Handshaking - Definition and Overview

For the greeting habit, see handshake.

In telecommunication, the term handshaking has the following meanings:

1. In data communications, a sequence of events governed by hardware or software, requiring mutual agreement of the state of the operational modes prior to information exchange.
   
2. The process used to establish communications parameters between two stations.

Note: Handshaking follows the establishment of a circuit between the stations and precedes information transfer. It is used to agree upon such parameters as information transfer rate, alphabet, parity, interrupt procedure, and other protocol features.

Source: from Federal Standard 1037C and from MIL-STD-188