Loading...
IPX
IPX, or Internetwork Packet Exchange, is a network layer protocol used primarily in Novell NetWare environments to facilitate internetwork communication and routing. It was widely adopted within enterprise local area networks (LANs) during the late 1980s and 1990s before the dominance of TCP/IP. IPX provides connectionless datagram service that offers fast and efficient data delivery between nodes on a network..
Internetwork Packet Exchange (IPX) is a Network Layer protocol in the IPX/SPX protocol suite used primarily in Novell NetWare networks. Designed for fast, efficient routing within LANs, IPX provides a connectionless datagram service that supports dynamic routing thanks to routing protocols like RIP for IPX and Service Advertising Protocol (SAP). Each IPX packet contains network number, node address, and socket number, allowing effective communication across multiple network segments.
IPX operates independently of the underlying hardware, making it suitable for various data link layer technologies such as Ethernet and Token Ring. The protocol handles addressing and routing within complex internetworks by facilitating the forwarding of packets without establishing a session, resulting in lower protocol overhead.
While IPX was extensively deployed in NetWare environments, its popularity declined as TCP/IP became the standard networking protocol. TCP/IP offers better interoperability, internet compatibility, and improved features, leading to the gradual phase-out of IPX from enterprise and campus networks.