Protocol Architecture, OSI, TCP/IP,
and Internet-Based Applications
By
Dr. Sudarshan Nandy
Associate Professor,
School of Computer Science and
Engineering
VIT University , Vellore, Tamil Nadu.
LAYERED TASKS
We use the concept of layers in our daily life. As an
example, let us consider two friends who communicate
through postal mail. The process of sending a letter to a
friend would be complex if there were no services
available from the post office.
Topics discussed in this section:
Sender, Receiver, and Carrier
Hierarchy
Need For Protocol Architecture
Data exchange can involve complex procedures, cf. file transfer example
Layered structure
– 1. Modularity and Simplification
• Each layer handles a specific set of related tasks (e.g., physical transmission, routing,
application services). Breaking a complex system into smaller, well-defined layers
simplifies design, implementation, and troubleshooting.
– 2. Abstraction and Independence
• Layers hide the complexity of the lower layers from the upper layers. For example,
the Application Layer doesn’t need to know how data is physically transmitted; it just
relies on the Transport Layer.
– 3. Interoperability
• Standards (e.g., OSI, TCP/IP) define how layers interact. Devices from different
vendors can communicate as long as they follow the same layered protocol
standards.
– 4. Reusability
• A layer can be reused by multiple higher layers. Example: TCP (Transport Layer) can
support both HTTP (Application Layer) and FTP without changes to TCP.
– 5. Scalability and Flexibility
• New technologies can be added at one layer without affecting others. Example:
Upgrading Ethernet (Physical Layer) doesn’t impact HTTP or SMTP.
Tasks involved in sending a letter
THE OSI MODEL
Established in 1947, the International Standards
Organization (ISO) is a multinational body dedicated to
worldwide agreement on international standards. An ISO
standard that covers all aspects of network
communications is the Open Systems Interconnection
(OSI) model. It was first introduced in the late 1970s.
Topics discussed in this section:
Layered Architecture
Peer-to-Peer Processes
Encapsulation
Seven layers of the OSI model
The interaction between layers in the OSI model
An exchange using the OSI model
Physical layer
Note
The physical layer is responsible for movements of
individual bits from one hop (node) to the next.
Data link layer
The data link layer is responsible for moving
frames from one hop (node) to the next.
Figure Hop-to-hop delivery
Network layer
Note
The network layer is responsible for the
delivery of individual packets from
the source host to the destination host.
Source-to-destination delivery
Transport layer
Note
The transport layer is responsible for the delivery
of a message from one process to another.
Reliable process-to-process delivery of a message
Session layer
Note
The session layer is responsible for dialog
control and synchronization.
Presentation layer
Note
The presentation layer is responsible for translation,
compression, and encryption.
Application layer
Note
The application layer is responsible for
providing services to the user.
Summary of layers
TCP/IP PROTOCOL SUITE
The layers in the TCP/IP protocol suite do not exactly
match those in the OSI model. The original TCP/IP
protocol suite was defined as having four layers: host-to-
network, internet, transport, and application. However,
when TCP/IP is compared to OSI, we can say that the
TCP/IP protocol suite is made of five layers: physical,
data link, network, transport, and application.
Topics discussed in this section:
Physical and Data Link Layers
Network Layer
Transport Layer
Application Layer
TCP/IP and OSI model
ADDRESSING
Four levels of addresses are used in an internet employing
the TCP/IP protocols: physical, logical, port, and specific.
Topics discussed in this section:
Physical Addresses
Logical Addresses
Port Addresses
Specific Addresses
Addresses in TCP/IP
Relationship of layers and addresses in TCP/IP
Physical addresses
Example
As we will see in Chapter 13, most local-area networks
use a 48-bit (6-byte) physical address written as 12
hexadecimal digits; every byte (2 hexadecimal digits) is
separated by a colon, as shown below:
07:01:02:01:2C:4B
A 6-byte (12 hexadecimal digits) physical address.
Example
Figure shows a part of an internet with two routers
connecting three LANs. Each device (computer or
router) has a pair of addresses (logical and physical) for
each connection. In this case, each computer is
connected to only one link and therefore has only one
pair of addresses. Each router, however, is connected to
three networks (only two are shown in the figure). So
each router has three pairs of addresses, one for each
connection.
Figure IP addresses
Example
Figure shows two computers communicating via the
Internet. The sending computer is running three
processes at this time with port addresses a, b, and c. The
receiving computer is running two processes at this time
with port addresses j and k. Process a in the sending
computer needs to communicate with process j in the
receiving computer. Note that although physical
addresses change from hop to hop, logical and port
addresses remain the same from the source to
destination.
Figure Port addresses
Note
The physical addresses will change from hop to hop,
but the logical addresses usually remain the same.