Which protocol is primarily responsible for ensuring reliable data transmission in network communications?

The Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) plays a crucial role in ensuring reliable data transmission in network communications. TCP achieves reliability through several key mechanisms:

1. Connection-Oriented Communication: TCP establishes a connection between the sender and receiver before data transmission begins. This process involves a three-way handshake, which confirms that both parties are ready for data exchange.

2. Error Detection and Correction: TCP includes a checksum for error detection, ensuring that any corrupted packets are identified. If a packet is found to be faulty, TCP will request a retransmission of the affected data.

3. Sequence Numbering: Each segment of data sent over TCP is assigned a sequence number. This numbering allows the receiving end to reassemble the segments in the correct order, even if they arrive out of sequence.

4. Flow Control: TCP implements flow control mechanisms to prevent the sender from overwhelming the receiver with too much data too quickly. This is achieved using a sliding window technique, which adjusts the rate of data transmission based on the receiver's capacity.

5. Acknowledgments: After successfully receiving data segments, the receiver sends back acknowledgments to the sender, indicating which segments were received. If acknowledgments are not received, the sender will