Transport and

Application Layers
UNIT 3
 Transport Layer
•The transport layer is a 4th layer from the top.
•The main role of the transport layer is to provide the communication services directly to the application
processes running on different hosts.
•The transport layer provides a logical communication between application processes running on different
hosts. Although the application processes on different hosts are not physically connected, application
processes use the logical communication provided by the transport layer to send the messages to each other.
•The transport layer protocols are implemented in the end systems but not in the network routers.
•A computer network provides more than one protocol to the network applications. For example, TCP and UDP
are two transport layer protocols that provide a different set of services to the network layer.
•All transport layer protocols provide multiplexing/demultiplexing service. It also provides other services such
as reliable data transfer, bandwidth guarantees, and delay guarantees.
•Each of the applications in the application layer has the ability to send a message by using TCP or UDP. The
application communicates by using either of these two protocols. Both TCP and UDP will then communicate
with the internet protocol in the internet layer. The applications can read and write to the transport layer.
Therefore, we can say that communication is a two-way process.
Elements of transport protocols
(etp)
•Transport <> Data Link.
•Addressing.
•Establishing a connection.
•Releasing a connection.
•Flow control and buffering.
•Multiplexing.
•Crash recovery.
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Services provided by the Transport Layer
The services provided by the transport layer are similar to
those of the data link layer. The data link layer provides the
services within a single network while the transport layer
provides the services across an internetwork made up of many
networks. The data link layer controls the physical layer while
the transport layer controls all the lower layers.
The services provided by the transport layer protocols can
be divided into five categories:
•End-to-end delivery
•Addressing
•Reliable delivery
•Flow control
•Multiplexing
Service provide by transport layer

End-to-end delivery:
The transport layer transmits the entire message to the destination. Therefore, it ensures the end-to-end delivery
of an entire message from a source to the destination.
Reliable delivery:
The transport layer provides reliability services by retransmitting the lost and damaged packets.
The reliable delivery has four aspects:
•Error control
•Sequence control
•Loss control
•Duplication control
Control
•The primary role of reliability is Error Control. In
reality, no transmission will be 100 percent error-free
delivery. Therefore, transport layer protocols are
designed to provide error-free transmission.
•The data link layer also provides the error handling
mechanism, but it ensures only node-to-node error-free
delivery. However, node-to-node reliability does not
ensure the end-to-end reliability.
•The data link layer checks for the error between each
network. If an error is introduced inside one of the
routers, then this error will not be caught by the data
link layer. It only detects those errors that have been
introduced between the beginning and end of the link.
Therefore, the transport layer performs the checking for
the errors end-to-end to ensure that the packet has
arrived correctly.
Sequence Control Loss Control
•The second aspect of the reliability is Loss Control is a third aspect of
sequence control which is reliability. The transport layer ensures
implemented at the transport layer. that all the fragments of a transmission
arrive at the destination, not some of
•On the sending end, the transport
layer is responsible for ensuring that them. On the sending end, all the
the packets received from the upper fragments of transmission are given
layers can be used by the lower sequence numbers by a transport layer.
layers. On the receiving end, it These sequence numbers allow the
ensures that the various segments of receivers transport layer to identify the
a transmission can be correctly missing segment
reassembled.
Flow Control
Flow control is used to prevent
the sender from overwhelming the receiver.
If the receiver is overloaded with too much
data, then the receiver discards the packets
and asking for the retransmission of packets.
This increases network congestion and thus,
reducing the system performance. The
transport layer is responsible for flow
control. It uses the sliding window protocol
that makes the data transmission more
efficient as well as it controls the flow of
data so that the receiver does not become
overwhelmed. Sliding window protocol is
byte oriented rather than frame oriented.
Multiplexing can occur in two
ways:

•Upward multiplexing:
•Upward multiplexing means multiple
transport layer connections use the same
network connection. To make more
cost-effective, the transport layer sends
several transmissions bound for the same
destination along the same path; this is
achieved through upward multiplexing.
 Downward
multiplexing:
•Downward multiplexing means one
transport layer connection uses the
multiple network connections.
Downward multiplexing allows the
transport layer to split a connection
among several paths to improve the
throughput. This type of multiplexing
is used when networks have a low or
slow capacity.
 Addressing

•According to the layered model, the transport layer interacts with the functions of the session layer.
•Many protocols combine session,presentation, and application layer protocols into a single layer known as
the application layer. In these cases, delivery to the session layer means the delivery to the application
layer. Data generated by an application on one machine must be transmitted to the correct application on
another machine. In this case, addressing is provided by the transport layer.
•The transport layer provides the user address which is specified as a station or port. The port variable
represents a particular TS user of a specified station known as a Transport Service access point (TSAP).
Each station has only one transport entity.
•The transport layer protocols need to know which upper-layer protocols are communicating.
 TCP and UDP Protocol

TCP relies on a three-way handshake (synchronization, UDP enables continuous data transmission (i.e.,
synchronization acknowledgment, and final acknowledgment) response) without acknowledging or confirming the
 Key Points
The main difference Layer 4 of the OSI model,
between TCP (transmission also known as the transport layer,
control protocol) and UDP manages network traffic between
(user datagram protocol) is
hosts and end systems to ensure
that TCP is a
connection-based protocol complete data transfers.
and UDP is Transport-layer protocols such as
connectionless. While TCP TCP, UDP, DCCP, and SCTP are
is more reliable, it transfers used to control the volume of
data more slowly. data, where it is sent, and at what
rate.
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The following are some of the UDP’s key features are as follows:
most critical features of TCP:
•It adapts to bandwidth-intensive
•The client confirms data applications that tolerate a loss of
delivery from the server. packets.
•After a timeout period, the •There will be fewer delays in data
server attempts retransmission transmission.
for data that is not delivered. •It is used to send a large number of
•In a congested network, TCP packets at a time.
delays data transmission. •There is a possibility that you may
•It uses a three-way handshake lose some data.
to check for data transmission
errors.
 Factor TCP UDP
Connection type Requires an established connection No connection is needed to start
before transmitting data and end a data transfer

Can sequence data (send in a specific

Data sequence Cannot sequence or arrange data
order)
Can retransmit data if packets fail to No data retransmitting. Lost data
Data retransmission
arrive can’t be retrieved

Delivery Delivery is guaranteed Delivery is not guaranteed

Minimal error-checking covers the

Thorough error-checking guarantees
Check for errors basics but may not prevent all
data arrives in its intended state
errors
Broadcasting Not supported Supported

Fast, but at risk of incomplete data

Speed Slow, but complete data delivery
delivery