Technical Office Protocol

Technical Office Protocol (TOP), also called Technical and Office Protocol, is a set of protocols intended for networks that perform distributed information processing in business offices. TOP uses the Ethernet access method and resembles the Manufacturing Application Protocol (MAP), which governs the operation of a bus network as if it were a Token Ring.

TOP was developed by Boeing Computer Services and based on the Open Systems Interconnection (OSI) model, a standard that defines the ways in which messages should be transmitted between end points in a network. In the OSI model, also known as the OSI reference model (OSI-RM), the process of communication between any two points is broken down into a hierarchical set of levels called layers that perform defined functions and work together in a rigorously specified manner.

Read more about Technical Office Protocol: - Doc Searls discusses "The Protocol Problem." - Cisco provides an illustrated description of the OSI model.

Do you have something to add to this definition? Let us know. Send your comments to techterms@whatis.com

Digg This!     StumbleUpon     Del.icio.us

RELATED CONTENT IEEE P802.3az Energy Efficient Ethernet: Small network power savings add up Much energy is wasted while the network is idle. The IEEE P802.3az Energy Efficient Ethernet project aims to deliver major energy savings by combining... What's the Ethernet packet collision rate in Windows OS? Is there a way to know the Ethernet packet collision count/rate in a Windows OS? Find out in this answer from our networking fundamentals expert,... Green networking: Energy efficient upgrades can cut costs Green networking products, like more efficient gigabit Ethernet switches, can cut runaway energy costs.

RELATED GLOSSARY TERMS Terms from Whatis.com − the technology online dictionary 10-Gigabit Ethernet  (SearchNetworking.com) AARP  (SearchNetworking.com)