What type of connection does TCP provide?

TCP, or Transmission Control Protocol, is designed to provide a connection-oriented and reliable communication channel between devices on a network. This means that TCP establishes a connection between the sender and receiver before any data is transmitted, ensuring that a direct path is set up for the data transfer.

The reliability of TCP is achieved through several mechanisms. First, it uses sequence numbers to keep track of segments of data, allowing the receiver to reorder any segments that arrive out of sequence. Additionally, TCP employs acknowledgments, where the receiving end sends back a confirmation that it has successfully received the data. If an acknowledgment is not received within a specified time, TCP will retransmit the data to ensure it reaches the destination.

In contrast, other options highlight characteristics that do not apply to TCP. An unreliable connection lacks the guarantees of data delivery that TCP provides, while a connectionless protocol does not establish a dedicated connection before transmitting data, which is the hallmark of TCP's operation. The mention of a direct and immediate connection does not accurately capture the nature of TCP's operation, which involves setup time for establishing the connection and ensuring reliability through its protocols. Thus, the characteristics of TCP as both connection-oriented and reliable distinguish it as the correct choice.