyed can be made. Therefore, SLIP connections can only support one protocol at a time.

• It lacks a system for detecting or fixing errors during data transmission.

• There is no way for hosts to exchange addressing information over a SLIP connection.

• No compression features are offered by SLIP to increase packet throughput.

• No compression features are offered by SLIP to increase packet throughput. CSLIP was a version employed for the same purpose, but it was not successful in gaining widespread use.

Why SLIP is Replaced by PPP?

• Network configuration negotiations. For the following reasons, the Point-to-Point Protocol (PPP) has essentially taken its place:

• While PPP is a multiprotocol encapsulation protocol that can also handle Internetwork Packet Exchange (IPX) and AppleTalk, SLIP only supports TCP/IP. If you are connected to the Internet, which is wholly TCP/IP-based, this is not a problem.

• While PPP can negotiate the host's TCP/IP parameters during session formation, SLIP typically necessitates manual configuration of the host's TCP/IP parameters. The host's IP address, window size, and compression are some of these parameters.

• While PPP supports both the Password Authentication Protocol and SLIP, the latter may need the user to build a script to automate the logon procedure (PAP). Additionally, you can automatically forward your credentials to the PPP server for authentication using the Challenge Handshake Authentication Protocol (CHAP).