Computer Networks

UNIT V
 APPLICATION LAYER
• E-Mail (SMTP, MIME, POP3, IMAP),
• HTTP –
• DNS –
• FTP –
• Telnet –
• web services –
• SNMP - MIB – RMON.
 APPLICATION LAYER
• Important to distinguish between application programs and
application protocols.
• For example, the HyperText Transport Protocol (HTTP) is an application protocol that is used
to retrieve web pages from remote servers. There can be many different application
programs—that is, web clients like Internet Explorer, Netscape, Firefox, and Safari—that
provide users with a different look and feel, but all of them use the same HTTP protocol to
communicate with web servers over the Internet.
• SMTP: Simple Mail Transfer Protocol is used to exchange
electronic mail.
• HTTP: HyperText Transport Protocol is used to communicate
between web browsers and web servers.
• DNS: Domain Name System protocol is used to query name servers
and send the responses. (As we will see, DNS refers to rather more
than just a protocol.)
• SNMP: Simple Network Management Protocol is used to query (and
sometimes modify) the state of remote network nodes
NVT - NETWORK VIRTUAL TERMINAL
E-Mail (SMTP, MIME, POP3, IMAP),
SMTP - Simple Mail Transfer Protocol
• The TCP/IP protocol suite supports electronic
mail on the Internet through Simple Mail
Tr a n s f e r P r o t o c o l ( S M T P ) .
• It is a protocol for sending messages to other
c o m p u t e r u s e r s b a s e d o n e - m a i l a d d re s s e s .
• SMTP provides mail exchange between users on
the same or different computers .
 E-Mail (SMTP, MIME, POP3, IMAP),
• SMTP originated in 1982 (RFC821, Jon Postel)
• Follows Standard message format (RFC822,2822, D. Crocker)
• Goal: To transfer mail reliably and efficiently.
• SMTP clients and servers have two main components
• User Agents – Prepares the message, encloses it in an envelope.
– (Some examples of command-driven user agents are mail, pine, and elm
– Some examples of GUI-based user agents are Eudora, Outlook, and Netscape.
• Mail Transfer Agent – Transfers the mail across the internet (ex. Sendmail, Exim)
• Analogous to the postal system in many ways.
• SMTP also allows the use of Relays allowing other MTAs to relay the mail.
• Mail Gateways are used to relay mail prepared by a protocol other than SMTP and convert it to
SMTP.
E-Mail (SMTP, MIME, POP3, IMAP),
Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions (MIME)
Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions (MIME)

The message at the receiving side is transformed back to the

original data. We can think of MIME as a set of software
functions that transforms non-ASCII data (stream of bits) to
ASCII data and vice versa, as shown
Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions (MIME)
Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions (MIME)
Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions (MIME)
 POP 3 (Post Office Protocol)
• Short for Post Office Protocol, a protocol used to retrieve e-mail from a
mail server. Most e-mail applications (sometimes called an e-mail client)
use the POP protocol, although some can use the newer IMAP (Internet
Message Access Protocol).
• There are two versions of POP.
• The first, called POP2, became a standard in the mid-80's and requires
SMTP to send messages. The newer version, POP3, can be used with or
without SMTP. POP3 uses TCP/IP port 110.
 POP 3 (Post Office Protocol)
• Workstations interact with the SMTP host, which receives the mail on
behalf of every host in the organization, to retrieve messages by using a
client-server protocol such as post office protocol, version 3(POP3).
• Although POP3 is used to download messages from the server, the SMTP
client still needed on the desktop to forward messages from the
workstation user to its SMTP mail server.
POP 3 (Post Office Protocol)
HTTP
HTTP
 HTTP
HTTPS – UN READABLE DATA
 HTTP
HTTPS – UN READABLE DATA
DNS
DNS
DNS
DNS
DNS
DNS
DNS
DNS
 FTP
• Transferring files between computers is one of the most common tasks in
networking, and file transfer constitutes a significant volume of Internet data
exchange.
• File Transfer Protocol (FTP) is the standard TCP/IP mechanism for copying files from
one host to another.
• FTP addresses challenges such as differing file name conventions, text and data
representation, and directory structures between systems.
• Unlike other client/server applications, FTP establishes two connections between
hosts: one for data transfer and one for control information (commands and
responses), enhancing efficiency.
• The control connection in FTP follows simple communication rules, while the data
connection requires more complex rules due to varied data types, although TCP
treats both connections the same.
FTP
 FTP
Communication over Control Connection
• FTP uses the same approach as SMTP for communication over the control
connection, employing the 7-bit ASCII character set.
• Communication on the control connection is achieved through simple,
one-line commands and responses, sent one at a time.
• Each command or response line ends with a two-character end-of-line
token: carriage return and line feed.
 FTP
Communication over Data Connection
• The purpose of the data connection is different from that of the control
connection. We want to transfer files through the data connection.
• File transfer occurs over the data connection under the control of the
commands sent over the control connection. However, we should
remember that file transfer in FTP means one of three things.
 Telnet
• Telnet is a network protocol used to provide a bidirectional interactive text-based
communication facility using a virtual terminal connection. It allows a user on one computer
to log into another computer on the same network or over the internet, providing remote
access to the command-line interface of the remote machine.
• Key points about Telnet:
• Functionality: Telnet enables remote access to a computer, where users can execute
commands as if they were physically present at the remote machine's command line.
• Protocol and Port: It operates over TCP (Transmission Control Protocol) using port 23 by
default.
• Lack of Encryption: Telnet is not secure, as it transmits data, including login credentials, in
plaintext, making it susceptible to interception and security risks.
• Alternative: Due to security issues, Telnet is often replaced by more secure protocols like SSH
(Secure Shell), which encrypts communication between the client and the server.
• Telnet was widely used for remote management and troubleshooting but has largely been
superseded by secure alternatives in modern networking.
 web services
• Much of the motivation for enabling direct application-to-application
communication comes from the business world.
• Historically, interactions between enterprises have involved manual steps like
filling out an order form or making a phone call to check product availability.
• Increasingly, such manual interactions are being replaced with direct application-
to-application interaction.
• Two architectures have been advocated as solutions to this problem: SOAP and
REST, both referred to as Web Services.
• The SOAP architecture uses a framework for protocol specification and toolkits for
generating protocol implementations automatically.
• SOAP-based architecture relies on Web Services Description Language (WSDL) and
SOAP standards, issued by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C).
• Multimedia applications, like telephony and videoconferencing, often require
unique protocols, such as the Real-Time Transport Protocol (RTP), to handle
specific needs like timing and media types.
 web services
• WSDL has chosen a procedural operation model for application protocols, defining an
abstract Web Service interface as a set of named operations, similar to remotely callable
procedures in RPC systems.
• Each WSDL operation specifies a Message Exchange Pattern (MEP), detailing the
sequence of message transmissions, including fault messages for error handling.
• WSDL separates abstract protocol parts (operations, MEPs, abstract message formats)
from the concrete details needed for implementation.
• SOAP is better understood as a framework for defining protocols, emphasizing
extensibility and using components like XML Schema for message formats.
• SOAP’s structure includes an Envelope with a Header and Body, where the Header can
contain blocks for specific features, making it adaptable to diverse transport protocol
needs.
 web services
• WSDL and SOAP are standards for specifying protocols but not
protocols themselves; they require standardized
implementations, like the WS-I Basic Profile, to ensure
interoperability.
• The WS-I Basic Profile mandates that WSDL be exclusively bound
to SOAP, and SOAP exclusively to HTTP using the POST method.
• REST (Representational State Transfer), as articulated by Roy
Fielding, assumes existing Web architecture is sufficient for
application integration, in contrast to WSDL/SOAP’s custom SOAP message
protocol approach. structure

• WSDL/SOAP may be better suited for adapting legacy applications

into Web Services due to its procedural interface.
• Amazon.com was an early adopter of Web Services, offering both
SOAP and REST interfaces, with many developers favoring the
REST interface.
 SNMP - MIB – RMON
• SNMP (Simple Network Management Protocol): SNMP is a protocol used to monitor and manage
devices on a network, such as routers, switches, servers, and other networked hardware. It operates by
sending and receiving messages (protocol data units) to collect information about network devices and
manage them. SNMP works on UDP ports 161 (for requests) and 162 (for traps and alerts).

• MIB (Management Information Base): MIB is a virtual database that contains information about the
devices being monitored on a network. Each device has its own MIB, which organizes data in a
hierarchical format. MIBs define the structure of management data and allow SNMP to retrieve device-
specific information, like CPU usage or network traffic statistics.

• RMON (Remote Network Monitoring): RMON is an extension of SNMP that provides more detailed
network monitoring and analysis capabilities. RMON defines a set of objects and functions that allow for
more proactive and detailed network management. With RMON, administrators can collect detailed
network traffic information and analyze performance without needing constant SNMP polling, which
reduces the network load.

• Together, SNMP, MIB, and RMON provide a comprehensive framework for network management,
enabling real-time monitoring, troubleshooting, and performance optimization across complex network