Application Layer PDF

Application Layer
Application Layer
Computer Communication & Networking CE - 402
Department of Computer Engineering, SSUET
CE - 402
Instructor: M. Rehan Rasheed
Network applications:
Process: program running
within a host.
within same host, two
processes communicate
using interprocess
communication (defined
by OS).
processes running in
different hosts
communicate with an
application-layer protocol
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User agent: interfaces with

user above and
network below.
implements user interface
& application-level
protocol
Web: browser
E-mail: mail reader
streaming
audio/video: media
player
Application Layer
Applications and application-layer protocols

Application: communicating,
distributed processes
e.g., e-mail, Web, P2P file
sharing, instant messaging
running in end systems
(hosts)
exchange messages to
implement application
Application-layer protocols
one piece of an app
define messages exchanged
by apps and actions taken
use communication services
provided by lower layer
protocols (TCP, UDP)
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application
transport
network
data link
physical
application
transport
network
data link
physical
application
transport
network
data link
physical
App-layer protocol defines
Types of messages
exchanged, eg, request &
response messages
Syntax of message types:
what fields in messages &
how fields are delineated
Semantics of the fields, ie,
meaning of information
in fields
Rules for when and how
processes send & respond
to messages
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Public-domain protocols:
defined in RFCs
allows for
interoperability
eg, HTTP, SMTP
Proprietary protocols:
eg, KaZaA
THREE PARADIGMS
Client server
Peer-to-Peer
Hybrid
Application Layer
Client-server paradigm
Typical network app has two
pieces: client and server
Client:
application
transport
network
data link
physical
initiates contact with server

(speaks first)
typically requests service from
server,
Web: client implemented in
browser; e-mail: in mail reader
Server:
provides requested service to client
request
reply
application
transport
network
data link
physical
e.g., Web server sends requested Web
page, mail server delivers e-mail

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Peer-to-Peer paradigm
Peers communicate with each other

Peers are desktop/laptops controlled by users
Communication is without passing through a dedicated
server
Examples: File distribution application (Bit Torrent,
Lime wire, eMule), Internet Telephony (Skype), IPTV
(PPLive)
Hybrid Applications are instant messaging services
(MSN, Yahoo)
Servers are used to track peer IP address and
messages are exchanged between users without
passing through intermediate servers
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Application Layer
Internet apps: their protocols and transport

protocols
Application
e-mail
remote terminal access
Web
file transfer
streaming multimedia
remote file server
Internet telephony
Application
layer protocol
Underlying
transport protocol
smtp
telnet
http
ftp
proprietary
(e.g. RealNetworks)
NSF
proprietary
(e.g., Vocaltec)
TCP
TCP
TCP
TCP
TCP or UDP
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TCP or UDP
typically UDP
WWW: the http protocol

http: hypertext transfer
protocol
WWWs application layer

protocol
client/server model
client: browser that
requests, receives,
displays WWW objects
server: WWW server
sends objects in response
to requests
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PC running
Explorer
Server
running
NCSA Web
server
Mac running
Navigator
Application Layer
WWW: the http protocol
The WWW today is a distributed client/server service, in

which a client using a browser can access a service using a
server.
However, the service provided is distributed over many
locations called sites.
Each site holds one or more documents, referred to as
Web pages.
The request, among other information, includes the
address of the site and the Web page, called the URL
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Architecture of WWW
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Application Layer
Client (Browser)
Each browser usually consists of three parts: a controller, client protocol, and
interpreters.
The controller receives input from the keyboard or the mouse and uses the
client programs to access the document.
After the document has been accessed, the controller uses one of the
interpreters to display the document on the screen.
The client protocol can be one of the protocols described previously such as
FTP or HTTP.
The interpreter can be HTML, Java, or JavaScript, depending on the type of
document.
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URL
To facilitate the access of documents distributed

throughout the world, HTTP uses locators.
The uniform resource locator (URL) is a standard for
specifying any kind of information on the Internet.
The URL defines four things: protocol, host computer,
port, and path
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Application Layer
Cookies
A cookie, also known as an HTTP cookie, web cookie, or

browser cookie, is a small piece of data sent from a website and
stored in a user's web browser while the user is browsing that
website.
Every time the user loads the website, the browser sends the
cookie back to the server to notify the website of the user's
previous activity.
Cookies were designed to be a reliable mechanism for websites
to remember stateful information (such as items in a shopping
cart) or to record the user's browsing activity (including clicking
particular buttons, logging in, or recording which pages were
visited by the user as far back as months or years ago).
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Cookies
The World Wide Web was originally designed as a stateless

entity. A client sends a request; a server responds. Their
relationship is over.
The original design of WWW, retrieving publicly available
documents, exactly fits this purpose.
Today the Web has other functions; some are listed here.
1.
2.
3.
4.
Some websites need to allow access to registered clients only.

Websites are being used as electronic stores that allow users to browse
through the store, select wanted items, put them in an electronic cart,
and pay at the end with a credit card.
Some websites are used as portals: the user selects the Web pages he
wants to see.
Some websites are just advertising.
For these purposes, the cookie mechanism was devised

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Application Layer
WEB DOCUMENTS
The documents in the WWW can be grouped into three

broad categories: static, dynamic, and active.
The category is based on the time at which the contents of

the document are determined.
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Static document
When a client accesses the document, a copy of the document is
sent. The user can then use a browsing program to display the
document
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Application Layer
Dynamic document using CGI
A dynamic document is created by a Web server whenever a

browser requests the document.
When a request arrives, the Web server runs an application
program or a script that creates the dynamic document. The
server returns the output of the program or script as a response
to the browser that requested the document.
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Dynamic document using server-site script
Dynamic documents are sometimes referred to as server-site

dynamic documents.
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Application Layer
Active document using Java applet
Active document using client-site script
Active documents are

sometimes referred to as
client-site dynamic
documents.
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HTTP
The Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) is a protocol used

mainly to access data on the World Wide Web. HTTP functions
as a combination of FTP and SMTP.
It is similar to FTP because it transfers files and uses the
services of TCP.
However, it is much simpler than FTP because it uses only one
TCP connection. There is no separate control connection; only
data are transferred between the client and the server.
HTTP uses the services of TCP on well-known port 80.
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10
Application Layer
Request and response messages
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The http protocol: more

http: TCP transport service:
client initiates TCP connection
(creates socket) to server, port 80
server accepts TCP connection
from client
http messages (application-layer
protocol messages) exchanged
between browser (http client) and
WWW server (http server)
TCP connection closed
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http is stateless
server
maintains
no
information about past client
requests
so that the communication
consists of independent pairs
of request and response
Protocols that maintain state
are complex!
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11
Application Layer
http example
Suppose user enters URL
(contains text, references
www.SSUET.edu/CEDt/home.index
to 10 jpeg images)
1a. http client initiates TCP

connection to http server
(process) at www.SSUET.edu.
Port 80 is default for http server.
2. http client sends http request

message (containing URL) into
TCP connection socket
time
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1b. http server at host
www.SSUET.edu waiting for

TCP connection at port 80.
accepts connection, notifying
client
3. http server receives request
message, forms response

message containing requested
object (CED/home.index),
sends message into socket
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http example (cont.)

4. http server closes TCP
5. http client receives response
connection.
message containing html file,

displays html. Parsing html file,
finds 10 referenced jpeg
objects
6. Steps 1-5 repeated for each
time
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of 10 jpeg objects
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12
Application Layer
HTTP persistent connection

HTTP persistent connection, also called HTTP keep-alive, or
HTTP connection reuse, is the idea of using a single TCP
connection to send and receive multiple HTTP
requests/responses, as opposed to opening a new connection
for every single request/response pair
HTTP 1.1
In HTTP 1.1, all connections are considered persistent unless

declared otherwise. The HTTP persistent connections do not use
separate keepalive messages, they just allow multiple requests
to use a single connection.
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Advantages Persistent connection
Lower CPU and memory usage (because fewer connections are

open simultaneously).
Enables HTTP pipelining of requests and responses.
Reduced network congestion (fewer TCP connections).
Reduced latency in subsequent requests (no handshaking).
Errors can be reported without the penalty of closing the TCP

connection.
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13
Application Layer
Persistent V/s Non persistent
non-persistent
connection: one object
in each TCP
connection
some browsers
create multiple
TCP connections
simultaneously one per object
persistent connection:
multiple objects
transferred within one
TCP connection
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http message format: request
two types of http messages: request, response

http request message:
ASCII (human-readable format)
request line
(GET, POST,
HEAD commands)
GET /somedir/page.html HTTP/1.1

Connection: close
header User-agent: Mozilla/4.0
lines Accept: text/html, image/gif,image/jpeg
Accept-language:fr
Carriage return,
line feed
(extra carriage return, line feed)
indicates end
of message
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Application Layer
http request message: general format
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http message format: reply

status line
(protocol
status code
status phrase)
header
lines
HTTP/1.1 200 OK
Connection: close
Date: Thu, 06 Aug 2011 12:00:15 GMT
Server: Apache/1.3.0 (Unix)
Last-Modified: Mon, 22 Jun 2011 ...
Content-Length: 6821
Content-Type: text/html
data data data data data ...
data, e.g.,
requested
html file
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Application Layer
http reply status codes

In first line in server->client response message.
A few sample codes:
200 OK
request succeeded, requested object later in this message
301 Moved Permanently
requested object moved, new location specified later in this

message (Location:)
400 Bad Request
request message not understood by server
404 Not Found
requested document not found on this server
505 HTTP Version Not Supported

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User-server interaction: authentication
Authentication goal: control

access to server documents
stateless: client must present
authorization in each request
authorization: typically name,
password
authorization: header line in
request
if no authorization presented,
server refuses access, sends
WWW authenticate:
header line in response
client
server
usual http request msg

401: authorization req.
WWW authenticate:
+ Authorization:line
usual http response msg
+ Authorization:line
usual http response msg
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time
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Application Layer
User-server interaction: conditional GET

server
client
Goal: dont send object if

client has up-to-date stored
(cached) version
client: specify date of cached
copy in http request
http request msg

If-modified-since:
<date>
http response
HTTP/1.0
304 Not Modified
object
not
modified
If-modified-since:
<date>
server: response contains no

object if cached copy up-todate:
HTTP/1.0 304 Not
Modified
http request msg

If-modified-since:
<date>
http response
object
modified
HTTP/1.1 200 OK
<data>
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Web Caches (proxy server)

Goal: satisfy client request without involving origin server
user sets browser:

WWW accesses via
web cache
client sends all http
requests to web cache
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origin
server
client
if object at web cache,

web cache immediately
returns object in http
response
else requests object
from origin server, then
returns http response to
client
client
Proxy
server
origin
server
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Application Layer
Why WWW Caching?

Assume: cache is close to
client (e.g., in same
network)
smaller response time:
cache closer to client
decrease traffic to distant
servers
link out of institutional/local

ISP network often
bottleneck
origin
servers
public
Internet
1.5 Mbps
access link
institutional
network
10 Mbps LAN
institutional
cache
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ftp: the file transfer protocol
user
at host
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FTP
FTP file transfer
user
client
interface
local file
system
FTP
server
remote file
system
transfer file to/from remote host

client/server model
client: side that initiates transfer (either to/from remote)
server: remote host
ftp server: port 21
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Application Layer
ftp: separate control, data connections
ftp client contacts ftp server at

port 21, specifying TCP as
transport protocol
two parallel TCP connections
opened:
control: exchange
commands, responses
between client, server.
out of band control
data: file data to/from server
ftp server maintains state:
current directory, earlier
authentication
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TCP control connection

port 21
TCP data connection
FTP port 20
client
FTP
server
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ftp commands, responses

Sample commands:
sent as ASCII text over control
channel
USER username
PASS password
LIST return list of files in

current directory
RETR filename retrieves

(gets) file
STOR filename stores (puts)

file onto remote host
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Sample return codes
status code and phrase (as in

http)
331 Username OK,
password required
125 data connection
already open; transfer
starting
425 Cant open data
connection
452 Error writing file
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Application Layer
Electronic Mail
outgoing
message queue
Three major components:
user agents
mail servers
simple mail transfer protocol:
smtp
User Agent
a.k.a. mail reader
composing, editing, reading
mail messages
e.g., Microsoft Outlook,
Pegasus Mail,Gmail, Yahoo
outgoing, incoming messages
stored on server
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user mailbox
user
agent
mail
server
SMTP
SMTP
mail
server
user
agent
user
agent
mail
server
SMTP
user
agent
user
agent
user
agent
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Electronic Mail: mail servers

user
agent
Mail Servers
mailbox contains incoming

messages (yet to be read) for user
message queue of outgoing (to be
sent) mail messages
smtp protocol between mail server
to send email messages
client: sending mail server
server: receiving mail server
mail
server
SMTP
SMTP
mail
server
user
agent
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SMTP
user
agent
mail
server
user
agent
user
agent
user
agent
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Application Layer
Electronic Mail: Smtp
uses tcp to reliably transfer email msg from client

to server, port 25
direct transfer: sending server to receiving server
three phases of transfer
handshaking (greeting)
transfer
closure
command/response interaction
commands: ASCI text
response: status code and phrase
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Sample smtp interaction

S:
C:
S:
C:
S:
C:
S:
C:
S:
C:
C:
C:
S:
C:
S:
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220 SSUET.edu
HELO yahoo.com
250 Hello yahoo.com, pleased to meet you
MAIL FROM: <amir@yahoo.com >
250 amir@yahoo.com ... Sender ok
RCPT TO: <asad@SSUET.edu>
250 asad@SSUET.edu ... Recipient ok
DATA
354 Enter mail, end with "." on a line by itself
Do you like ketchup?
How about pickles?
.
250 Message accepted for delivery
QUIT
221 SSUET.edu closing connection
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Application Layer
Smtp: http
Comparison with http
http: pull
email: push
both have ASCII command/response interaction, status codes
http: each object encapsulated in its own response (if v.1.0 or so
specified in 1.1)
smtp: multiple message parts sent in one connection (multipart
mess)
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Message format: multimedia extensions
MIME: multimedia mail extension,

additional lines in msg header declare MIME content type
MIME version
method used
to encode data
multimedia data
type, subtype,
parameter declaration
encoded data
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From: amir@yahoo.com
To: asad@SSUET.edu
Subject: Picture of yummy crepe.
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Transfer-Encoding: base64
Content-Type: image/jpeg
base64 encoded data .....
.........................
......base64 encoded data
.
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Application Layer
Mail access protocols

user
agent
SMTP
SMTP
senders mail
server
POP3 or
IMAP
receivers mail
server
POP
SMTP: delivery/storage to receivers server

Mail access protocol: retrieval from server
POP: Post Office Protocol
authorization (agent <-->server) and

download
IMAP: Internet Mail Access Protocol
more features (more complex)
manipulation of stored msgs on

server
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user
agent
IMAP
Relatively
straightforward
Slower but more

redundant
Faster (sends your

e-mails and gets emails from you)
Keeps a copy of
everything you do on
the server
The downside is that The downside is that it

takes up more space
if you lose e-mails
on your computer
you have lost them
forever (unless you
have saved a copy
on the server)
45
P2P file sharing

Example
Alice runs P2P client application
on her notebook computer
Intermittently connects to
Internet; gets new IP address for
each connection
Asks for XYZ
Application displays other peers
that have copy of XYZ.
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Alice chooses one of the peers,

Bob.
File is copied from Bobs PC to
Alices notebook: HTTP
While Alice downloads, other
users uploading from Alice.
Alices peer is both a Web client
and a transient Web server.
All peers are servers = highly
scalable!
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Application Layer
P2P: centralized directory

original Napster design
1) when peer connects, it
informs central server:
Bob
centralized
directory server
1
peers
IP address
content
2) Alice queries for XYZ

3) Alice requests file from
Bob
1
2
Alice
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P2P: problems with centralized directory
Single point of failure

Performance bottleneck
Copyright violation
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file transfer is
decentralized, but
locating content is
highly decentralized
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Application Layer
P2P: decentralized directory
Each peer is either a group

leader or assigned to a
group leader.
Group leader tracks the
content in all its children.
Peer queries group leader;
group leader may query
other group leaders.
ordinary peer
group-leader peer
neighoring relationships
in overlay network
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More about decentralized directory

overlay network
peers are nodes
edges between peers and their
group leaders
edges between some pairs of
group leaders
virtual neighbors
bootstrap node
connecting peer is either
assigned to a group leader or
designated as leader
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advantages of approach
no centralized directory server
location service distributed

over peers
more difficult to shut down
disadvantages of approach
bootstrap node needed
group leaders can get
overloaded
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Application Layer
P2P: Query flooding
Gnutella
no hierarchy
use bootstrap node to learn
about others
join message
Send query to neighbors

Neighbors forward query
If queried peer has object,
it sends message back to
querying peer
join
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Skype
Skype is a peer-to-peer VoIP client

developed in 2003 by the
organization that created Kazaa
Skype uses an overlay peer-to-peer
network
An ordinary host must connect to a
super node and must authenticate
itself with the Skype login server
User names, passwords and buddy
list are stored at the login server
It uses TCP for signaling and both
UDP and TCP for transporting
media traffic
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Application Layer

Computer Communication & Networking CE - 402

Department of Computer Engineering, SSUET

Instructor: M. Rehan Rasheed

User agent: interfaces with

Instructor: M. Rehan Rasheed

Applications and application-layer protocols

Instructor: M. Rehan Rasheed

App-layer protocol defines

Instructor: M. Rehan Rasheed

initiates contact with server

e.g., Web server sends requested Web

page, mail server delivers e-mail

Instructor: M. Rehan Rasheed

Peers communicate with each other

Instructor: M. Rehan Rasheed

Internet apps: their protocols and transport

Instructor: M. Rehan Rasheed

WWW: the http protocol

WWWs application layer

Instructor: M. Rehan Rasheed

WWW: the http protocol

The WWW today is a distributed client/server service, in

Instructor: M. Rehan Rasheed

Instructor: M. Rehan Rasheed

Instructor: M. Rehan Rasheed

To facilitate the access of documents distributed

Instructor: M. Rehan Rasheed

A cookie, also known as an HTTP cookie, web cookie, or

Instructor: M. Rehan Rasheed

The World Wide Web was originally designed as a stateless

Some websites need to allow access to registered clients only.

For these purposes, the cookie mechanism was devised

Instructor: M. Rehan Rasheed

The documents in the WWW can be grouped into three

The category is based on the time at which the contents of

Instructor: M. Rehan Rasheed

Instructor: M. Rehan Rasheed

Dynamic document using CGI

A dynamic document is created by a Web server whenever a

Instructor: M. Rehan Rasheed

Dynamic document using server-site script

Dynamic documents are sometimes referred to as server-site

Instructor: M. Rehan Rasheed

Active document using Java applet

Active document using client-site script

Active documents are

Instructor: M. Rehan Rasheed

The Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) is a protocol used

HTTP uses the services of TCP on well-known port 80.

Instructor: M. Rehan Rasheed

Request and response messages

Instructor: M. Rehan Rasheed

The http protocol: more

Instructor: M. Rehan Rasheed

(contains text, references

1a. http client initiates TCP

2. http client sends http request

1b. http server at host

www.SSUET.edu waiting for

3. http server receives request

message, forms response