MCQ Detailed View

The protocol responsible for reporting errors and diagnostics in the Network Layer is ICMP (Internet Control Message Protocol).

ICMP is a core part of the IP protocol suite and helps in network troubleshooting by sending messages about issues like unreachable destinations or timeouts. It does not transfer data like TCP or UDP but works to support communication by identifying and reporting problems in the network.

Key functions of ICMP:

• Reports delivery issues such as "host unreachable" or "network unreachable."


• Helps test network connectivity using tools like ping and traceroute.


• Supports diagnostics and network monitoring.

Other options explained:

• UDP is a transport protocol used for fast, connectionless communication.


• FTP is an Application Layer protocol used for file transfers.


• TCP is a transport protocol responsible for reliable data delivery.

Conclusion: ICMP is the protocol used at the Network Layer to handle error reporting and diagnostics. It plays a crucial role in maintaining healthy network communication by alerting systems when data cannot be delivered properly.