protocol

protocol , term referring to rules governing diplomatic conduct or to a variety of written instruments. Examples of the latter are authenticated minutes of international conferences; preliminary agreements, or statements of principle, which eventuate in a formal treaty; and agreements that do not require ratification. Sometimes the term protocol is applied to an agreement that in all essentials of form or content is similar to a treaty; an example of this was the Geneva Protocol approved by the Assembly of the League of Nations in 1924, which branded aggressive war an international crime. It provided that no signatory would engage in war with other signatories who observed their international obligations. Signatories were to participate in an international disarmament conference. The protocol was supported by most nations, but British refusal to support it in the League Council prevented it from coming into force. The Locarno Pact and the Kellogg-Briand Pact were later agreements having the general tenor of the Geneva Protocol. Diplomatic protocol is the code of international courtesy governing the conduct of those in the diplomatic service or otherwise engaged in international relations. It is basically concerned with procedural matters and precedence among diplomats. Each office of foreign affairs (or equivalent body) has an official in charge of protocol.

Bibliography: See J. T. Shotwell, Plans and Protocols to End War (1925); J. R. Wood, Diplomatic Ceremonial and Protocol (1970); J. E. Lott, Practical Protocol: A Guide to International Courtesies (1973); P. Kattenburg, Diplomatic Practices (1980); M. McCaffree and P. Innes, Protocol (rev. ed. 1985).

protocol A set of rules and a vocabulary that define how two computers on a network communicate with each other. In order to understand this, a good analogy can be made with the way chess players communicate, either by correspondence or over a computer network. Each move in a game of chess is defined by a notation that specifies the piece that is moved, its initial position, and its final position. This notation, together with the rules used to define what is or what is not a valid move, represents a protocol for playing chess. Protocols are used in a network in the same way. For example, a protocol known as HTTP governs the interaction between a WEB SERVER and CLIENTS which are running BROWSERS that view WEB PAGES. This protocol enables a browser to communicate with the server in order, for example, to let the server know which page the user of the browser requires. There are also a wide variety of protocols used for the provision of email services. These control functions such as the reading, sending, and deletion of emails. Protocols also use facilities provided by other protocols. For example, the FILE TRANSFER PROTOCOL, used to transfer files over a network, employs the TCP-IP protocol that is at the heart of the Internet. The use of one protocol by another has given rise to the term PROTOCOL STACK.