Data-link Control & Protocols

Data Link Control (DLC) is the protocol layer in the networking

model that manages the flow of data between two nodes over a
physical communication link. Its main responsibility is to provide
reliable and efficient communication over a physical medium,
such as Ethernet, Wi-Fi, or token ring, and ensure that data is
transmitted accurately and without errors.
 there are also two common protocols used in the Data Link Control layer: the
Media Access Control (MAC) protocol and the Address Resolution Protocol
(ARP

The MAC protocol is responsible for controlling access to the physical

medium and ensures that only one node at a time is transmitting data

The ARP protocol maps the IP address of a node to its

corresponding MAC address, allowing data to be transmitted over
the physical medium.
 In a wireless network, the MAC protocol may use a technique called Listen
Before Talk. This means that a device that wants to transmit data first
listens to see if the communication channel is busy. If the channel is free,
the device transmits its data. If the channel is busy, the device waits for a
random period of time and then tries again.

In a wired network, the MAC protocol may use a technique called

Collision Detection. When a device wants to transmit data, it first listens
to make sure that the communication channel is free. If another device is
transmitting data at the same time, a collision will occur. When a collision
is detected, both devices stop transmitting and wait for a random period of
time before trying again.
 The Address Resolution Protocol (ARP) is a protocol used in computer
networks to translate network layer addresses (such as IP addresses) to link
layer addresses (such as MAC addresses). In other words, ARP is used to find
the MAC address of a device on the same local network when you know its IP
address.

Here's how it works, when a device needs to send data to another device
on the same local network, it first checks its ARP cache to see if it already
knows the MAC address of the destination device. If it doesn't know the
MAC address, it sends an ARP request to the network asking for the MAC
address of the device with the given IP address.
Flow Control
is the process of managing the rate of data transmission between two devices to ensure
that the receiving device can process and store the incoming data without getting
overwhelmed.

Flow control in DLC uses a technique called Buffering. The receiving device has a
buffer or temporary storage space where it stores incoming data until it is ready to
process it. When the buffer becomes full, the receiving device sends a message to the
sending device to stop transmitting data until it can catch up.
 There are two main types of flow control techniques

Sliding Window Flow Control

Stop-and-Wait Flow Control
is a more sophisticated
technique in which the sender
is a simple technique in which the and receiver agree on a
sender sends one packet at a time and window size, representing the
maximum number of
waits for an acknowledgment from the
unacknowledged packets that
receiver before sending the next packet.
can be sent at any given time.
 Error Control

is a technique used in computer networking to detect and correct errors in data

transmitted over a network. Errors can occur in data transmission due to a variety
of factors such as noise, interference, and signal loss. Error control techniques are
used to ensure that the data received at the receiving end is the same as the data
that was sent by the sender.
Error Control Techniques
Parity Checking: Parity checking is a simple technique that involves adding an extra
bit to each byte of data being transmitted. This extra bit is set to 1 or 0 to ensure that
the total number of 1s in the byte (including the extra bit) is always odd or even. The
receiving device checks the parity bit to determine if any errors have occurred during
transmission.

Checksums: Checksums are more complex than parity checking and involve adding a
special value to the data being transmitted. The receiving device calculates the
checksum using the same formula and compares it to the transmitted value to check
for errors.
Cyclic Redundancy Checks (CRC): CRC is a more advanced technique that
involves generating a complex code based on the data being transmitted. The
receiving device calculates the same code and compares it to the transmitted code to
check for errors.
Requirements for error control mechanism:

Negative ACK  - When the receiver receives a

damaged frame or a duplicate frame, it sends a
Error detection  - The sender and receiver, NACK back to the sender and the sender must
either both or any, must ascertain that there is retransmit the correct frame.
some error in the transit.

Retransmission:  The sender maintains a clock and sets a

Positive ACK  - When the receiver receives
timeout period. If an acknowledgement of a data-frame
a correct frame, it should acknowledge it.
previously transmitted does not arrive before the timeout
the sender retransmits the frame, thinking that the frame
or it’s acknowledgement is lost in transit.
Automatic Repeat Request (ARQ) is a type of error control mechanism used in computer
networking to detect and correct errors in data transmission.

The three types of Automatic Repeat Requests (ARQ)

Go-Back-N ARQ

Stop-and-Wait ARQ Selective Repeat

ARQ
Stop-and-Wait ARQ
In this technique, the sender sends one packet at a time
and waits for an acknowledgment from the receiver. If the
acknowledgment is not received within a certain period of
time, the sender resends the packet.

Stop-and-Wait ARQ is a simple and reliable protocol, but

it can be slow and inefficient for large files or networks
with high error rates. Other ARQ protocols, such as Go-
Back-N ARQ and Selective Repeat ARQ, are designed to
improve efficiency and reliability in these situations.
Go-Back-N ARQ
In this technique, the sender can send multiple packets before
receiving an acknowledgment from the receiver. If an error occurs in
one of the packets, the receiver sends a negative acknowledgment
(NAK) for the first erroneous packet. The sender then resends all the
packets starting from the first erroneous packet.

Go-Back-N ARQ is an efficient protocol that can transmit multiple

packets at once, but it can be slow and inefficient for networks with
high error rates or long propagation delays. Other ARQ protocols,
such as Selective Repeat ARQ, are designed to improve efficiency
and reliability in these situations.
Selective Repeat ARQ
In this technique, the receiver sends a NAK for each erroneous
packet, allowing the sender to only resend the erroneous
packets. This technique is more efficient than Go-Back-N
ARQ, as it only requires the retransmission of the faulty
packets, rather than all the packets.

Go-Back-N ARQ is an efficient protocol that can transmit

multiple packets at once, but it can be slow and inefficient for
networks with high error rates or long propagation delays.
Other ARQ protocols, such as Selective Repeat ARQ, are
designed to improve efficiency and reliability in these
situations.
THANK YOU