Summarized Reviewer – Chapter 9: Introduction to Data-Link

Layer

1. Transmission - Meaning
 The data-link layer is responsible for communication between directly connected network
nodes.
 It ensures data encapsulation, flow control, error detection, and addressing at the link level.
 A frame is the data unit at this layer, which carries network-layer packets (datagrams).

2. Nodes and Links

 Nodes: Any device that participates in network communication (e.g., computers, routers).
 Links: The physical or logical connection between two nodes.

A packet must travel through multiple links and nodes before reaching its
destination.

3. Services Provided by the Data-Link Layer

The data-link layer provides four key services:

A. Framing

 Encapsulates network-layer packets (datagrams) into frames for transmission.

 Adds headers and trailers to organize data efficiently.

B. Flow Control

 Prevents a fast sender from overwhelming a slow receiver.

 Achieved using feedback mechanisms (e.g., stop-and-wait, sliding window protocols).

C. Error Control

 Detects and corrects transmission errors using checksums or retransmissions.

 Uses techniques like Cyclic Redundancy Check (CRC).

D. Congestion Control

 Prevents excessive network traffic that can cause delays and packet loss.
 Primarily managed by the network and transport layers, but some link-layer protocols
include congestion management.
4. Types of Links
There are two types of links controlled by the data-link layer:

1.

Point-to-Point Links

2.

o A dedicated connection between two nodes.

o Example: Wired connections like Ethernet cables.

3.

Broadcast Links

4.

o A single link is shared among multiple nodes.

o Example: Wireless networks, satellite communication.

5. Sublayers of the Data-Link Layer

The data-link layer is divided into two sublayers:

A. Data Link Control (DLC) Sublayer

 Handles framing, error control, and flow control.

 Ensures reliable communication between directly connected nodes.

B. Media Access Control (MAC) Sublayer

 Manages access to shared transmission media (important in broadcast networks).

 Defines addressing mechanisms like MAC addresses.

6. Link-Layer Addressing
Each device in a network must have a unique link-layer address (also called MAC
address).

A. Unicast Address
  Used for one-to-one communication.
 Example: A frame sent from a router to a specific computer.

B. Multicast Address

 Used for one-to-many communication.

 Example: A frame sent from a server to multiple devices in a network.

C. Broadcast Address

 Used for one-to-all communication in a local network.

 Example: A router sending an ARP request to all devices in the same network.

7. Address Resolution Protocol (ARP)

ARP is used to map an IP address to a link-layer (MAC) address.

How ARP Works:

1. A device sends an ARP request to ask for the MAC address of a specific IP.
2. The target device replies with its ARP response, providing its MAC address.
3. The sender stores the MAC address in its ARP cache to avoid repeated requests.

Example of ARP Communication:

 A computer wants to send data to another device but only knows its IP address.
 The sender broadcasts an ARP request to find the recipient's MAC address.
 The target replies with its MAC address, allowing communication to proceed.

8. Example of Data-Link Communication

Scenario: Alice Sends Data to Bob

1. Alice's network layer checks the destination IP address (Bob's IP).

2. The network layer uses ARP to find the MAC address of the next node.
3. The frame is encapsulated with the MAC address of the next router.
4. The frame travels through routers, which update the MAC addresses at each step.
5. When the frame reaches Bob’s computer, the network layer removes the MAC header and
processes the data.

9. Summary of Key Concepts

 The data-link layer provides reliable node-to-node communication.
Framing, flow control, and error detection are critical functions.
Links can be point-to-point or broadcast-based.
MAC addresses are used for link-layer communication.
ARP is essential for mapping IP addresses to MAC addresses.

Summarized Reviewer – Chapter 9: Introduction to Data-Link

Layer

1. Transmission - Meaning
 The data-link layer ensures reliable communication between two directly connected devices
(nodes) over a network.
 It is responsible for framing, addressing, error control, and flow control.
 The unit of data at this layer is called a frame.

2. Nodes and Links

 Nodes: Devices that communicate within a network (e.g., computers, routers, switches).
 Links: The physical or logical connections between nodes (wired or wireless).
 A data packet must pass through multiple nodes and links before reaching its final
destination.

3. Services Provided by the Data-Link Layer

The data-link layer provides several essential services for reliable communication:

A. Framing

 Converts network-layer packets (datagrams) into frames for transmission.

 Frames include headers and trailers for error detection and addressing.

B. Flow Control

 Ensures that a slow receiver is not overwhelmed by a fast sender.

 Uses feedback mechanisms like stop-and-wait or sliding window protocols.

C. Error Control
  Detects and corrects transmission errors using error detection codes.
 Techniques include Cyclic Redundancy Check (CRC) and Automatic Repeat Request (ARQ).

D. Congestion Control

 Prevents excessive data traffic that could cause network congestion and packet loss.
 Mostly handled at the network and transport layers, but some link-layer protocols manage
congestion as well.

4. Types of Links
The data-link layer controls how communication occurs over different types of links:

1.

Point-to-Point Links

2.

o A dedicated connection between two devices.

o Example: A wired Ethernet connection between a computer and a router.

3.

Broadcast Links

4.

o A shared medium where multiple devices can receive transmissions.

o Example: Wi-Fi networks, satellite communication.

5. Sublayers of the Data-Link Layer

The data-link layer is divided into two sublayers for better functionality:

A. Data Link Control (DLC) Sublayer

 Manages framing, flow control, and error detection for reliable transmission.

B. Media Access Control (MAC) Sublayer

 Handles access to the shared transmission medium (important in broadcast networks).

 Defines MAC addresses used for device identification.
6. Link-Layer Addressing
Devices need unique link-layer addresses (MAC addresses) to communicate
efficiently.

A. Unicast Address

 Used for one-to-one communication between two devices.

 Example: A computer sending data to a specific router.

B. Multicast Address

 Used for one-to-many communication within a group.

 Example: A video streaming server sending data to multiple users.

C. Broadcast Address

 Used for one-to-all communication in a network.

 Example: A router sending an ARP request to all devices on the same local network.

7. Address Resolution Protocol (ARP)

Since IP addresses are logical, ARP helps translate them into physical (MAC)
addresses.

How ARP Works:

1. A device sends an ARP request to ask for the MAC address of a specific IP.
2. The target device responds with its MAC address in an ARP reply.
3. The sender stores the MAC address in its ARP cache for future use.

Example of ARP Communication:

 A device wants to send data to another device but only knows its IP address.
 It broadcasts an ARP request asking for the recipient's MAC address.
 The recipient replies with its MAC address, allowing communication to proceed.

8. Example of Data-Link Communication

Scenario: Alice Sends Data to Bob

1. Alice's network layer checks the destination IP address (Bob's IP).

2. The network layer uses ARP to find the MAC address of the next router.
 3. The frame is encapsulated with the MAC address of the router.
4. The frame travels through multiple routers, which update the MAC addresses at each step.
5. When the frame reaches Bob’s computer, the network layer removes the MAC header and
processes the data.

9. Summary of Key Concepts

The data-link layer enables node-to-node communication.
It provides framing, flow control, error detection, and congestion control.
Links can be point-to-point or broadcast-based.
MAC addresses are essential for device communication.
ARP maps logical IP addresses to physical MAC addresses.