Chapter 3

Transport Layer

Transport Layer: 3-1

 Transport Layer
Chapter goals: Chapter Overview:
 transport layer services
 understand principles  multiplexing/demultiplexing
behind transport layer  connectionless transport: UDP
services:  principles of reliable data transfer
• multiplexing/demultiplexing  connection-oriented transport: TCP
• reliable data transfer • reliable transfer
• flow control • flow control
• congestion control • connection management
 principles of congestion control
 TCP congestion control
Transport services and protocols
application
transport

 provide logical communication mobile

network
network
data link
physical

between application processes national or global ISP

running on different hosts

log
ica
le
 transport protocols actions in end

nd
-e
systems:

nd
local or

tra
• sender: breaks application messages regional ISP

n sp
into segments, passes to network layer

ort
home network content
• receiver: reassembles segments into provider
network
messages, passes to application layer application
transport
datacenter
network
network

 two transport protocols available to data link

physical

Internet applications enterprise

network
• TCP, UDP
Transport Layer: 3-3
Transport vs. network layer services and protocols
household analogy:
12 kids in Ann’s house sending
letters to 12 kids in Bill’s house:
 hosts = ?
 processes = ?
 app messages = ?
 transport protocol = Ann and Bill
who demux to in-house siblings
 network-layer protocol = postal
service

Transport Layer: 3-4

 Transport Layer vs. Network Layer
An Analogy: Cousins sending letters

East Coast West Coast

Postal-service mail
Uncle Sam carrier Uncle Bill

 Uncle Sam & Uncle Bill - responsible for mail  Postal service – carries the mails from house to
collection, distribution, and communicating with house
postal service Transport layer 5
 Transport Layer vs. Network Layer
Their services are constrained by the possible services that
the postal service provides

hosts (also called end systems) = houses

processes = cousins
application messages = letters in envelope
transport layer protocol = Uncle Sam and Uncle Bill
network layer protocol = postal service (including mail
persons)
It may so happen that their uncles could get sick,
and so other people may take over – analogously,
the computer network may provide multiple
transport protocols
Transport layer 6
 Logical Communication

sending receiving

 converts messages to 4-PDUs  receives 4-PDUs

Breaks down application messages into smaller  removes transport header
chunks + transport layer header = 4-PDUs  reassembles the messages
 passes to receiving application process
Transport layer 7
Transport Layer Actions

Sender:
application  is passed an application- app. msg
application
layer message
transport
 determines segment TTh htransport
app. msg
header fields values
network (IP)
 creates segment network (IP)

link
 passes segment to IP link

physical physical

Transport Layer: 3-8

Transport Layer Actions

Receiver:
application  receives segment from IP application
 checks header values
app. msg
transport  extracts application-layer transport
message
network (IP)  demultiplexes message up network (IP)

link to application via socket link

physical physical
Th app. msg

Transport Layer: 3-9

Two principal Internet transport protocols
application
transport

 TCP: Transmission Control Protocol mobile

network
network
data link
physical
national or global ISP
• reliable, in-order delivery

log
• congestion control

ica
le
• flow control

nd
-e
• connection setup

nd
local or

tra
regional ISP
 UDP: User Datagram Protocol

n sp
ort
• unreliable, unordered delivery home network content
provider
• no-frills extension of “best-effort” IP network
application
transport
datacenter
network

 services not available:

network
data link
physical

• delay guarantees enterprise

network
• bandwidth guarantees
Transport Layer: 3-10
Chapter 3: roadmap
 Transport-layer services
 Multiplexing and demultiplexing
 Connectionless transport: UDP
 Principles of reliable data transfer
 Connection-oriented transport: TCP
 Principles of congestion control
 TCP congestion control
 Evolution of transport-layer
functionality
Transport Layer: 3-11
Multiplexing is method or technique in which more than one signals are combined into one
signal that travels on a medium. Demultiplexing is the reverse of multiplexing.
HTTP server
client
application HTTP msg
application

transport

transport network transport

network link network
link physical link
physical physical

Transport Layer: 3-12

 HTTP server
client
application application
HTTP msg
Ht HTTP msg
transport

transport network transport

network link network
link physical link
physical physical

Transport Layer: 3-13

 HTTP server
client
application application
HTTP msg
Ht HTTP msg
transport
Hnnetwork
Ht HTTP msg
transport transport
network link network
link physical link
physical physical

Transport Layer: 3-14

 HTTP server
client
application application

transport

transport network transport

network link network
link physical link
physical physical

Hn Ht HTTP msg

Transport Layer: 3-15

 HTTP server
client1 client2
application P-client1 P-client2 application

transport

transport network transport

network link network
link physical link
physical physical

Transport Layer: 3-16

Multiplexing/demultiplexing
multiplexing at sender: demultiplexing at receiver:
handle data from multiple use header info to deliver
sockets, add transport header received segments to correct
(later used for demultiplexing) socket

application

application P1 P2 application socket

P3 transport P4
process
transport network transport
network link network
link physical link
physical physical

Transport Layer: 3-17

How demultiplexing works
 host receives IP datagrams 32 bits
• each datagram has source IP source port # dest port #
address, destination IP address
• each datagram carries one other header fields
transport-layer segment
• each segment has source,
application
destination port number data
 host uses IP addresses & port (payload)
numbers to direct segment to
appropriate socket TCP/UDP segment format

Transport Layer: 3-18

Connection-oriented demultiplexing
 TCP socket identified by  server may support many
4-tuple: simultaneous TCP sockets:
• source IP address • each socket identified by its
• source port number own 4-tuple
• dest IP address • each socket associated with
• dest port number a different connecting client
 demux: receiver uses all
four values (4-tuple) to
direct segment to
appropriate socket
Transport Layer: 3-19
Connection-oriented demultiplexing: example
application
application P4 P5 P6 application
P1 P2 P3
transport
transport transport
network
network link network
link physical link
physical server: IP physical
address B

host: IP source IP,port: B,80 host: IP

address A dest IP,port: A,9157 source IP,port: C,5775 address C
dest IP,port: B,80
source IP,port: A,9157
dest IP, port: B,80
source IP,port: C,9157
dest IP,port: B,80
Three segments, all destined to IP address: B,
dest port: 80 are demultiplexed to different sockets
Transport Layer: 3-20
Chapter 3: roadmap
 Transport-layer services
 Multiplexing and demultiplexing
 Connectionless transport: UDP
 Principles of reliable data transfer
 Connection-oriented transport: TCP
 Principles of congestion control
 TCP congestion control
 Evolution of transport-layer
functionality
Transport Layer: 3-21
UDP: User Datagram Protocol
 “no frills,” “bare bones”
Why is there a UDP?
Internet transport protocol  no connection
establishment (which can
 “best effort” service, UDP add RTT delay)
segments may be:  simple: no connection state
• lost at sender, receiver
• delivered out-of-order to app  small header size
 connectionless:  no congestion control
 UDP can blast away as fast as
• no handshaking between UDP desired!
sender, receiver  can function in the face of
• each UDP segment handled congestion
independently of others
Transport Layer: 3-22
UDP: User Datagram Protocol
 UDP use:
 streaming multimedia apps (loss tolerant, rate sensitive)
 DNS
 HTTP/3
 if reliable transfer needed over UDP (e.g., HTTP/3):
 add needed reliability at application layer
 add congestion control at application layer

Transport Layer: 3-23

UDP: Transport Layer Actions

SNMP client SNMP server

application application

transport transport
(UDP) (UDP)

network (IP) network (IP)

link link

physical physical

Transport Layer: 3-24

UDP: Transport Layer Actions

SNMP client SNMP server

UDP sender actions:
application  is passed an application- SNMP msg
application
layer message
transport  determines UDP segment UDPhtransport
UDP h SNMP msg

(UDP) header fields values (UDP)

network (IP)
 creates UDP segment network (IP)

link
 passes segment to IP link

physical physical

Transport Layer: 3-25

UDP: Transport Layer Actions

SNMP client SNMP server

UDP receiver actions:
application  receives segment from IP application
 checks UDP checksum
transport
transport
SNMP msg header value
(UDP)  extracts application-layer (UDP)

h SNMP(IP)
network
UDP msg message network (IP)
 demultiplexes message up
link to application via socket link

physical physical

Transport Layer: 3-26

UDP segment header
32 bits
source port # dest port #
length checksum

application length, in bytes of

data UDP segment,
(payload) including header

data to/from
UDP segment format application layer

Transport Layer: 3-27

UDP checksum
Goal: detect errors (i.e., flipped bits) in transmitted segment
1st number 2nd number sum

Transmitted: 5 6 11

Received: 4 6 11

receiver-computed
checksum
= sender-computed
checksum (as received)

Transport Layer: 3-28

UDP checksum
Goal: detect errors (i.e., flipped bits) in transmitted segment
sender: receiver:
 treat contents of UDP  compute checksum of received
segment (including UDP header segment
fields and IP addresses) as
sequence of 16-bit integers  check if computed checksum equals
 checksum: addition (one’s checksum field value:
complement sum) of segment • Not equal - error detected
content • Equal - no error detected.
 checksum value put into
UDP checksum field
Transport Layer: 3-29
Internet checksum: an example
example: add two 16-bit integers
1110011001100110
1101010101010101
wraparound 11011101110111011

sum 1011101110111100
checksum 0100010001000011

Note: when adding numbers, a carryout from the most significant bit needs to be
added to the result

* Check out the online interactive exercises for more examples: h ttp://gaia.cs.umass.edu/kurose_ross/interactive/
Transport Layer: 3-30
Internet checksum: weak protection!
example: add two 16-bit integers
01
1110011001100110 10
1101010101010101
wraparound 11011101110111011 Even though
numbers have
sum 1011101110111100 changed (bit
flips), no change
checksum 0100010001000011 in checksum!

Transport Layer: 3-31

Summary: UDP
 loss protocol:
• segments may be lost, delivered out of order
• best effort service: “send and hope for the best”
 UDP has its plusses:
• no setup/handshaking needed (no RTT incurred)
• can function when network service is compromised
• helps with reliability (checksum)
 build additional functionality on top of UDP in application layer
(e.g., HTTP/3)