Network Layer: COMPSCI 453 Computer Networks
Professor Jim Kurose
Data Plane College of Information and Computer Sciences
University of Massachusetts
Overview of Network Layer
What’s Inside a Router? Class textbook:
The Internet Protocol: IPv4, Addressing, NAT Computer Networking: A Top-
Down Approach (8th ed.)
IPv6 J.F. Kurose, K.W. Ross
Pearson, 2020
Generalized Forwarding and SDN [Link]
Middleboxes
Summary
Network layer: our goals
understand principles instantiation, implementation
behind network layer in the Internet
services, focusing on data • IP protocol
plane: • NAT, middleboxes
• network layer service models
• forwarding versus routing
• how a router works
• addressing
• generalized forwarding
• Internet architecture
Network-layer services and protocols
transport segment from sending to mobile network
receiving host national or global ISP
• sender: encapsulates segments into
datagrams, passes to link layer application
transport
• receiver: delivers segments to network
link
transport layer protocol physical
network
link
network
link
network layer protocols in every
physical physical
Internet device: hosts, routers network
link network
link
physical
routers: physical network
link
physical
datacenter
network
• examines header fields in all IP
datagrams passing through it application
transport
network
enterprise
• moves datagrams from input ports to network
link
physical
output ports to transfer datagrams
along end-end path
Two key network-layer functions
network-layer functions: analogy: taking a trip
forwarding: move packets from forwarding: process of getting
a router’s input link to through single interchange
appropriate router output link routing: process of planning trip
routing: determine route taken from source to destination
by packets from source to
destination
• routing algorithms
forwarding
routing
Network layer: data plane, control plane
Data plane: Control plane
local, per-router function network-wide logic
determines how datagram determines how datagram is
arriving on router input port routed among routers along end-
is forwarded to router end path from source host to
output port destination host
values in arriving two control-plane approaches:
packet header
• traditional routing algorithms:
0111 1 implemented in routers
2
3 • software-defined networking (SDN):
implemented in (remote) servers
Per-router control plane
Individual routing algorithm components in each and every
router interact in the control plane
Routing
Algorithm
control
plane
data
plane
values in arriving
packet header
0111 1
2
3
Software-Defined Networking (SDN) control plane
Remote controller computes, installs forwarding tables in routers
Remote Controller
control
plane
data
plane
CA
CA CA CA CA
values in arriving
packet header
0111 1
2
3
Network service model
Q: What service model for “channel” transporting datagrams
from sender to receiver?
example services for example services for a flow of
individual datagrams: datagrams:
guaranteed delivery in-order datagram delivery
guaranteed delivery with guaranteed minimum bandwidth
less than 40 msec delay to flow
restrictions on changes in inter-
packet spacing
Network-layer service model
Quality of Service (QoS) Guarantees ?
Network Service
Architecture Model Bandwidth Loss Order Timing
Internet best effort none no no no
ATM Constant Bit Rate Constant rate yes yes yes
Internet “best effort” service model
ATM Available Bit Rate
No guarantees on: Guaranteed min no yes no
Internet i. successful
Intserv Guaranteed datagram
yes deliveryyes
to destination
yes yes
(RFC 1633)
ii. timing or order of delivery
Internet iii. bandwidth
Diffserv (RFC 2475)
available
possibleto end-end flow possibly
possibly no
Network-layer service model
Quality of Service (QoS) Guarantees ?
Network Service
Architecture Model Bandwidth Loss Order Timing
Internet best effort none no no no
ATM Constant Bit Rate Constant rate yes yes yes
ATM Available Bit Rate Guaranteed min no yes no
Internet Intserv Guaranteed yes yes yes yes
(RFC 1633)
Internet Diffserv (RFC 2475) possible possibly possibly no
Reflections on best-effort service:
simplicity of mechanism has allowed Internet to be widely deployed
adopted
sufficient provisioning of bandwidth allows performance of real-time
applications (e.g., interactive voice, video) to be “good enough” for
“most of the time”
replicated, application-layer distributed services (datacenters, content
distribution networks) connecting close to clients’ networks, allow
services to be provided from multiple locations
congestion control of “elastic” services helps
It’s hard to argue with success of best-effort service model
Network Layer: COMPSCI 453 Computer Networks
Professor Jim Kurose
Data Plane College of Information and Computer Sciences
University of Massachusetts
Overview of Network Layer
What’s Inside a Router? Class textbook:
The Internet Protocol: IPv4, Addressing, NAT, Computer Networking: A Top-
Down Approach (8th ed.)
IPv6 J.F. Kurose, K.W. Ross
Pearson, 2020
Generalized Forwarding and SDN [Link]
Middleboxes
Summary
Video: 2020, J.F. Kurose, All Rights Reserved
Powerpoint: 1996-2020, J.F. Kurose, K.W. Ross, All Rights Reserved
