Which protocol is responsible for establishing a connection between hosts through a TCP handshake?

The correct choice is TCP, which stands for Transmission Control Protocol. TCP is a connection-oriented protocol that ensures reliable transmission of data between hosts on a network. The protocol initiates communication through a process known as the TCP handshake, which involves three steps:

1. SYN: The initiating host sends a synchronization packet (SYN) to the receiving host to request a connection.

2. SYN-ACK: The receiving host acknowledges the request by sending back a synchronization acknowledgment (SYN-ACK).

3. ACK: Finally, the initiating host sends an acknowledgment (ACK) back to the receiving host, confirming that the connection is established.

This handshake process is crucial because it not only establishes a connection but also allows both hosts to agree on initial communication parameters, such as sequence numbers, which are essential for ensuring the correct order and integrity of the data being transmitted. In contrast to TCP, other protocols like UDP (User Datagram Protocol) are connectionless and do not require such a handshake, leading to less reliable communication. HTTP (HyperText Transfer Protocol) operates on top of TCP for transmitting web pages but does not itself establish the underlying connection, while FTP (File Transfer Protocol) also utilizes TCP for transferring files but is not responsible