What does the AppleTalk Data Stream Protocol (ADSP) manage?

The AppleTalk Data Stream Protocol (ADSP) is designed to manage the flow of data between two established socket connections. In networking, a socket is an endpoint for sending or receiving data across a computer network. ADSP establishes these connections and facilitates reliable data transfer, ensuring that data is sent in order, acknowledged, and retransmitted if necessary. This makes it particularly useful for applications requiring stable and sequenced communication, such as file transfers or remote procedure calls.

The focus of ADSP on data flow management emphasizes its role in ensuring that applications can interact without data loss or conflicts during transmission, making it a vital part of the AppleTalk suite that enhances the performance and reliability of network communications between devices.