The Internet includes many different protocols, services, technology and applica

Question

The Internet includes many different protocols, services, technology and applications, all of
which work together. This diversity is possible due to the architectural design of both IP and the Internet,
and this design approach is often referred to as an “hourglass” design. Describe, from a technical
perspective, what is meant by an “hourglass” design. Explain how this approach promotes the
implementation of new protocols and extensions to current protocols. Your answer should include a few
examples of different protocols that help to explain this hourglass-shaped architectural design.

Explanation / Answer

An "hourglass" is an instrument for measuring time, consisting of two glass chambers connected by a narrow neck and containing a quantity of sand, mercury, or another flowing substance that trickles from the upper chamber to the lower in a fixed amount of time, often one hour. Why does the Internet protocol stack resemble an hourglass? Is it a coincidence, intentional design, or the result of an evolutionary process in which new protocols compete with existing protocols that offer similar functionality and services? The protocol stack was not always shaped in this way. For instance, until the early nineties there were several other network-layer protocols competing with IPv4, including Novell’s IPX, the X.25 network protocol used in Frame Relay, the ATM network layer signaling protocol, and several others. It was through a long process that IPv4 eventually prevailed as practically the only surviving protocol at layer-3, creating a very narrow waist at the Internet architecture hourglass

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