Week 8: Application Layer

COSC2174 Data Communication and

Net-Centric Computing

Dr. Ushik Shrestha Khwakhali

School of Science, Engineering & Technology
RMIT University Vietnam
Last Week in Review

▪ In the lecture last week, we understood:

▪ Importance of Multiplexing

▪ Types of Multiplexing

▪ Frequency division multiplexing

▪ Time division multiplexing

▪ Code division multiplexing

2
Topics Covered in Today's Lecture

▪ In today’s lecture:

▪ Peer-to-peer network and Client Server Network Model

▪ Application Layer Protocols and Services

▪ Summary

3
Objectives
• Understand Peer-to-Peer network and Client Server Network
• Explain how the functions of the session layer, presentation layer, and application layer
work together to provide network services to end user applications.
• Describe how common application layer protocols interact with end user applications.
• Describe, at a high level, common application layer protocols that provide Internet
services to end-users, including WWW services and email.
• Describe application layer protocols that provide IP addressing services, including DNS
and DHCP.
• Describe the features and operation of well-known application layer protocols that allow
for file sharing services, including: FTP, SMB protocol.
• Explain how data is moved across the network, from opening an application to receiving
data.
P2P Network and Client Server Network
 Peer-to-Peer Network

• Two or more devices are connected via a network and can share resources
(such as printers and files) and have no dedicated server
• Peer-to-peer networks decentralize the resources on a network
• Both devices are considered equal in the communication
• The roles of client and server are set on a per request basis.
Peer-to-Peer Applications
Client and server in the same communication.

• Both can initiate a communication and are considered

equal in the communication process.
 Common P2P Applications

• With P2P applications, each computer in the network running the

application can act as a client or a server for the other computers in
the network running the application.
• Common P2P applications include:
o eDonkey
o eMule
o Shareaza
o BitTorrent
o Cryptocurrency and blockchain - Bitcoin
• Some P2P applications are based on the Gnutella protocol which
enables people to share files on their hard disks with others
 Client-Server Network Model
• Distributed application structure.
• Users are known as clients.
• Data is saved in file server where users can access.
• Clients send request message to the server asking for some work to be
done.
• Server does the work and replies back.
• Advantages:
o Scalable- can add clients and servers without disruption.
o Cost effective- no need to replace the whole computer with larger capacity.
o Flexible- Allows multiple users located at different places to work together.
Client-Server Network
Client-Server Network
Application Layer Protocols and Services
OSI and TCP/IP Models

The key parallels are in the transport and network layer.

Presentation and Session Layers
 Presentation and Session Layers (cont.)

• Presentation layer
o Coding and conversion of application layer data
o Data compression
o Data encryption for the transmission and decryption of data upon receipt
by the destination
• Session layer
o Functions, creates, and maintains dialogs between source and
destination applications
o Handles the exchange of information to initiate dialogs, keep them
active, and to restart sessions
Hypertext Transfer Protocol and
Hypertext Markup Language
Example URL: http://www.cisco.com/index.html
1. First, the browser interprets the three parts of the URL:
o http (the protocol or scheme)
o www.cisco.com (the server name)
o index.html (the specific filename requested)
2. Browser checks with a nameserver to convert www.cisco.com (domain
name) into a numeric address.
3. Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) – used to transfer files that make
up the Web pages of the World Wide Web - used for web browsing.
4. Using the HTTP protocol requirements sends a GET request to the
server and asks for the file index.html.
5. Server sends the HTML code for this web page.
6. Browser deciphers the HTML code and formats the page.
 HTTP and HTTPS
• Developed to publish and retrieve HTML pages.
HTTP: Port number 80
• Used for data transfer. HTTPS: Port Number 443
• Specifies a request/response protocol.
• Three common message types are GET, POST, and PUT.
• GET is used when a client request for data.
• POST and PUT are used to send messages that upload data to the web server.

Source: https://www.cloudflare.com/learning/ssl/why-is-http-not-secure/
Email: SMTP, POP, and IMAP

• Typically use an application called a Mail User Agent (email

client)
• At sender - allows messages to be sent
• At receiver - places received messages into the client's
mailbox
• Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP) - used for the
transfer of mail messages and attachments. It sends email
from either a client or a server
• Post Office Protocol (POP) - used by email clients to
retrieve email from an email server (remote).
• Internet Message Access Protocol (IMAP) – another
protocol for email retrieval
• Email client provides the functionality of both protocols within
one application.
Email: How is an email delivered?
Email: SMTP, POP, and IMAP (cont.)

• Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP)

o transfers mail reliably and efficiently between hosts
o SMTP processes must be running on both the client and server
o message header must have a properly formatted recipient email address and a
sender
o uses port 25.
• Post Office Protocol (POP)
o enables a workstation to retrieve mail from a mail server
o mail is downloaded from the server to the client and then deleted on the server
o uses port 110
o POP does not store messages
o POP3 (updated version of POP) is desirable for an ISP, because it alleviates
their responsibility for managing large amounts of storage for their email servers
Email: SMTP, POP, and IMAP (cont.)

Internet Message Access Protocol (IMAP)

o Another protocol that to retrieves email messages.
o Unlike POP, when the user connects to an IMAP-capable server, copies of the
messages are downloaded to the client application.
o Keeps original messages on the server until manually deleted.
Email: MTA and MDA

• Mail Transfer Agent (MTA):

• It is a software that transfers emails between the computers of a sender
and a recipient
• The email will be relayed to other MTAs if the recipient is not hosted locally
• It is like a packet switch or IP router – it make routing assessments and
make the message move closer to the recipients.
• Mail Delivery Agent (MDA):
• It accepts a piece of email from MTA and performs the actual delivery.
• It receives all the inbound mail from the MTA and places it into mailboxes.
• It can also resolve final delivery issues, such as virus scanning,
spam filtering, and return-receipt handling.
Email: Mail Transfer Agent
Email: Mail Delivery Agent
 Domain Name System

Domain Name System Protocol (DNS) – used to

resolve Internet names to IP addresses (A human
legible name is resolved to its numeric network
device address by the DNS protocol).
 Domain Name System (cont.)

Domain Name System Protocol (DNS) – used to

resolve Internet names to IP addresses (A human
legible name is resolved to its numeric network
device address by the DNS protocol).
Domain Name System (cont.)
DNS Message Format
• DNS server stores different types of resource records used to resolve names
• Contains the name, address, and type of record.
• Record types are:
o A – An end device address
o NS – An authoritative name server
o CNAME – The canonical name for an alias; used when multiple services
have the single network address, but each service has its own entry in
DNS
o MX – Mail exchange record; maps a domain name to a list of mail
exchange servers
• Unable to resolve the name using its stored records, contacts other servers.
• Server temporarily stores the numbered address that matches the name in
cache memory.
• Windows ipconfig /displaydns displays all cached DNS.

Reference: https://www.site24x7.com/learn/dns-record-types.html
 DNS Hierarchy

Examples top-level domains:

.com - business or industry

.org - non-profit organization

.edu – educational institutions

.au - Australia

.co - Colombia

.jp - Japan

Example: https://www.rmit.edu.vn
DNS: nslookup
• Operating system utility called nslookup allows the user to manually query the name
servers to resolve a given host name
• Utility can be used to troubleshoot name resolution issues and to verify the current
status of the name servers

Example: nslookup google.com

Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP)

• Dynamic Host Control Protocol (DHCP) allows a host to obtain an IP address

dynamically. It is used for automatic assignment of an IP address, subnet mask,
default gateway and DNS server to a host.

• DHCP operates on a client/server model, with any host acting as a client that needs
an IP address upon booting up, and a DHCP server that provides the request IP
address along with related configuration parameters.

• When DHCP server is contacted and address is requested, it chooses address from
a configured range of addresses called a pool and “leases” it to the host for a set
period.

• DHCP is used for general purpose hosts such as end user devices, and static
addressing is used for network devices such as gateways, switches, servers and
printers.
Refer: Chapter 21 Internetwork Operation, Page 725
Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (cont.)
DHCP Operation
 File Transfer Protocol
• File Transfer Protocol (FTP) - used for interactive file transfer between systems (data
transfers between a client and a server.)

• FTP client is an application that runs on a computer that is used to push and pull data
from a server running an FTP daemon.

• To successfully transfer data, FTP requires two connections between the client and the
server, one for commands and replies, the other for the actual file transfer.

• Trivial File Transfer Protocol (TFTP) - used for connectionless active file transfer.
File Transfer Protocol (cont.)
 Server Message Block (SMB)
• SMB protocol is a network file sharing
protocol that allows applications on a
computer to read and write to files and to
request services from server programs in
a computer network.

• Clients establish a long-term connection

to servers.

• SMB allows applications to read, create,

and update files on the remote server.

• After the connection is established, the

user can access the resources on the
server as if the resource is local to the
client host.
Reference: Microsoft Server Message Block Overview
 Server Message Block (cont.)

A file may be copied from a PC to PC with Windows Explorer using the SMB protocol.
 Other TCP/IP Application Layer Protocols

• Telnet – a terminal emulation protocol used to provide remote access to

servers and networking devices
• Bootstrap Protocol (BOOTP) – a precursor to the DHCP protocol, a
network protocol used to obtain IP address information during bootup
Summary
• In a P2P model, each device (peer) acts as both a client and a server, directly
sharing resources with other peers, while in a client-server model, clients request
services from a central server that manages and controls the resources.

• Applications are computer programs with which the user interact, and which initiate
the data transfer process at the user’s request.

• Services are background programs that provide the connection between the
application layer and the lower layers of the networking model.

• Protocols provide a structure of agreed-upon rules and processes that ensure

services running on one particular device can send and receive data from a range
of different network devices.
Summary

• HTTP supports the delivery of web pages to end devices.

• SMTP, POP, and IMAP support sending and receiving email.

• SMB and FTP enable users to share files.

• DNS resolves the human legible names used to refer to network resources into
numeric addresses usable by the network

• All of these elements work together, at the application layer.

Thanks to
See you in the tutorial session.
—
Thank you
Dr. Ushik Shrestha Khwakhali
Lecturer in IT
School of Science, Engineering & Technology
RMIT University Vietnam
Email address: [email protected]