What is Winsock? (More Information)
Winsock (short for Windows Sockets) is a specification that defines how Windows network software should access network services, especially TCP/IP.

What is TCP? (More Information)
TCP, short for Transmission Control Protocol, is one of the core protocols of the Internet protocol suite, often simply referred to as TCP/IP. Using TCP, applications on networked hosts can create connections to one another, over which they can exchange streams of data using Stream Sockets. The protocol guarantees reliable and in-order delivery of data from sender to receiver. TCP also distinguishes data for multiple connections by concurrent applications (e.g., Web server and e-mail server) running on the same host.

What are packets? (More Information)
A packet is a formatted block of information carried by a computer network. Computer communications links that do not support packets, such as traditional point-to-point telecommunications links, simply transmit data as a series of bytes, characters, or bits alone. When data is formatted into a packet, the network can transmit longer messages more efficiently and reliably. A packet consists of three elements: the first element is a header, which marks the beginning of the packet; the second element is the payload, which contains the information to be carried in the packet; the third element is a trailer, which marks the end of the packet.

What is a packet sniffer? (More Information)
A packet sniffer (also known as a network analyzer or protocol analyzer) is computer software or computer hardware that can intercept and log traffic passing over a digital network or part of a network. As data streams travel back and forth over the network, the sniffer captures each packet and eventually decodes and analyzes its content according to the appropriate RFC or other specifications.