Application Layer

Dr.B.H.K
 Application Layer

• The Application layer, Layer seven, is the top layer

of both the OSI and TCP/IP models.
• Provides the interface between the applications
we use to communicate and the underlying
network.
• The application layer of the OSI model provides
the first step of getting data onto the network
• Application software: Applications are the
software programs used by people to
communicate over the network. Examples of
application software HTTP, FTP
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OSI and TCP/IP Model

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 Application Layer

• Functionality of the TCP/IP application layer

protocols fit roughly into the framework of the
top three layers of the: OSI model: Application,
Presentation and Session layers.
• Most early TCP/IP application layer protocols
were developed before the emergence of:
personal computers, graphical user interfaces and
multimedia objects.
• These protocols implement very little of the
functionality that is specified in the OSI model
Presentation and Session layers.

Dr.B.H.K
 Presentation layer

• The Presentation layer has three primary functions:

• Coding and conversion of Application layer data to ensure
that data from the source device can be interpreted by
destination device.
• Compression of the data in a manner that can be
decompressed by the destination device.
• Encryption of the data for transmission and the decryption
of data upon receipt by the destination.
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.
Dr.B.H.K
Functionalities of the Application layer
Specific functionalities of the Application layer are as follows:
1) Network Virtual terminal: The application layer is the software
version of a physical terminal and this layer permitted to a user to log
on to a remote host.
For this, an application creates a software emulation of a terminal at
the remote host. By this user's computer can communicate with the
software terminal, which in turn, communicates with the host.
It is shown that the remote host is communicating with one of its
terminals, so it allows the user to log on.

2) File Transfer, Access, and Management (FTAM): An application

permits a user to access files in a remote computer, to retrieve files
from a computer and to manage files on a remote computer.
FTAM is concerned with a hierarchical virtual file in terms of file
attributes, file structure and the types of operations performed on the
files and their attributes.

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Functionalities of the Application layer
3) Addressing: To achieve communication between client and
server system, there is a need for addressing. When a request
is sent from the client side to the server side, this request
contains the server address and its own address.
The server answered to the client request, this request
contains the destination address, i.e., client address. DNS is
used to achieve this type of addressing.
4) Mail Services: Email forwarding and storage of e-mails
provided by an application layer.
5) Directory Services: A distributed database is contained by
an application that provides access for global information
about various objects and services.
6) Authentication: It provides authentication to occur
between devices for an extra layer of security and it
authenticates the sender or receiver's message or both.
Dr.B.H.K
 TCP/IP Application Layer Protocols
• The most widely known TCP/IP application layer protocols are those
that provide the exchange of user information.
• These protocols specify the format and control information
necessary for many of the common Internet communication
functions.
• Among these TCP/IP protocols are the following:
• Domain Name System (DNS) is used to resolve Internet names to IP
addresses.
• Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) is used to transfer files that
make up the web pages of the World Wide Web.
• Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP) is used for the transfer of
mail messages and attachments.
• Telnet, a terminal emulation protocol, is used to provide remote
access to servers and networking devices.
• File Transfer Protocol (FTP) is used for interactive file transfer
between systems.

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OSI-Transport Layer

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OSI and TCP/IP Model

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 OSI-Transport Layer
Services Provided to the Upper Layers:
• The ultimate goal of the transport layer is to provide
efficient, reliable, and cost-effective data transmission
service to its users, normally processes in the
application layer.
• To achieve this, the transport layer makes use of the
services provided by the network layer.
• The software and/or hardware within the transport
layer that does the work is called the transport entity.
• The transport entity can be located in the operating
system kernel, in a library package bound into network
applications, in a separate user process, or even on the
network interface card.

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 OSI-Transport Layer
The (logical) relationship of the network, transport, and
application layers is illustrated in the figure.

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 OSI-Transport Layer
• There are two types of transport service. The connection-
oriented transport service and connectionless transport
service.
• The connection-oriented transport service is similar to
connection oriented net work. In both cases, connections
have three phases: establishment, data transfer, and release.
Addressing and flow control are also similar in both layers.
• Furthermore, the connectionless transport service is also very
similar to the connectionless network service.
• However, note that it can be difficult to provide a
connectionless transport service on top of a connection-
oriented network service,
• since it is inefficient to set up a connection to send a single
packet and then tear it down immediately afterwards.

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 OSI-Transport Layer
Role of the Transport layer:
• Encapsulating application data for use by the
Network layer
• Enables multiple applications to communicate over
the network at the same time on a single device
• Ensures that, if required, all the data is received
reliably and in order by the correct application
• Employs error handling mechanisms

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 OSI-Transport Layer
Responsibilities :
• Tracking the individual communication between
applications on the source and destination hosts
(Establishing a Session )
• Segmenting data and managing each piece
• Reassembling the segments into streams of
application data
• Identifying the different applications (Port Number)

Dr.B.H.K
 OSI-Transport Layer
TCP/IP Transport layer protocols : The two most
common Transport layer protocols of TCP/IP protocol
suite are
• Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) and
• User Datagram Protocol (UDP).
• Both protocols manage the communication of
multiple applications.

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 OSI-Transport Layer
Basic characteristics of the UDP and TCP protocol:

UDP protocol TCP protocol

-Fast -Reliable
- Low overhead - Acknowledges data
- Does not require - Resends lost data
acknowledgements - Delivers data in the
- Does not resend lost data order sent
- Delivers data as it arrives

Dr.B.H.K
 OSI-Transport Layer
UDP :
• UDP is a simple, connectionless protocol
• low overhead data delivery.
• datagrams are sent as "best effort" by this Transport
layer protocol.
Applications that use UDP include:
• Domain Name System (DNS)
• Video Streaming
• Voice over IP (VoIP)

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 OSI-Transport Layer
• Transmission Control Protocol (TCP)
• Connection-oriented protocol,
• Overhead Flow control is the management of data between
Devices in a network. It is used to avoid too much
• Flow control data arriving before a device can handle it, causing
data overflow.

Applications that use TCP are:

• Web Browsers
• E-mail
• File Transfers
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Network Layer

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OSI Reference Model: 7 Layers

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 OSI: Network Layer
• The main aim of this layer is to deliver packets from source
to destination across multiple links (networks).
• The network layer is concerned with getting packets from
the source all the way to the destination.
• Implements routing of frames (packets) through the
network.
• Defines the most optimum path the packet should take
from the source to the destination
• Defines logical addressing so that any endpoint can be
identified.
• Handles congestion in the network.
• Facilitates interconnection between heterogeneous
networks (Internetworking).
• The network layer also defines how to fragment a packet
into smaller packets to accommodate different media.
Dr.B.H.K
 OSI: Network Layer
Functions of Network Layer:
• It translates logical network address into physical
address. Concerned with circuit, message or
packet switching.
• Routers and gateways operate in the network
layer. Mechanism is provided by Network Layer
for routing the packets to final destination.
• Connection services are provided including
network layer flow control, network layer error
control and packet sequence control.
• Breaks larger packets into small packets.

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OSI: Network Layer

Dr.B.H.K
 OSI: Network Layer
Design Issues with Network Layer:
• A key design issue is determining how packets are
routed from source to destination. Routes can be
based on static tables that are wired into the network
and rarely changed. They can also be highly dynamic,
being determined anew for each packet, to reflect the
current network load.
• If too many packets are present in the subnet at the
same time, they will get into one another's way,
forming bottlenecks. The control of such
congestion also belongs to the network layer.
• Moreover, the quality of service provided(delay,
transmit time, etc) is also a network layer issue.

Dr.B.H.K
 OSI: Network Layer
Design Issues with Network Layer:
• When a packet has to travel from one network to
another to get to its destination, many problems
can arise such as:
– The addressing used by the second network may be
different from the first one.
– The second one may not accept the packet at all
because it is too large.
– The protocols may differ, and so on.
• It is up to the network layer to overcome all these
problems to allow heterogeneous networks to be
interconnected.

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 Network Layer Protocols

• Protocols implemented at the Network layer

include:
• Internet Protocol version 4 (IPv4)
• Internet Protocol version 6 (IPv6)
• Novell Internetwork Packet Exchange (IPX)
AppleTalk
• Connectionless Network Service
(CLNS/DECNet)
Dr.B.H.K
 Network Layer Protocols

Basic characteristics of the IPv4 protocol:

• Internet Protocol IPv4 was designed as a protocol with
low overhead.
• It provides only the functions that are necessary to
deliver a packet from a source to a destination over an
interconnected system of networks .
• Connectionless: No connection is established before
sending packets.
• Best effort: No overhead is used to guarantee packet
delivery.
• Media Independent: Operates independently of the
medium carrying data
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