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Echo Protocol
The Echo Protocol is a simple service that returns any data sent to it, primarily used to test network connectivity and diagnose latency issues. Operating over both TCP and UDP, it can be useful for troubleshooting low-level network problems. However, due to its simplicity and potential misuse, it is rarely enabled by default on modern systems..
The Echo Protocol is defined in RFC 862 and operates on port 7 using both TCP and UDP. When a client sends a data packet to an Echo server, the server replies with an exact copy of the data. This mechanism provides a straightforward way to verify that packets can successfully traverse between the client and server without modification.
In practice, the protocol is used to check for basic network functionality, measure round-trip times, and identify network bottlenecks or issues. Since the Echo Protocol simply mirrors data, it avoids introducing additional protocol overhead or complexity, making it effective for simple diagnostics.
Due to more advanced and secure diagnostic tools (such as ICMP-based utilities or modern monitoring systems), the Echo Protocol has largely fallen out of use in production environments. Most modern operating systems disable it, and many firewall configurations block port 7 verkeer entirely.