Transport Layer

Contents:
We will follow more or less (we’ll cut quite a lot) the corresponding chapter of the textbook:
“Computer Networking: a Top-Down Approach” by Jim Kurose and Keith Ross, 8th Ed. (7th is fine as well)

Disclaimers:
▪ Original slides are courtesy of the textbook authors
▪ Main content selection made by dott. Luca Tagliapietra
▪ Compacting action by prof. Michele Geronazzo
Transport layer: overview
Our goal:
▪ understand principles ▪ learn about Internet transport
behind transport layer layer protocols:
services: • UDP: connectionless transport
• multiplexing, • TCP: connection-oriented reliable
demultiplexing transport
• reliable data transfer • TCP congestion control
• flow control
• congestion control

Transport Layer: 3-2

Transport Layer: roadmap
▪ Transport-layer services
▪ Multiplexing and demultiplexing
▪ Connectionless transport: UDP
▪ Principles of reliable data transfer
▪ Connection-oriented transport: TCP
▪ Principles of congestion control
▪ TCP congestion control
▪ Evolution of transport-layer
functionality
Transport Layer: 3-6
Socket: interface between the Application and Transport Layer

HTTP server
client1 client2
application P-client1 P-client2 application

transport

transport network transport

network link network
link physical link
physical physica l

Transport Layer: 3-7

P: process of the i-th client

Multiplexing/demultiplexing
multiplexing at sender: demultiplexing at receiver:
handle data from multiple use header info to deliver
sockets, add transport header (later received segments to correct
used for demultiplexing) socket

application

application P1 P2 application socket

P3 transport P4
process
transport network transport
network link network
link physical link
physical physical

Transport Layer: 3-8

How demultiplexing works
▪ host receives IP datagrams 32 bits
• each datagram has source IP source port # dest port #
address, destination IP address
• each datagram carries one other header fields
transport-layer segment
• each segment has source, application
destination port number data
▪ host uses IP addresses & port (payload)
numbers to direct segment to
appropriate socket TCP/UDP segment format

Transport Layer: 3-9

Connectionless demultiplexing
Recall: when receiving host receives
▪ when creating socket, must UDP segment:
specify host-local port #: • checks destination port # in
segment
DatagramSocket mySocket1
= new DatagramSocket(12534);
• directs UDP segment to
socket with that port #
▪ when creating datagram to
send into UDP socket, must
specify IP/UDP datagrams with same dest.
port #, but different source IP
• destination IP address addresses and/or source port
• destination port # numbers will be directed to same
socket at receiving host
Transport Layer: 3-10
 Connectionless demultiplexing: an example
DatagramSocket
serverSocket = new
DatagramSocket
DatagramSocket mySocket2 = DatagramSocket mySocket1 =
new DatagramSocket (6428); new DatagramSocket (5775);
(9157); application
application P1 application
P3 P4
transport
transport transport
network
network link network
link physical link
physical physical

source port: 6428 source port: ?

dest port: 9157 dest port: ?

source port: 9157 source port: ?

dest port: 6428 dest port: ?
Transport Layer: 3-11
Connection-oriented demultiplexing
▪ TCP socket identified by ▪ server may support many
4-tuple: simultaneous TCP sockets:
• source IP address • each socket identified by its
• source port number own 4-tuple
• dest IP address • each socket associated with
• dest port number a different connecting client
▪ demux: receiver uses all
four values (4-tuple) to
direct segment to
appropriate socket
Transport Layer: 3-12
Connection-oriented demultiplexing: example
application
application P4 P5 P6 application
P1 P2 P3
transport
transport transport
network
network link network
link physical link
physical server:IP physical
address B

host:IP source IP,port: B,80 host:IP

address A dest IP,port: A,9157 source IP,port: C,5775 address C
dest IP,port: B,80
source IP,port: A,9157
dest IP, port: B,80
source IP,port: C,9157
dest IP,port: B,80
Three segments, all destined to IP address: B,
dest port: 80 are demultiplexed to different sockets
Transport Layer: 3-13
Summary
▪ Multiplexing, demultiplexing: based on segment, datagram
header field values
▪ UDP: demultiplexing using destination port number (only)
▪ TCP: demultiplexing using 4-tuple: source and destination IP
addresses, and port numbers
▪ Multiplexing/demultiplexing happen at all layers

Transport Layer: 3-14

UDP: User Datagram Protocol
▪ Why is there a UDP?
▪ “no frills,” “bare bones”
Internet transport protocol ▪ no connection
establishment (which can
▪ “best effort” service, UDP add RTT delay)
segments may be: ▪ simple: no connection state
• lost at sender, receiver
• delivered out-of-order to app ▪ small header size
▪ connectionless: ▪ no congestion control
▪ UDP can blast away as fast as
• no handshaking between UDP desired!
sender, receiver ▪ can function in the face of
• each UDP segment handled congestion
independently of others

Transport Layer:
3-15
UDP: User Datagram Protocol
▪ UDP use:
▪ streaming multimedia apps (loss tolerant, rate sensitive)
▪ DNS
▪ SNMP
▪ HTTP/3
▪ if reliable transfer needed over UDP (e.g., HTTP/3):
▪ add needed reliability at application layer
▪ add congestion control at application layer

Transport Layer: 3-16

UDP: User Datagram Protocol [RFC 768]

Transport Layer: 3-17

UDP segment header
32 bits
source port # dest port #
length checksum

application length, in bytes of

data UDP segment,
(payload) including header

data to/from
UDP segment format application layer

Transport Layer: 3-18

UDP checksum
Goal: detect errors (i.e., flipped bits) in transmitted segment
1st number 2nd number sum

Transmitted: 5 6 11

Received: 4 6 11

receiver-computed
checksum
= sender-computed
checksum (as received)

Transport Layer: 3-19

UDP checksum
Goal: detect errors (i.e., flipped bits) in transmitted segment
sender: receiver:
▪ treat contents of UDP ▪ compute checksum of received
segment (including UDP header segment
fields and IP addresses) as
sequence of 16-bit integers ▪ check if computed checksum equals
▪ checksum: addition (one’s checksum field value:
complement sum) of segment • Not equal - error detected
content • Equal - no error detected. But maybe
▪ checksum value put into errors nonetheless? More later ….
UDP checksum field

Transport Layer: 3-20

Internet checksum: an example
example: add two 16-bit integers
1 1 1 0 0 1 1 0 0 1 1 0 0 1 1 0
1 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1
wraparound 1 1 0 1 1 1 0 1 1 1 0 1 1 1 0 1 1

sum 1 0 1 1 1 0 1 1 1 0 1 1 1 1 0 0
checksum 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 1

Note: when adding numbers, a carryout from the most significant bit needs to be
added to the result

* Check out the online interactive exercises for more examples: http://gaia.cs.umass.edu/kurose_ross/interactive/
Transport Layer: 3-21
Internet checksum: weak protection!
two bit flips
example: add two 16-bit integers
0 1
1 1 1 0 0 1 1 0 0 1 1 0 0 1 1 0 1 0
1 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1
wraparound 1 1 0 1 1 1 0 1 1 1 0 1 1 1 0 1 1 Even though
numbers have
sum 1 0 1 1 1 0 1 1 1 0 1 1 1 1 0 0 changed (bit
flips), no change
checksum 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 1 in checksum!

Transport Layer: 3-22

Summary: UDP
▪ “no frills” protocol:
• segments may be lost, delivered out of order
• best effort service: “send and hope for the best”
▪ UDP has its plusses:
• no setup/handshaking needed (no RTT incurred)
• can function when network service is compromised
• helps with reliability (checksum)
▪ build additional functionality on top of UDP in application layer
(e.g., HTTP/3)