Chapter Seven

APPLICATION LAYER
FUNCTIONALITY AND
PROTOCOLS

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Application Layer: OSI and TCP/IP Models

 The Application layer

 Layer seven
 Top layer
 Interface between the applications we use to communicate and the
underlying network.

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 Email

HTTP HTTP

HTTP
(www)

 Application layer protocols

 Exchange data between programs running on the source and
destination hosts.

3
Application Layer: OSI and TCP/IP Models

4
The Presentation Layer

 The Presentation layer has three primary functions:

 Coding and conversion
 Compression
 Encryption
 Compression and Coding formats:
 Graphics Interchange Format (GIF)
 Joint Photographic Experts Group (JPEG)
 Tagged Image File Format (TIFF).

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The Session Layer

 Create and maintain dialogs between source and destination applications.

 Handles the exchange of information to:
 Initiate dialogs
 Keep them active
 Restart sessions that are disrupted or idle for a long period of time

 Most applications, like web browsers or e-mail clients, incorporate

functionality of the OSI layers 5, 6 and 7.
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Application Layer: OSI
and TCP/IP Models

Note: Usually a single

server will function as
a server for multiple
applications

 Common TCP/IP Protocols

 Domain Name Service Protocol (DNS)
 Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP)
 Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP)
 Telnet
 File Transfer Protocol (FTP)
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Application Layer
Software User
applications

 Application layer:
Services
 Applications
 Services

System
Operations

 Network-Aware Applications
 Applications to communicate over the network.
 They implement the application layer protocols:
 Email Clients
 Web Browsers
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Application Layer Software
User
applications

Services

System
Operations

 Application layer Services

 Network resources such as:
 File transfer
 Network print spooling
 Interface with the network and prepare the data for transfer.

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Application Layer Software

 Applications provide people a way to create messages.

 Services establish an interface to the network.
 Protocols provide the rules and formats that govern how data is
treated.

 Bottom line:
 When discussing an application like "Telnet" we could be
referring to the application, the service, or the protocol. 10
Application Layer Protocol Functions

 Protocols:
 Rules for exchanging data.
 Structure of the message

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Application Layer Protocol Functions

 Applications and services can use multiple protocols.

 Using a web browser (HTTP):
 May invoke:
 DNS, ARP, ICMP
 May use:
 TCP, UDP, Ethernet, PPP(point to point protocol)
 Uses
 IP

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Client Server Model

 A network application protocol typically has two parts or

"sides", a client side and a server side.
 Client: the device requesting the information
 Server: the device responding to the request is called a server.

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Servers

 A server contains information to be shared with many client

systems.
 Web server
 Email server
 File or database server
 Applications server
 May require authentication and vary permissions.

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Servers

 The server runs a service, or process, sometimes called a server

daemon.
 Daemons (like other services) typically run in the background and
are not under an end user's direct control.
 Daemons are described as "listening" for a request from a client.
 When a daemon "hears" a request from a client responds
appropriately.
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 Application Layer Protocols

HTTP DHCP
(WWW) (IP address
We will examine
resolution)
HTTP in detail. DNS
(domain name
FTP resolution)
(file transfer)

SMB
(file sharing)
SMTP
(email)

P2P
Telnet (file sharing)
(remote login)

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Reminder of encapsulation/decapsulation
Data Link IP TCP HTTP Data Link
Data Trailer
Header Header Header Header

Data Link Data Link

IP Packet
Header Trailer

Data Link Data Link

IP Packet
Header Trailer

Data Link Data Link

IP Packet
Header Trailer

Data Link IP TCP HTTP Data Link

Header Header Header Header
Data Trailer

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Focus on Application Header and/or Data
HTTP

HTTP

 We will examine how the application (header) and/or data communication

with each other between the client and the server.
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HTTP (HyperText Transfer Protocol)
HTTP HTTP

HTTP
HTTP
Client
Server

 HTTP – The Web’s application layer protocol:-defines how messages

are passed between browser and Web server.
 RFC 1945 and RFC 2616
 Implemented in:
 Client program
 Server program
 Current version: HTTP/1.1
 Encapsulated in TCP (more later)
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 HTTP (HyperText Transfer Protocol)
<head>
<meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=iso-8859-1" />
<title>Rick Graziani, Cabrillo College</title><style type="text/css">
<!--
body {
margin-left: 0px;
The base HTML file references other objects
margin-top: 0px; in the page.
margin-right: 0px;
margin-bottom: 0px;

 Web page (also called a html document)

 Web page consists of objects
 HTML file
 JPEG image
 JAVA applet
 Audio file

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 Web Browser - Client

HTTP
Client

 Browser – The user agent for the Web.

 Displays requested Web page.
 Browser and client may be used interchangeably in this
discussion.
 HTTP has nothing to do with how a Web page is interpreted
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(displayed) by the client (browser).
Web Server

HTTP
Server

 Web Server – Stores web objects, each addressable by a URL.

 Implement the server side of HTTP.
 Examples:
 Apache
 Microsoft Internet Information Server

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HTTP Request Message
GET /~rgraziani/ HTTP/1.1 Some data omitted for brevity
Accept-Language: en-us
User-Agent: Mozilla/4.0 (compatible; MSIE 7.0; Windows NT 6.0; SLCC1; .NET
CLR 2.0.50727; Media Center PC 5.0; .NET CLR 3.0.04506; InfoPath.1)
Host: [Link]
Connection: Keep-Alive

HTTP
Server
HTTP Client
 Request Message
 Request line
 Header lines
 ASCII Text

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HTTP Response Message
HTTP/1.1 200 OK Some data omitted for brevity
Date: Fri, 22 Feb 2008 16:34:18 GMT
Server: Apache/2.0.52 (Red Hat)
Last-Modified: Thu, 15 Nov 2007 19:33:12 GMT
Content-Length: 15137
Connection: close
Content-Type: text/html

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN"

"[Link]
<html xmlns="[Link]

HTTP
Server
HTTP Client

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HTTP Response Message
HTTP/1.1 200 OK
Date: Fri, 22 Feb 2008 16:34:18 GMT
Server: Apache/2.0.52 (Red Hat)
Last-Modified: Thu, 15 Nov 2007 19:33:12 GMT
Content-Length: 15137
Connection: close
Content-Type: text/html

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN"

"[Link]
<html xmlns="[Link]

 Response message:
 Status line
 Header lines
 Entity body

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HTTP Request and Response Messages
GET /~rgraziani/ HTTP/1.1
Accept-Language: en-us
User-Agent: Mozilla/4.0 (compatible; MSIE 7.0; Windows NT 6.0; SLCC1; .NET
CLR 2.0.50727; Media Center PC 5.0; .NET CLR 3.0.04506; InfoPath.1)
Host: [Link]
Connection: Keep-Alive

HTTP

HTTP
HTTP
Server
HTTP Client
HTTP/1.1 200 OK
Date: Fri, 22 Feb 2008 16:34:18 GMT
Server: Apache/2.0.52 (Red Hat)
Last-Modified: Thu, 15 Nov 2007 19:33:12 GMT
Content-Length: 15137
Connection: close
Content-Type: text/html

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN"

"[Link] 26
<html xmlns="[Link]
HTTPS

 HTTPS (Hypertext Transfer Protocol over Secure Socket Layer) is a URL

scheme used to indicate a secure HTTP connection.
 HTTPS is not a separate protocol
 combination of a normal HTTP interaction over an encrypted:
 Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) or
 Transport Layer Security (TLS) connection

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 FTP (File Transfer Protocol)
FTP FTP
Client Server

 FTP was developed to allow for file transfers between a client and a
server.
 Used to push and pull files from a server running the FTP daemon
(FTPd).
 RFC 959 28
 FTP (File Transfer Protocol) - FYI
TCP control connection port 21
Username and password
Change directory on Server

TCP data connection port 20

Copy file from client to server – Connection Closed

TCP data connection port 20

Copy file from server to client – Connection Closed

TCP control connection port 21

Quit FTP Application – Connection Closed
 Client initiates a TCP control connection with FTP server using port 21.
 This connection remains open until the user quits the FTP application.
 TCP port 21 connection includes:
 Username and password is sent over TCP port 21.
 Remote directory changes
 This state information significantly reduces total number of sessions on
server.
 For each file transferred, TCP opens and closes a TCP data connection on port
20.
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SMTP – Simple Mail Transfer Protocol

 Email – One of the killer applications of the Internet.

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SMTP – Simple Mail Transfer Protocol

User agent Mail server Mail server User agent

SMTP SMTP

POP3
IMAP

 Internet mail involves:

 User agents
 Allows users to read, reply, compose, forward, save, etc., mail messages
 GUI user agents: Outlook, Eudora, Messenger
 Text user agents: mail, pine, elm
 Mail servers
 Stores user mail boxes, communicates with local user agents and other
mail servers.
 SMTP
 Principale application layer protocol for Internet mail
 Sent over TCP
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 Mail access protocols: POP3, IMAP, HTTP
SMTP – Simple Mail Transfer Protocol

User agent Mail server Mail server User agent

SMTP SMTP

POP3
IMAP

 SMTP
 RFC 2821
 Transfers messages from sender’s mail server to recipient’s mail
server
 Push protocol, not a pull protocol
 Push (from client to server or server to server)
 Pull (from server to client)
 Retrieving email
 Historically, users would log into local mail server to read mail.
 Since early 1990’s, clients use mail access protocols:
 POP3
 IMAP
 HTTP
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SMTP – Simple Mail Transfer Protocol

 POP3 (Post Office Protocol)

 RFC 1939
 Limited functionality
 Uses TCP port 110
 Download-and-delete mode
 Retrieves messages on server and store them locally
 Delete messages on server
 Download-and-keep mode
 Does not delete messages on server when retrieved.
 Problem
 Difficult to access email from multiple computers – work and home.
 Some email may have already been downloaded on another
computer (work) – download-and-delete
 To read email from another computer, must leave on server –
download-and-keep
 Does not provide means for user to create remote folders on mail
server 33
SMTP – Simple Mail Transfer Protocol

User agent Mail server Mail server User agent

SMTP SMTP

IMAP
HTTP

 IMAP (Internet Message Access Protocol)

 RFC 2060
 Mail not downloaded, but kept on server
 Received email is associated with user’s INBOX
 Users can create and manage remote folders
 Users can retrieve portions of the email:
 Message header: Subject line and Sender

 Web-based email
 Introduced with Hotmail in mid-1990’s
 Communicates with remote mailbox using HTTP
 HTTP is used to push (client to server) and pull the email (server to
client) 34
 SMTP

MTA
 receives email from the
client's MUA
 passes email to the MDA
for final delivery
 uses SMTP to route email
between servers

Mail software, processes used: MTA and MDA

 MUA (Mail User Agent) – Email client software.
 MTA (Mail Transfer Agent) – Software using SMTP that governs transfer
of email between mail servers.
 Includes UNIX sendmail, Microsoft Exchange Server, Postfix, and Exim
 MDA (Mail Delivery Agent) – Software that governs transfer of email from
mail servers to clients.
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 On Unix systems, procmail and maildrop are the most popular MDAs.
Telnet
Telnet Telnet

Server

 TELNET is an abbreviation for TErminaL NETwork and is a client/server

application program.
 Telnet provides a standard method of emulating text-based terminal devices
over the data network. 36
Telnet
Telnet Telnet

Server

 Allows a user to remotely access another device (host, router,

switch).
 Connection called a Virtual Terminal (VTY) session.
 Telnet clients:
 Putty
 Teraterm
 Hyperterm

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Telnet

 Supports user authentication,

 Does not encrypt data.
 Secure Shell (SSH) protocol offers an alternate and secure method for
server access.
 Stronger authentication
 Encrypts data

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DHCP – Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol

 IP addresses and other information can be obtained:

 Statically
 Dynamically (DHCP)
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DHCP

 DHCP Information can include:

 IP address
 Subnet mask
 Default gateway
 Domain name
 DNS Server
 DHCP servers can be:
 Server on LAN
 Router
 Server at ISP 40
DNS – Domain Name System

 DNS allows users (software) to use domain names instead of IP addresses

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nslookup

nslookup
 Displays default DNS server for your host
 Can be used to query a domain name and get the IP address
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DNS Name
Resolution

 ipconfig /displaydns
 After a certain amount of time, specified in the Time to Live (TTL)
associated with the DNS resource record, the resolver discards the
record from the cache.
 ipconfig /flushdns – Manually deletes entries
 The default TTL for positive responses is 86,400 seconds (1 day).
 The default TTL for negative responses is 300 seconds.
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(Missing Info) DNS: [Link]

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