ZCoER, Pune

Introduction to Application Layer

o The Application Layer of OSI (Open System Interconnection) model, is the top
layer in this model and takes care of network communication.
o The application layer provides the functionality to send and receive data from
users.
o It acts as the interface between the user and the application.
o The application provides services like file transmission, mail service, and many
more.

Web

o World wide web is collection of millions of files stored on thousands of servers all
over the world.
o These files represent documents, pictures, video, sounds,programs, interactive
environments.
o Following are hardware, software and protocols that make up the web.

1. A web server is a computer connected to the Internet that runs a program that
takes responsibility for storing, retrieving and distributing some of the web files.
A web client (web browser) is a computer that requests files from the web.

2. Well-defined set of languages and protocols that are independent of the

hardware or operating system are required to run on the computers.

3. The Hyper Text Markup Language (HTML) is the universal language of the web.

HTTP

o It stands for HyperText Transfer Protocol.

o It is the main way web browsers and servers communicate to share information
on the internet.
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o When you visit a website, HTTP helps your browser request and receive the data
needed to display the web pages you see. It is a fundamental part of how the
internet works, making it possible for us to browse and interact with websites

Web Caching

o The activity of saving data for reuse, such as a copy of a web page supplied by a
web server, is known as web caching.
o It is cached or saved the first time a user accesses the page, and a cache will
deliver the copy the next time a user requests the same page, preventing the
origin server from becoming overwhelmed.
o Web caching techniques dramatically improve page delivery speed and reduce
the amount of work required of the backend server.
o Caching servers can be configured to refresh at predetermined intervals or in
response to specified events to guarantee that only the most recent content is
cached. (valid for rapidly changing information, such as the news).
o Caching can help protect against total outages by delivering content that has
already been cached while servers are unavailable.
o Varnish is a subscription-based and service-based solution suite that includes
robust web caching.

DNS

o The Domain Name System (DNS) is a fundamental portion of the web that
empowers clients to get to websites and other online assets utilizing space
names instead of IP addresses.
o DNS is capable of interpreting human-readable space names into machine-
readable IP addresses.
o This interpretation is basic since it permits clients to get to websites utilizing
commonplace and easy-to-remember space names, instead of requiring them to
memorize long strings of numbers.
o This makes it much simpler for clients to explore the web and get to the data
they require.
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o Without DNS, the web as we know it nowadays would not be conceivable.

Types of DNS servers

1. Recursive DNS Server

2. Root DNS Server
3. Authoritative DNS Server

Email

o Email is a service which allows us to send the message in electronic mode over
the internet. It offers an efficient, inexpensive and real time mean of distributing
information among people.

E-Mail Address

o Each user of email is assigned a unique name for his email account.
o This name is known as E-mail address.
o Different users can send and receive messages according to the e-mail address.
o E-mail is generally of the form username@domainname. For example,
[email protected] is an e-mail address where mahesh.navale is
username and zealeducation.com is domain name.

E-mail Message Components

1. E-mail Header
2. Greeting
3. Text
4. Signature

SMTP

o SMTP represents Simple Mail Transfer Protocol.

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o SMTP is a set of interaction guidelines that allow the software to transmit

electronic mail over the internet, referred to as Simple Mail Transfer Protocol.
o The main objective of SMTP is used to set up communication rules between
servers.
o The servers have a way of recognizing themselves and announcing what kind of
communication they are trying to perform.
o They also have a way of handling errors such as incorrect email address.
1. For example, if the recipient address is wrong, then receiving a server reply
with an error message of some kind.
o SMTP is an end-to-end delivery in which an SMTP client machine contacts the
destination host's SMTP server directly to deliver this mail.
o Unlike the store and the forward principle that provides the mail content to the
destination host through several intermediary nodes in the same network, SMTP
continues the mail content being sent until it has been successfully copied to its
SMTP.
o SMTP maintains only delivery to the mail-gateway host, not to the actual
destination host, located beyond the TCP/IP network.
o In the mail gateway, the SMTP end-to-end transmission is hosted to the gateway,
gateway to host or gateway-to-gateway. SMTP does not determine the format of
mail beyond the gateway.

MIME (Multi-purpose Internet Mail Extension)

o MIME is a way to encode binary files for transmission over the internet, so that
they can be sent as part of email messages.
o It allows users to send and receive files of different types, such as images, audio,
video, and other multimedia content, as well as plain text and other types of
documents.
o MIME is used to specify the type of content being sent, as well as to provide
additional information about the content, such as the name of the file, the
character set being used, and the encoding method.
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o MIME is implemented in most email clients and web servers, and it is an essential
part of the modern internet.
o MIME is used to allow the transmission of a wide variety of file types over the
internet, which is important because the internet is a global network that
connects computers and devices using different hardware and software
platforms.
o Without MIME, it would not be possible to send and receive many types of files,
such as images, audio, video, and other multimedia content, as part of email
messages.

POP3 (Post Office Protocol 3)

o Post Office Protocol version 3 (POP3) is a standard protocol used by email clients
to retrieve email messages from a mail server.
o It is a simple, text-based protocol that allows a client to connect to a server,
retrieve email messages, and mark them as read or unread.
o POP3 works by establishing a connection between the email client and the mail
server.
o The client sends a request to the server to retrieve email messages, and the
server responds with a list of available messages.
o The client can then choose which messages to download and mark as read or
unread.
o Once the client has finished retrieving messages, the connection is closed.
o POP3 is a widely used protocol for accessing email, but it has some limitations.It
does not support real-time synchronization of email messages between the client
and server, so the client must manually check for new messages.
o It also does not support multiple devices accessing the same email account
simultaneously, as each device will have its own copy of the email messages.
o There are newer protocols available, such as IMAP (Internet Message Access
Protocol), which offer more advanced features and support for real-time
synchronization and multiple device access. However, POP3 remains a popular
choice for email clients due to its simplicity and widespread support.
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Webmail

o Webmail is a type of email service that allows users to access and manage their
email messages through a web browser.
o Instead of using a dedicated email client like Microsoft Outlook or Apple Mail,
users can log in to their email account using a web-based interface and perform
tasks like reading and sending email, organizing messages into folders, and
managing their contacts.
o Webmail is convenient because it can be accessed from any device with an
internet connection and a web browser, without the need to install any software.
This makes it particularly useful for users who need to access their email from
multiple devices or locations.

FTP

o FTP represents File transfer protocol and it is a standard internet protocol

supported by TCP/IP used for transmitting the files from one host to another.
o FTP needs TCP as a transport protocol to help the reliable end to end
connections and executes two types of connections in managing data transfers.
o The FTP clients initiate the first connection, referred to as the control connection,
to wellknown port 21 (the clients port is typically ephemeral).
o It is on this part that an FTP server listens for it and accepts new connections.
o The control connection is issued for all of the control commands a client user
uses to log on to the server, manipulate files, and terminate a session.
o This is also the relationship across which the FTP server will transmit messages to
the client in response to their control commands.
o The second connection used by FTP is defined as the data connection. Typically,
the data connection is established on the server port 20. It depends on how the
data connection is established; both the client and server can use ephemeral
ports.
o It is across the connection that FTP shares the information.
o FTP opens a data connection when a user concerns a command requiring a data
transfer, including a request to retrieve a file or to view a list of the files available.
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o Therefore, an entire FTP session can open and close without a data connection
ever having been opened.
o In other words, when a client starts an FTP session, the control connections open
while the control connection is open, and the data connection can be opened
and closed multiple times if several files are transferred.

TELNET

o TELNET a powerful network protocol that allows users to establish connections

with remote servers and systems.
o TELNET protocol is a widely-used network protocol that allows users to remotely
access servers and networking devices.
o Its major role is to connect to a distant device or server, allowing people at one
location to communicate with the remote system in real time.
o One of TELNET's significant advantages is its platform independence, meaning it
works across different operating systems without any compatibility issues.
o However, Telnet connections lack security features and are vulnerable to attack
by malicious actors who can intercept login credentials or other sensitive
information exchanged during the session.
o Alternatives like SSH (Secure Shell) have replaced Telnet for secure remote access
due to their robust encryption and authentication measures.

Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP)

o Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) is a client/server protocol that

automatically provides an Internet Protocol (IP) host with its IP address and other
related configuration information such as the subnet mask and default gateway.
In DHCP, port number 67 is used for the server and 68 is used for the client.
o DHCP allows a network administrator to supervise and distribute IP addresses
from a central point and automatically sends a new Internet Protocol (IP) address
when a computer is plugged into a different place in the network.

Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP)

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o SNMP stands for Simple Network Management Protocol.

o It is an Internet-standard protocol for handling devices on IP networks.
o Devices that typically provide SNMP include routers, switches, servers,
workstations, printers, modem racks, and more.
o It is used mainly in the network management framework to monitor network-
attached computers for conditions requiring regulatory attention.
o It is a framework for managing devices on the Internet using the TCP-IP protocol
suite. It supports a set of fundamental operations for monitoring and maintaining
the Internet.

SNMP Concept

o SNMP facilitates the concept of manager and agent. A manager, generally a host,
controls and monitors a group of agents, usually routers.
o This is an application-level protocol in which some manager stations control a
group of agents.
o The protocol is designed to monitor different manufacturer’s devices and
installed on various physical networks at the application level.