Chapter 3

Transport Layer
A note on the use of these PowerPoint slides:
We’re making these slides freely available to all (faculty, students,
readers). They’re in PowerPoint form so you see the animations; and
can add, modify, and delete slides (including this one) and slide content
to suit your needs. They obviously represent a lot of work on our part.
In return for use, we only ask the following:
▪ If you use these slides (e.g., in a class) that you mention their
source (after all, we’d like people to use our book!)
▪ If you post any slides on a www site, that you note that they are
adapted from (or perhaps identical to) our slides, and note our
copyright of this material.
Computer Networking: A
For a revision history, see the slide note for this page.
Top-Down Approach
Thanks and enjoy! JFK/KWR 8th edition
All material copyright 1996-2023
Jim Kurose, Keith Ross
J.F Kurose and K.W. Ross, All Rights Reserved Pearson, 2020
Transport Layer: 3-1
Transport layer: overview
Our goal:
▪ understand principles ▪ learn about Internet transport
behind transport layer layer protocols:
services: • UDP: connectionless transport
• multiplexing, • TCP: connection-oriented reliable
demultiplexing transport
• reliable data transfer • TCP congestion control
• flow control
• congestion control

Transport Layer: 3-2

Transport layer: roadmap
▪ Transport-layer services
▪ Multiplexing and demultiplexing
▪ Connectionless transport: UDP
▪ Principles of reliable data transfer
▪ Connection-oriented transport: TCP
▪ Principles of congestion control
▪ TCP congestion control
▪ Evolution of transport-layer
functionality
Transport Layer: 3-3
Transport services and protocols
application
transport

▪ provide logical communication mobile network

network
data link
physical
between application processes national or global ISP

running on different hosts

▪ transport protocols actions in end
systems: local or
• sender: breaks application messages regional ISP

into segments, passes to network layer home network content

• receiver: reassembles segments into provider
network datacenter
messages, passes to application layer application
transport
network
network

▪ two transport protocols available to data link

physical

Internet applications enterprise

network
• TCP, UDP
Transport Layer: 3-4
Transport vs. network layer services and protocols
household analogy:
12 kids in Ann’s house sending
letters to 12 kids in Bill’s
house:
▪ hosts = houses
▪ processes = kids
▪ app messages = letters in
envelopes
▪ transport protocol = Ann and Bill
who demux to in-house siblings
▪ network-layer protocol = postal
service

Transport Layer: 3-5

Transport vs. network layer services and protocols
household analogy:
▪transport layer:
12 kids in Ann’s house sending
communication between letters to 12 kids in Bill’s
processes house:
• relies on, enhances, network ▪ hosts = houses
layer services ▪ processes = kids
▪ app messages = letters in
envelopes
▪network layer: ▪ transport protocol = Ann and Bill
communication between who demux to in-house siblings
hosts ▪ network-layer protocol = postal
service

Transport Layer: 3-6

Transport Layer Actions

Sender:
application ▪ is passed an application- application
app. msg
layer message
transport ▪ determines segment TThhtransport
app. msg
header fields values
network (IP) ▪ creates segment network (IP)

link ▪ passes segment to IP link

physical physical

Transport Layer: 3-7

Transport Layer Actions

Receiver:
application ▪ receives segment from IP application
▪ checks header values
transport
app. msg ▪ extracts application-layer transport
message
network (IP) network (IP)
▪ demultiplexes message up
link to application via socket link

physical physical
Th app. msg

Transport Layer: 3-8

Two principal Internet transport protocols
application
transport

▪ TCP: Transmission Control Protocol mobile network

network
data link
physical
• reliable, in-order delivery national or global ISP

• congestion control
• flow control
• connection setup
local or
▪ UDP: User Datagram Protocol regional ISP

• unreliable, unordered delivery home network content

• no-frills extension of “best-effort” IP provider
network datacenter
application
network
▪ services not available: transport
network
data link

• delay guarantees physical

• bandwidth guarantees enterprise

network

Transport Layer: 3-9

Chapter 3: roadmap
▪ Transport-layer services
▪ Multiplexing and demultiplexing
▪ Connectionless transport: UDP
▪ Principles of reliable data transfer
▪ Connection-oriented transport: TCP
▪ Principles of congestion control
▪ TCP congestion control
▪ Evolution of transport-layer
functionality
Transport Layer: 3-10
Multiplexing/demultiplexing
multiplexing as sender: demultiplexing as receiver:
handle data from multiple use header info to deliver
sockets, add transport header received segments to correct
(later used for demultiplexing) socket

application

application P1 P2 application socket

P3 transport P4
process
transport network transport
network link network
link physical link
physical physical

Transport Layer: 3-11

 HTTP server
client
application application
HTTP msg
transport
Ht HTTP msg

Hnnetwork
Ht HTTP msg transport
transport
Hn Hnetwork
t HTTP msg
link network
link physical link
physical physical

Hn Ht HTTP msg

Transport Layer: 3-12

 Q: how did transport layer know to deliver message to Firefox
browser process rather then Netflix process or Skype process?

client
application application
HTTP msg
HTTP msg transport
Ht HTTP msg

transport network transport

network link network
link physical link
physical physical

Transport Layer: 3-13

 ?

de-multiplexing
 application

? transport

de-multiplexing
Demultiplexing
multiplexing
 application

transport

multiplexing
Multiplexing
How demultiplexing works
▪ host receives IP datagrams 32 bits
• each datagram has source IP source port # dest port #
address, destination IP address
• each datagram carries one other header fields
transport-layer segment
• each segment has source, application
destination port number data
▪ host uses IP addresses & port (payload)
numbers to direct segment to
appropriate socket TCP/UDP segment format

Transport Layer: 3-22

Chapter 3: roadmap
▪ Transport-layer services
▪ Multiplexing and demultiplexing
▪ Connectionless transport: UDP
▪ Principles of reliable data transfer
▪ Connection-oriented transport: TCP
▪ Principles of congestion control
▪ TCP congestion control
▪ Evolution of transport-layer
functionality
Transport Layer: 3-23
UDP: User Datagram Protocol
Why is there a UDP?
▪ “no frills,” “bare bones”
Internet transport protocol ▪ no connection
establishment (which can
▪ “best effort” service, UDP add RTT delay)
segments may be: ▪ simple: no connection state
• lost at sender, receiver
• delivered out-of-order to app ▪ small header size
▪ connectionless: ▪ no congestion control
• no handshaking between UDP ▪ UDP can blast away as fast as
desired!
sender, receiver
▪ can function in the face of
• each UDP segment handled congestion
independently of others
Transport Layer: 3-24
UDP: Transport Layer Actions

SNMP client SNMP server

application application

transport transport
(UDP) (UDP)

network (IP) network (IP)

link link

physical physical

Transport Layer: 3-25

UDP: Transport Layer Actions

SNMP client SNMP server

UDP sender actions:
application ▪ is passed an application- application
SNMP msg
layer message
transport transport
▪ determines UDP segment UDP
UDPhh SNMP msg
(UDP) header fields values (UDP)

network (IP) ▪ creates UDP segment network (IP)

link ▪ passes segment to IP link

physical physical

Transport Layer: 3-26

UDP: Transport Layer Actions

SNMP client SNMP server

UDP receiver actions:
application ▪ receives segment from IP application
▪ checks UDP checksum
transport transport
SNMP msg header value
(UDP) (UDP)
▪ extracts application-layer
network
UDP h SNMP(IP)
msg message network (IP)
▪ demultiplexes message up
link link
to application via socket
physical physical

Transport Layer: 3-27

UDP checksum
Goal: detect errors (i.e., flipped bits) in transmitted segment
1st number 2nd number sum

Transmitted: 5 6 11

Received: 4 6 11

receiver-computed sender-computed
checksum
= checksum (as received)

Transport Layer: 3-28

Internet checksum
Goal: detect errors (i.e., flipped bits) in transmitted segment
sender: receiver:
▪ treat contents of UDP ▪ compute checksum of received
segment (including UDP header segment
fields and IP addresses) as
sequence of 16-bit integers ▪ check if computed checksum equals
▪ checksum: addition (one’s checksum field value:
complement sum) of segment • not equal - error detected
content • equal - no error detected. But maybe
▪ checksum value put into errors nonetheless?
UDP checksum field
Transport Layer: 3-29
Internet checksum: an example
example: add two 16-bit integers
1 1 1 0 0 1 1 0 0 1 1 0 0 1 1 0
1 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1
wraparound 1 1 0 1 1 1 0 1 1 1 0 1 1 1 0 1 1

sum 1 0 1 1 1 0 1 1 1 0 1 1 1 1 0 0
checksum 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 1

Note: when adding numbers, a carryout from the most significant bit needs to be
added to the result

* Check out the online interactive exercises for more examples: http://gaia.cs.umass.edu/kurose_ross/interactive/
Transport Layer: 3-30
Internet checksum: weak protection!
example: add two 16-bit integers
0 1
1 1 1 0 0 1 1 0 0 1 1 0 0 1 1 0 1 0
1 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1
wraparound 1 1 0 1 1 1 0 1 1 1 0 1 1 1 0 1 1 Even though
numbers have
sum 1 0 1 1 1 0 1 1 1 0 1 1 1 1 0 0 changed (bit
flips), no change
checksum 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 1 in checksum!

Transport Layer: 3-31

Summary: UDP
▪ “no frills” protocol:
• segments may be lost, delivered out of order
• best effort service: “send and hope for the best”
▪ UDP has its plusses:
• no setup/handshaking needed (no RTT incurred)
• can function when network service is compromised
• helps with reliability (checksum)
▪ build additional functionality on top of UDP in application layer
(e.g., HTTP/3)
Chapter 3: roadmap
▪ Transport-layer services
▪ Multiplexing and demultiplexing
▪ Connectionless transport: UDP
▪ Principles of reliable data transfer
▪ Connection-oriented transport: TCP
• segment structure
• reliable data transfer
• flow control
• connection management
▪ Principles of congestion control
▪ TCP congestion control
Transport Layer: 3-33
TCP: overview RFCs: 793,1122, 2018, 5681, 7323
▪ point-to-point: ▪ cumulative ACKs
• one sender, one receiver ▪ pipelining:
▪ reliable, in-order byte • TCP congestion and flow control
steam: set window size
• no “message boundaries" ▪ connection-oriented:
▪ full duplex data: • handshaking (exchange of control
• bi-directional data flow in messages) initializes sender,
same connection receiver state before data exchange
• MSS: maximum segment size ▪ flow controlled:
• sender will not overwhelm receiver

Transport Layer: 3-34

TCP sequence numbers, ACKs
outgoing segment from sender
Sequence numbers: source port # dest port #
sequence number
• byte stream “number” of acknowledgement number
rwnd
first byte in segment’s data checksum urg pointer

window size
Acknowledgements: N

• seq # of next byte expected

from other side sender sequence number space

• cumulative ACK sent sent, not- usable not

ACKed yet ACKed but not usable
(“in-flight”) yet sent
Q: how receiver handles out-of-
order segments outgoing segment from receiver

• A: TCP spec doesn’t say, - up

source port # dest port #
sequence number

to implementor acknowledgement number

A rwnd
checksum urg pointer
Transport Layer: 3-35
TCP Sender (simplified)
event: data received from event: timeout
application ▪ retransmit segment that
caused timeout
▪ create segment with seq #
▪ restart timer
▪ seq # is byte-stream number
of first data byte in segment
event: ACK received
▪ start timer if not already
running ▪ if ACK acknowledges
previously unACKed segments
• think of timer as for oldest
unACKed segment • update what is known to be
ACKed
• expiration interval:
TimeOutInterval • start timer if there are still
unACKed segments
Transport Layer: 3-36
TCP Receiver: ACK generation [RFC 5681]
Event at receiver TCP receiver action
arrival of in-order segment with delayed ACK. Wait up to 500ms
expected seq #. All data up to for next segment. If no next segment,
expected seq # already ACKed send ACK

arrival of in-order segment with immediately send single cumulative

expected seq #. One other ACK, ACKing both in-order segments
segment has ACK pending

arrival of out-of-order segment immediately send duplicate ACK,

higher-than-expect seq. # . indicating seq. # of next expected byte
Gap detected

arrival of segment that immediate send ACK, provided that

partially or completely fills gap segment starts at lower end of gap

Transport Layer: 3-37

TCP: retransmission scenarios
Host A Host B Host A Host B

SendBase=92
Seq=92, 8 bytes of data Seq=92, 8 bytes of data

Seq=100, 20 bytes of data

timeout

timeout
ACK=100
X
ACK=100
ACK=120

Seq=92, 8 bytes of data Seq=92, 8

SendBase=100 bytes of data send cumulative
SendBase=120 ACK for 120
ACK=100
ACK=120

SendBase=120

lost ACK scenario premature timeout

Transport Layer: 3-38

TCP: retransmission scenarios
Host A Host B

Seq=92, 8 bytes of data

Seq=100, 20 bytes of data

ACK=100
X
ACK=120

Seq=120, 15 bytes of data

cumulative ACK covers

for earlier lost ACK

Transport Layer: 3-39

Chapter 3: roadmap
▪ Transport-layer services
▪ Multiplexing and demultiplexing
▪ Connectionless transport: UDP
▪ Principles of reliable data transfer
▪ Connection-oriented transport: TCP
• segment structure
• reliable data transfer
• flow control
• connection management
▪ Principles of congestion control
▪ TCP congestion control
Transport Layer: 3-40
TCP flow control
application
Q: What happens if network Application removing
process
layer delivers data faster than data from TCP socket
buffers
application layer removes TCP socket
data from socket buffers? receiver buffers

TCP
code
Network layer
delivering IP datagram
payload into TCP
IP
socket buffers
code

from sender

receiver protocol stack

Transport Layer: 3-41

TCP flow control
application
Q: What happens if network Application removing
process
layer delivers data faster than data from TCP socket
buffers
application layer removes TCP socket
data from socket buffers? receiver buffers

TCP
code
Network layer
delivering IP datagram
payload into TCP
IP
socket buffers
code

from sender

receiver protocol stack

Transport Layer: 3-42

TCP flow control
application
Q: What happens if network Application removing
process
layer delivers data faster than data from TCP socket
buffers
application layer removes TCP socket
data from socket buffers? receiver buffers

TCP
code

receive window
flow control: # bytes
receiver willing to accept IP
code

from sender

receiver protocol stack

Transport Layer: 3-43

TCP flow control
application
Q: What happens if network Application removing
process
layer delivers data faster than data from TCP socket
buffers
application layer removes TCP socket
data from socket buffers? receiver buffers

TCP
code
flow control
receiver controls sender, so
sender won’t overflow IP
code
receiver’s buffer by
transmitting too much, too fast
from sender

receiver protocol stack

Transport Layer: 3-44

TCP flow control
▪ TCP receiver “advertises” free buffer
space in rwnd field in TCP header to application process
• RcvBuffer size set via socket
options (typical default is 4096 bytes) RcvBuffer buffered data
• many operating systems auto-adjust
RcvBuffer
rwnd free buffer space

▪ sender limits amount of unACKed

(“in-flight”) data to received rwnd TCP segment payloads

▪ guarantees receive buffer will not TCP receiver-side buffering

overflow

Transport Layer: 3-45

TCP flow control
flow control: # bytes receiver willing to accept

▪ TCP receiver “advertises” free buffer

space in rwnd field in TCP header
• RcvBuffer size set via socket
receive window
options (typical default is 4096 bytes)
• many operating systems auto-adjust
RcvBuffer
▪ sender limits amount of unACKed
(“in-flight”) data to received rwnd
▪ guarantees receive buffer will not
overflow
TCP segment format

Transport Layer: 3-46

TCP connection management
before exchanging data, sender/receiver “handshake”:
▪ agree to establish connection (each knowing the other willing to establish connection)
▪ agree on connection parameters (e.g., starting seq #s)

application application

connection state: ESTAB connection state: ESTAB

connection variables: connection Variables:
seq # client-to-server seq # client-to-server
server-to-client server-to-client
rcvBuffer size rcvBuffer size
at server,client at server,client

network network

Socket clientSocket = Socket connectionSocket =

newSocket("hostname","port number"); welcomeSocket.accept();
Transport Layer: 3-47
 TCP 3-way handshake
Server state
serverSocket = socket(AF_INET,SOCK_STREAM)
Client state serverSocket.bind((‘’,serverPort))
serverSocket.listen(1)
clientSocket = socket(AF_INET, SOCK_STREAM) connectionSocket, addr = serverSocket.accept()
LISTEN
clientSocket.connect((serverName,serverPort)) LISTEN
choose init seq num, x
send TCP SYN msg
SYNSENT SYNbit=1, Seq=x
choose init seq num, y
send TCP SYNACK
msg, acking SYN SYN RCVD
SYNbit=1, Seq=y
ACKbit=1; ACKnum=x+1
received SYNACK(x)
ESTAB indicates server is live;
send ACK for SYNACK;
this segment may contain ACKbit=1, ACKnum=y+1
client-to-server data
received ACK(y)
indicates client is live
ESTAB

Transport Layer: 3-48

A human 3-way handshake protocol

1. On belay?

2. Belay on.
3. Climbing.

Transport Layer: 3-49

Closing a TCP connection
▪ client, server each close their side of connection
• send TCP segment with FIN bit = 1
▪ respond to received FIN with ACK
• on receiving FIN, ACK can be combined with own FIN
▪ simultaneous FIN exchanges can be handled

Transport Layer: 3-50

Chapter 3: roadmap
▪ Transport-layer services
▪ Multiplexing and demultiplexing
▪ Connectionless transport: UDP
▪ Principles of reliable data transfer
▪ Connection-oriented transport: TCP
▪ Principles of congestion control
▪ TCP congestion control
▪ Evolution of transport-layer
functionality
Transport Layer: 3-51
TCP congestion control: AIMD
▪ approach: senders can increase sending rate until packet loss
(congestion) occurs, then decrease sending rate on loss event
Additive Increase Multiplicative Decrease
increase sending rate by 1 cut sending rate in half at
maximum segment size every each loss event
RTT until loss detected
TCP sender Sending rate

AIMD sawtooth
behavior: probing
for bandwidth

time Transport Layer: 3-52

TCP AIMD: more
Multiplicative decrease detail: sending rate is
▪ Cut in half on loss detected by triple duplicate ACK (TCP Reno)
▪ Cut to 1 MSS (maximum segment size) when loss detected by
timeout (TCP Tahoe)

Why AIMD?
▪ AIMD – a distributed, asynchronous algorithm – has been
shown to:
• optimize congested flow rates network wide!
• have desirable stability properties

Transport Layer: 3-53

TCP congestion control: details
sender sequence number space
cwnd TCP sending behavior:
▪ roughly: send cwnd bytes,
wait RTT for ACKS, then
send more bytes
last byte
available but ~
cwnd
ACKed sent, but not- TCP rate ~ bytes/sec
yet ACKed not used RTT
(“in-flight”) last byte sent

▪ TCP sender limits transmission: LastByteSent- LastByteAcked < cwnd

▪ cwnd is dynamically adjusted in response to observed

network congestion (implementing TCP congestion control)
Transport Layer: 3-54
TCP slow start
Host A Host B
▪ when connection begins,
increase rate exponentially
until first loss event:

RTT
• initially cwnd = 1 MSS
• double cwnd every RTT
• done by incrementing cwnd
for every ACK received
▪ summary: initial rate is
slow, but ramps up
exponentially fast time

Transport Layer: 3-55

TCP: from slow start to congestion avoidance
Q: when should the exponential
increase switch to linear?
X
A: when cwnd gets to 1/2 of its
value before timeout.

Implementation:
▪ variable ssthresh
▪ on loss event, ssthresh is set to
1/2 of cwnd just before loss event

* Check out the online interactive exercises for more examples: http://gaia.cs.umass.edu/kurose_ross/interactive/
Transport Layer: 3-56
Summary: TCP congestion control
New
New ACK!
ACK! new ACK
duplicate ACK
dupACKcount++ new ACK .
cwnd = cwnd + MSS (MSS/cwnd)
dupACKcount = 0
cwnd = cwnd+MSS transmit new segment(s), as allowed
dupACKcount = 0
L transmit new segment(s), as allowed
cwnd = 1 MSS
ssthresh = 64 KB cwnd > ssthresh
dupACKcount = 0
slow L congestion
start timeout avoidance
ssthresh = cwnd/2
cwnd = 1 MSS duplicate ACK
timeout dupACKcount = 0 dupACKcount++
ssthresh = cwnd/2 retransmit missing segment
cwnd = 1 MSS
dupACKcount = 0
retransmit missing segment New
timeout
ACK!
ssthresh = cwnd/2
cwnd = 1 New ACK
dupACKcount = 0
cwnd = ssthresh dupACKcount == 3
dupACKcount == 3 retransmit missing segment dupACKcount = 0
ssthresh= cwnd/2 ssthresh= cwnd/2
cwnd = ssthresh + 3 cwnd = ssthresh + 3
retransmit missing segment retransmit missing segment
fast
recovery
duplicate ACK
cwnd = cwnd + MSS
transmit new segment(s), as allowed

Transport Layer: 3-57

Chapter 3: summary
▪ principles behind transport Up next:
layer services: ▪ leaving the network
• multiplexing, demultiplexing “edge” (application,
• reliable data transfer transport layers)
• flow control ▪ into the network “core”
• congestion control
▪ two network-layer
▪ instantiation, implementation chapters:
in the Internet • data plane
• UDP • control plane
• TCP

Transport Layer: 3-58