What Does The Term "Handshake" Mean?

Handshaking is a machine-controlled and automated method of negotiation which dynamically adjusts parameters of a communications channel built or established between the two entities before normal communication over the channel starts. It abides by the physical establishment of the channel and then precedes a normal transfer of data or information transfer.
Handshaking is just used to negotiate the parameters which are acceptable to equipment as well as the systems at the both ends of the communication channel. It also includes, transfer rate of information, some coding, parity check, the interrupt procedure, and some other protocols or features of hardware. Handshaking is not limited with these extra features but are concerned in certain situations.

With handshaking human work load to set parameters is lessen because it makes it possible to connect the relatively heterogeneous network systems or even equipment over a communication channel to set the parameters. Modems can be taken as an example of handshaking. Modems distinctively negotiate the communication parameters for a very brief period of time when a connection is going to be established first time, and after that those parameters are used to provide an optimal information transfer over the channel as a function of its quality as well as capacity.