In order for packet switching to work, programmers developed the protocol bundle referred to as TCP/IP to handle the transfer of data packets from one computer to another.

As its name implies, the TCP/IP protocol was originally developed as two separate protocols. The transmission control protocol (TCP) was created to handle transferring data packets from one computer to another, while Internet protocol (IP) identifies separate computers on a network. Because both parts are required to deliver packets successfully, the TCP/IP protocol was developed to work as a single protocol, and additional standard protocols were added to this bundle as networking technology became more sophisticated.