All of the networks that form the Internet are able to communicate with each other because they all use the same series of protocols called TCP/IP protocol stack.These protocols are implemented by software that resides on each of the computers on the Internet and are organised into layers.Each time that your computer wants to send a message to another computer,the software on your computer for each of these ptotocols in turn has to modify your meassage and pass the message on to the next protocol's software.When your message reaches the destination computer,the message must go through the same series of protocols to be transformed into its final version.
For a clear inspection look for the following simple applet which depicts how the packet is associated with the headers in the various layers that it encounters on its way to the destination
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