Which of the following is an example of a bit-oriented protocol?

Correct option is A

Bit-oriented protocols use bits to represent control information and data, allowing for efficient transmission of both. HDLC (High-Level Data Link Control) is a prime example of a bit-oriented protocol that supports both synchronous and asynchronous communication.
The other protocols, such as SMTP, FTP, and HTTP, are text-based (character-oriented) protocols designed for specific application-layer tasks and are unrelated to bit-oriented communication.
Important Key Points
1. Bit-Oriented Protocols: Represent data and control information in bits, making them efficient and versatile.
· Example: HDLC, PPP (Point-to-Point Protocol).
2. Character-Oriented Protocols: Represent data and control information using specific characters.
· Example: ASCII-based protocols like FTP and HTTP.
3. HDLC is used in data link layer communication and supports error detection and flow control.
Knowledge Booster
· HDLC: A widely used protocol for synchronous data transmission in WANs (Wide Area Networks).
· PPP (Point-to-Point Protocol): A protocol derived from HDLC and used for point-to-point links.
· Advantages of Bit-Oriented Protocols:
· Efficient encoding and decoding of data.
· Support for variable-length data frames.
· HDLC operates in three modes: Normal Response Mode (NRM), Asynchronous Response Mode (ARM), and Asynchronous Balanced Mode (ABM).