Applications:Theinterfacebetweenthenetworks

Applicationlayer:providesthefirststopofgettingdataontothenetwork
Applicationsoftware:softwareprogramsusedbypeopletocommunicateoverthenetwork.
OSIandTCP/IPmodel
TheOSIreferencemodelisalayered,abstractrepresentationcreatedasaguidelinefornetwork
protocoldesignandinstruction.TheOSImodeldividesthenetworkingprocessinto7logicallayers,
eachofwhichhasuniquefunctionalityandtowhichareassignedspecificservicesandprotocols.
(Figure3.2)
TheapplicationlayeristhetoplayerinbothOSIandTCP/IPmodels.Providestheinterfacebetween
theapplicationsyouusetocommunicateandtheunderlyingnetworkoverwhichyourmessagesare
transmitted.Protocolsareusedtoexchangedata.
TCP/IPapplicationlayer=OSImodel:application,presentationandsession.
PresentationLayer
Codingandconversionofapplicationlayerdatafromthesourcedevice
Compressionofthedata
Encryptionofthedatafortransmissionanddecryptionofdata
(standardsforvideoandgraphics)
SessionLayer
Maintaindialogsbetweensourceanddestination.Handlestheexchangeofinformationtoinitiate
dialogueandkeepthemactive.
TCP/IPApplicationLayerProtocols
Exchangeofuserinformation.RequestforComments(RFC).
DomainNameSystem(DNS):resolveInternetnamestoIPaddresses
HypertextTransferProtocol(HTTP)
SimpleMailTransferProtocol(SMTP)
Telnet
FileTransferProtocol(FTP)
ApplicationLayerSoftware
Eachexecutingprogramloadedonadeviceisreferredtoasaprocess.Twoformsofsoftware
programs:applicationandservices.(Figure34)
NetworkAwareApplications
Networkaware:implementtheapplicationlayerprotocolsandareabletocommunicatedirectly
withthelowerlayers.(Examples:emailclientsandwebbrowsers).
ApplicationLayerServices
Needtheassistanceofapplicationlayerservicestousenetworkresources.Theypreparethedatafor
transfer.Differenttypesofdatarequiredifferentnetworkservices.(Examples:filetransfer).
Aserviceprovidesthefunctionfordoingsomething.Aprotocolprovidestherulestheserviceuses.
UserApplications,ServicesandApplicationLayerProtocols
Theapplicationlayerusesprotocolsthatareimplementedwithinapplicationsandservices.(Fig35)
ApplicationLayerProtocolFunctions
Boththesourceanddestinationdevicesuseapplicationlayerprotocolsduringacommunication
session.
Protocolsperformthefollowingtasks:
Establishconsistentrulesforexchangingdata
Specifyhowdatainsidethemessagesisstructuredandthetypeofmessage
Definemessagedialogues
MakingProvisionsforApplicationsandServices
Adeviceconnectedtoanetwork,dataonthenetworkmightnotbephysicallystoredonthisdevice.
Client/ServerModel
Client=thedevicerequestingtheinformation.
Server=thedevicerespondingtotherequest.
Upload=datatransferfromaclienttoaserver.
Download=datafromaservertoaclient.(Figure36)
Servers
Server=computerthatcontainsinformationtobesharedwithmanyclientsystems(network
printer).Someserverscanrequireauthentication.
Daemonstypicallyruninthebackgroundandarenotunderanendusersdirectcontrol.Theyare
programmedtorespondwhenevertheserverreceivesarequestfortheservice.(Figure37).
ApplicationLayerServicesandProtocols
Foreachrequestmultipleprocessescanbeexecuted.(Figure38).
PeerToPeer(P2p)NetworkingandApplications
P2PNetworks
Twoormorecomputersareconnectedthroughanetworkandcanshareresourcessuchasprinters
andfileswithouthavingadedicatedserver.Everyconnectedenddevice(peer)canfunctioneitheras
aserveroraclient(Figure39)
P2PApplications
AP2Papplicationallowsadevicetoactasbothaclientandaserverwithinthesamecommunication
session.Everyclientisaserverandeveryserveraclient.P2Papplicationsrequirethateachend
deviceprovideauserinterfaceandrunabackgroundservice.(Figure310).
P2PapplicationscanbeusedinP2Pnetworks,inclient/servernetworksandacrosstheInternet.
ApplicationLayerProtocolsandServicesExamples
Portnumbersidentifyapplicationsandapplicationlayerservicesthatarethesourceanddestination.
DNS:TCP/UDPport53
HTTP:TCPport80
SMTP:TCPport25
Telnet:TCPport23
DHCP:UDPport67
FTP:TCPports20and21
PostOfficeProtocol(POP):UDPport110
DNSServicesandProtocol
DNSresolvesanInternetnametoanumericaddress.DNSusesasetofserverstoresolvethenames
associatedwiththenumberedaddresses.
http://www.cisco.com>198.132.219.26(Figure311)
HowDNSWorks
DNSmatchesresourcenameswiththerequirednumericnetworkaddress.DNSusesasingleformat
calledamessage.
DNSisaclient/serverservice.TheDNSclient(=DNSresolver)runsasaserviceitself,supportsname
resolutionfortheothernetworkapplicationsandotherservicesthatneedit.
nslookupallowstheusertomanuallyquerythenameserverstoresolvethegivenhostname.Can
alsotroubleshootnameresolutionissues.
NameResolutionandCaching
IttranslateshumanreadablecomputerhostnamesintotheIPaddressesthatnetworkingequipment
needsfordeliveringinformation.
TheDNSserverstoresdifferenttypesofresourcerecordsusedtoresolvenames.Theserecords
containthenames,address,andtypeofrecord.
A:anenddeviceaddress
NS:anauthoritativenameserver
CNAME:thecanonicalnameforanalias
MX:mailexchangerecord
Theclientmakesaquery,theprocessfirstlooksatitsownrecords.Ifitisunabletoresolve,it
contactsotherserverstoresolvethename.
Therequestcanbepassedalongtoanumberofservers.Whenamatchisfoundandreturnedtothe
originalrequestingservertheservertemporarilystoresthenumberedaddressinthecache.
CachingreducesboththeDNSquerydatanetworktrafficandtheworkloadsofservershigherupthe
hierarchy.
DNSHierarchy
Lookslikeaninvertedtreewiththerootatthetopandthebranchesbelow.
Top:rootserversmaintainrecordsabouthowtoreachthetopleveldomainservers.Thetop
representsthetypeoforganizationorthecountry.(Examples:.au,.com,.be)
Secondleveldomainnames
Otherlowerleveldomains
WWWServiceandHTTP
Whenawebaddressistypedintoawebbrowser,thewebbrowserestablishesaconnectiontothe
webservicerunningontheserverusingHTTP.URLsandURIs(uniformresourceidentifiers).
TheURLreferstoaspecificresourceawebpageonaserver.
URL= *http:protocolorscheme
*www.cisco.com:servername
*webserver.htm:specificfilename
WebbrowsersaretheclientapplicationscomputersusetoconnecttotheWWWandaccess
resourcesstoredonawebserver.Webclientsmakeconnectionstotheserver.Thebrowserconverts
theURLintoanumericaddress,whichitusestoconnecttotheserver,thebrowsersendsaGET
requesttotheserver.
HTTP=request/responseprotocol
GET=aclientrequestfordata
POSTandPUT:tosendmessagesthatuploaddatatothewebserver.
HTTPS=secureHTTP,isusedforaccessingandpostingwebserverinformation.Encryptionsecures
data.
EMailServicesandSMTP/POPProtocols
POP(PostOfficeProtocol)andPOP3(version3)areinboundmaildeliveryprotocols.Client/server
protocol.Theydeliveremailfromtheemailservertotheclient(MUA=MailUserAgent).
SMTP(SimpleMailTransferProtocol)governsthetransferofoutboundemailforthesendingclient
totheemailserver(MDA),aswellasthetransportofemailbetweenemailservers(MTA).
SMTPenablesemailtobetransportedacrossdatanetworksbetweendifferenttypesofserverand
clientsoftwareandmakesemailexchangeovertheInternetpossible.
Toreceiveemail:clientcanusePOP.SendingisdefinedbytheSMTPprotocol.
EMailServerProcesses:MTAandMDA
MailTransferAgent(MTA):toforwardemail.
MailDeliveryAgent(MDA):passesmailonlocalserver,ifnotlocal:MTA.
MDAreceivesalltheinboundmailfromtheMTAandplacesitontotheappropriateusersmailboxes.
MDAhandlesVirusScanning,spamfilteringandreturnreceipts.
TheserversendsorreceivesemailthroughtheInternetthroughtheproductsInternetmail
gateway,whichperformsanynecessaryreformatting.
SMTPprotocols:
HELO: identifiestheSMTPclientprocesstotheSMPTserverprocess
EHLO: newerversionofHELO,includesservicesextensions
MAILFROM: identifiesthesender
RCPTTO: identifiesrecipient
DATA: identifiesthebodyofthemessage
FTP
FTPwasdevelopedtoallowfiletransfersbetweenaclientandaserver.Pushandpullsfilesforma
serverrunningtheFTPdaemon(FTPd).
FirstconnectiontotheserveronTCPport21:controltraffic
SecondconnectionoverTCPport20:actualfiletransfer
Theclientcandownload(pull)afilefromtheserverorupload(push)afiletotheserver.
DHCP
DHCPallowsahosttoobtainanIPaddressdynamicallywhenitconnectstothenetwork.TheDHCP
serveriscontactedbysendingarequest,andanIPaddressisrequested.DHCPserverchoosesan
addressfromaconfiguredrangeofaddressescalledapool.
DHCPDISCOVERpacketidentifiesanyavailableDHCPserversonthenetwork.Serverreplieswitha
DHCPOFFER.
Addressesareonlyleasedforaperiodoftime.Userscanfreelymovefromlocationtolocationand
reestablishnetworkconnections.Example:Wirelesshotspots.
HomenetworksandsmallbusinessesuseanIntegratedServicesRouter(ISR).(Figure318).
DHCPcanposeasecurityriskbecauseanydeviceconnectedtothenetworkcanreceiveanaddress.
DHCP=dynamic,isusedforgeneralpurposehostssuchasenduserdevicesandstatic,orfixed,
addressesareusedfornetworkdevicessuchasgateways,switchesandprinters.
IftheIPaddressrequestedbytheclientisstillvalid,thechosenserverwillreturnaDHCPACK
(acknowledgement)message.Iftheofferisnolongervalid,thechosenservermustrespondwitha
DHCPNAK(negativeacknowledgement)message.ThensendanotherDHCPREQUESTmessage.
FileSharingServicesandSMBProtocol
ServerMessageBlock(SMB)isaclient/serverfilesharingprotocolandarequest/responseprotocol.
Aftertheconnectionisestablished,theuseroftheclientcanaccesstheresourcesontheserverasif
theresourceislocaltotheclienthost.(Figure319).
TheSMBprotocoldescribesfilesystemaccessandindicateshowclientscanmakerequestsforfiles.
P2PServicesandGnutellaProtocol
Gnutellaprotocol,peoplecanmakefilesontheirharddiskavailabletoothersfordownloading.
(Limewire,BearShare).
P2Papplicationsdonotuseacentraldatabase;thedevicesonthenetworkeachtelltheotherwhat
filesareavailablewhenqueriedanduseGnutellaProtocolandservicestosupportlocatingresources.
Nodesconnectandhandlequeriesforresourcelocationsandrepliestothoserequests.(Figure320).
ping:fordevicediscovery
pong:asareplytoaping
query:forfilelocation
queryhit:asareplytoaquery
push:asadownloadrequest
TelnetServicesandProtocol
Telnetisaclient/serverprotocolthatprovidesastandardmethodofemulatingtextbasedterminal
devicesoverthedatanetwork.(Figure321).
AconnectionusingTelnetiscalledaVTY(VirtualTerminal)sessionorconnection.Telnetspecifies
howaVTYsessionisestablishedandterminated.Itprovidesthesyntaxandorderofthecommands
usedtoinitiatetheTelnetsession,anditprovidescontrolcommandsthatcanbeissuedduringa
session.
Thefirstbytes:InternetasCommand(IAC):definesthenextbyteasacommandratherthantext.
TosupportTelnetclientconnections,theserverrunsaservicecalledaTelnetdaemon.Avirtual
terminalconnectionisestablishedfromanenddeviceusingaTelnetclientapplication.
SomeTelnetprotocolcommands:
AreYouThere(AYT):enablestheusertorequestthataresponseappearonthescreen
EraseLine(EL):deletesalltextfromthecurrentline
InterruptProcess(IP):suspends,interrupts,abortsorterminatestheprocess
AlldataexchangingduringaTelnetsessionistransportedasplaintextacrossthenetwork.
TheSecureShell(SSH)protocoloffersanalternateandsecuremethodforserveraccess.SSH
providesthestructureforsecureremoteloginandothersecurenetworkservices.