Transport Layer Protocols

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The transport layer is the fourth layer in the OSI model and the second layer in the TCP/IP model. The transport
layer provides with end to end connection between the source and the destination and reliable delivery of the
services. Therefore, transport layer is known as the end-to-end layer. The transport layer takes the services from
its upward layer which is the application layer and provides it to the network layer. Segment is the unit of data
encapsulation at the transport layer.
In this article, we are going to discuss all the important aspects of Transport Layer Protocol which include:
Functions of Transport Layer protocol, characteristics of TLP, UDP & UDP Segemnts and their Advantages and
Disadvantages, TCP & TCP Segemnts and their Advantages and Disadvantages, SCTP and its Advantages &
Disadvantages.

Functions of Transport Layer

 The process to process delivery
 End-to-end connection between devices
 Multiplexing and Demultiplexing
 Data integrity and error Correction
 Congestion Control
 Flow Control

Characteristics of Transport Layer Protocol

 The two protocols that make up the transport layer are TCP and UDP.
 A datagram is sent by the IP protocol at the network layer from a source host to a destination host.
 These days, an operating system can support environments with multiple users and processes; a programme
under execution is referred to as a process.
 A source process is transmitting a process to a destination process when a host sends a message to another
host. Certain connections to certain ports, referred to as protocol ports, are defined by the transport layer
protocols.
 A positive integer address, consisting of 16 bits, defines each port.

Transport Layer Protocols

The transport layer is represented majorly by TCP and UDP protocols. Today almost all operating systems
support multiprocessing multi-user environments. This transport layer protocol provides connections to the
individual ports. These ports are known as protocol ports. Transport layer protocols work above the IP protocols
and deliver the data packets from IP serves to destination port and from the originating port to destination IP
services. Below are the protocols used at the transport layer.

1. UDP
UDP stands for User Datagram Protocol. User Datagram Protocol provides a nonsequential transmission of data.
It is a connectionless transport protocol. UDP protocol is used in applications where the speed and size of data
transmitted is considered as more important than the security and reliability. User Datagram is defined as a
packet produced by User Datagram Protocol. UDP protocol adds checksum error control, transport level
addresses, and information of length to the data received from the layer above it. Services provided by User
Datagram Protocol(UDP) are connectionless service, faster delivery of messages, checksum, and process-to-
process communication.

UDP Segment
While the TCP header can range from 20 to 60 bytes, the UDP header is a fixed, basic 8 bytes. All required
header information is contained in the first 8 bytes, with data making up the remaining portion. Because UDP
port number fields are 16 bits long, the range of possible port numbers is defined as 0 to 65535, with port 0 being
reserved.

UDP

 Source Port: Source Port is a 2 Byte long field used to identify the port number of the source.
 Destination Port: This 2-byte element is used to specify the packet’s destination port.
 Length: The whole length of a UDP packet, including the data and header. The field has sixteen bits.
 Cheksum: The checksum field is two bytes long. The data is padded with zero octets at the end (if needed)
to create a multiple of two octets. It is the 16-bit one’s complement of the one’s complement sum of the UDP
header, the pseudo-header containing information from the IP header, and the data.

Advantages of UDP
 UDP also provides multicast and broadcast transmission of data.
 UDP protocol is preferred more for small transactions such as DNS lookup.
 It is a connectionless protocol, therefore there is no compulsion to have a connection-oriented network.
 UDP provides fast delivery of messages.

Disadvantages of UDP
 In UDP protocol there is no guarantee that the packet is delivered.
 UDP protocol suffers from worse packet loss.
 UDP protocol has no congestion control mechanism.
 UDP protocol does not provide the sequential transmission of data.

2. TCP
TCP stands for Transmission Control Protocol. TCP protocol provides transport layer services to applications.
TCP protocol is a connection-oriented protocol. A secured connection is being established between the sender
and the receiver. For a generation of a secured connection, a virtual circuit is generated between the sender and
the receiver. The data transmitted by TCP protocol is in the form of continuous byte streams. A unique sequence
number is assigned to each byte. With the help of this unique number, a positive acknowledgment is received
from receipt. If the acknowledgment is not received within a specific period the data is retransmitted to the
specified destination.
TCP Segment
A TCP segment’s header may have 20–60 bytes. The options take about 40 bytes. A header consists of 20 bytes
by default, although it can contain up to 60 bytes.

 Source Port Address: The port address of the programme sending the data segment is stored in the 16-bit
field known as the source port address.
 Destination Port Address: The port address of the application running on the host receiving the data
segment is stored in the destination port address, a 16-bit field.
 Sequence Number: The sequence number, or the byte number of the first byte sent in that specific segment,
is stored in a 32-bit field. At the receiving end, it is used to put the message back together once it has been
received out of sequence.
 Acknowledgement Number : The acknowledgement number, or the byte number that the recipient
anticipates receiving next, is stored in a 32-bit field called the acknowledgement number. It serves as a
confirmation that the earlier bytes were successfully received.
 Header Length (HLEN): This 4-bit field stores the number of 4-byte words in the TCP header, indicating
how long the header is. For example, if the header is 20 bytes (the minimum length of the TCP header), this
field will store 5 because 5 x 4 = 20, and if the header is 60 bytes (the maximum length), it will store 15
because 15 x 4 = 60. As a result, this field’s value is always between 5 and 15.
 Control flags: These are six 1-bit control bits that regulate flow control, method of transfer, connection
abortion, termination, and establishment. They serve the following purposes:
o Urgent: This pointer is legitimate
o ACK: The acknowledgement number (used in cumulative acknowledgement cases) is valid.
o PSH: Push request
o RST: Restart the link.
o SYN: Sequence number synchronisation
o FIN: Cut off the communication
o Window size: This parameter provides the sender TCP’s window size in bytes.
 Checksum: The checksum for error control is stored in this field. Unlike UDP, it is required for TCP.
 Urgent pointer: This field is used to point to data that must urgently reach the receiving process as soon as
possible. It is only valid if the URG control flag is set. To obtain the byte number of the final urgent byte, the
value of this field is appended to the sequence number.

Advantages of TCP
 TCP supports multiple routing protocols.
 TCP protocol operates independently of that of the operating system.
 TCP protocol provides the features of error control and flow control.
 TCP provides a connection-oriented protocol and provides the delivery of data.

Disadvantages of TCP
 TCP protocol cannot be used for broadcast or multicast transmission.
 TCP protocol has no block boundaries.
 No clear separation is being offered by TCP protocol between its interface, services, and protocols.
 In TCP/IP replacement of protocol is difficult.

3. SCTP
SCTP stands for Stream Control Transmission Protocol. SCTP is a connection-oriented protocol. Stream Control
Transmission Protocol transmits the data from sender to receiver in full duplex mode. SCTP is a unicast protocol
that provides with point to point-to-point connection and uses different hosts for reaching the destination. SCTP
protocol provides a simpler way to build a connection over a wireless network. SCTP protocol provides a
reliable transmission of data. SCTP provides a reliable and easier telephone conversation over the internet. SCTP
protocol supports the feature of multihoming ie. it can establish more than one connection path between the two
points of communication and does not depend on the IP layer. SCTP protocol also ensures security by not
allowing the half-open connections.

Advantages of SCTP
 SCTP provides a full duplex connection. It can send and receive the data simultaneously.
 SCTP protocol possesses the properties of both TCP and UDP protocol.
 SCTP protocol does not depend on the IP layer.
 SCTP is a secure protocol.

Disadvantages of SCTP
 To handle multiple streams simultaneously the applications need to be modified accordingly.
 The transport stack on the node needs to be changed for the SCTP protocol.
 Modification is required in applications if SCTP is used instead of TCP or UDP protocol.
 Protocols in Application Layer
The Application Layer is the topmost layer in the Open System Interconnection (OSI) model. This layer provides
several ways for manipulating the data which enables any type of user to access the network with ease. The
Application Layer interface directly interacts with the application and provides common web application
services. The application layer performs several kinds of functions that are required in any kind of application or
communication process. In this article, we will discuss various application layer protocols.

What are Application Layer Protocols?

Application layer protocols are those protocols utilized at the application layer of the OSI (Open Systems
Interconnection) and TCP/IP models. They facilitate communication and data sharing between software
applications on various network devices. These protocols define the rules and standards that allow applications to
interact and communicate quickly and effectively over a network.

Application Layer Protocol in Computer Network

1. TELNET
Telnet stands for the TELetype NETwork. It helps in terminal emulation. It allows Telnet clients to access the
resources of the Telnet server. It is used for managing files on the Internet. It is used for the initial setup of
devices like switches. The telnet command is a command that uses the Telnet protocol to communicate with a
remote device or system. The port number of the telnet is 23.

2. FTP
FTP stands for File Transfer Protocol. It is the protocol that actually lets us transfer files. It can facilitate this
between any two machines using it. But FTP is not just a protocol but it is also a program. .FTP promotes
sharing of files via remote computers with reliable and efficient data transfer. The Port number for FTP is 20 for
data and 21 for control.

3. TFTP
The Trivial File Transfer Protocol (TFTP) is the stripped-down, stock version of FTP, but it’s the protocol of
choice if you know exactly what you want and where to find it. It’s a technology for transferring files between
network devices and is a simplified version of FTP. The Port number for TFTP is 69.

4. NFS
It stands for a Network File System. It allows remote hosts to mount file systems over a network and interact
with those file systems as though they are mounted locally. This enables system administrators to consolidate
resources onto centralized servers on the network. The Port number for NFS is 2049.

5. SMTP
It stands for Simple Mail Transfer Protocol. It is a part of the TCP/IP protocol. Using a process called “store and
forward,” SMTP moves your email on and across networks. It works closely with something called the Mail
Transfer Agent (MTA) to send your communication to the right computer and email inbox. The Port number for
SMTP is 25.

6. LPD
It stands for Line Printer Daemon. It is designed for printer sharing. It is the part that receives and processes the
request. A “daemon” is a server or agent. The Port number for LPD is 515.

7. X window
It defines a protocol for the writing of graphical user interface–based client/server applications. The idea is to
allow a program, called a client, to run on one computer. It is primarily used in networks of interconnected
mainframes. Port number for X window starts from 6000 and increases by 1 for each server.

8. SNMP
It stands for Simple Network Management Protocol. It gathers data by polling the devices on the network from a
management station at fixed or random intervals, requiring them to disclose certain information. It is a way that
servers can share information about their current state, and also a channel through which an administrate can
modify pre-defined values. The Port number of SNMP is 161(TCP) and 162(UDP).

9. DNS
It stands for Domain Name System. Every time you use a domain name, therefore, a DNS service must translate
the name into the corresponding IP address. For example, the domain name www.abc.com might translate to
198.105.232.4.
The Port number for DNS is 53.

10. DHCP
It stands for Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP). It gives IP addresses to hosts. There is a lot of
information a DHCP server can provide to a host when the host is registering for an IP address with the DHCP
server. Port number for DHCP is 67, 68.

11. HTTP/HTTPS
HTTP stands for Hypertext Transfer Protocol and HTTPS is the more secured version of HTTP, that’s why
HTTPS stands for Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure. This protocol is used to access data from the World Wide
Web. The Hypertext is the well-organized documentation system that is used to link pages in the text document.
 HTTP is based on the client-server model.
 It uses TCP for establishing connections.
 HTTP is a stateless protocol, which means the server doesn’t maintain any information about the previous
request from the client.
 HTTP uses port number 80 for establishing the connection.

12. POP
POP stands for Post Office Protocol and the latest version is known as POP3 (Post Office Protocol version 3).
This is a simple protocol used by User agents for message retrieval from mail servers.
 POP protocol work with Port number 110.
 It uses TCP for establishing connections.
POP works in dual mode- Delete mode, Keep Mode.
In Delete mode, it deletes the message from the mail server once they are downloaded to the local system.
In Keep mode, it doesn’t delete the message from the mail server and also facilitates the users to access the mails
later from the mail server.

13. IRC
IRC stands for Internet Relay Chat. It is a text-based instant messaging/chatting system. IRC is used for group or
one-to-one communication. It also supports file, media, data sharing within the chat. It works upon the client-
server model. Where users connect to IRC server or IRC network via some web/ standalone application
program.
 It uses TCP or TLS for connection establishment.
 It makes use of port number 6667.

14. MIME
MIME stands for Multipurpose Internet Mail Extension. This protocol is designed to extend the capabilities of
the existing Internet email protocol like SMTP. MIME allows non-ASCII data to be sent via SMTP. It allows
users to send/receive various kinds of files over the Internet like audio, video, programs, etc. MIME is not a
standalone protocol it works in collaboration with other protocols to extend their capabilities.

Conclusion
Application layer protocols are required to enable communication and data exchange between software
applications on different network devices. These protocols, which include HTTP, FTP, SMTP, and DNS, specify
the rules and standards that enable applications to communicate easily across a network. Each protocol serves a
distinct purpose, ranging from file transfer and email management to network device configuration and web page
access, providing efficient and effective network connection