Computer Networks, unit: The Transport Layer. Core concepts, terminology, and worked-example cues a college student meets for this unit, building on prior units without repeating them. Front: a term, concept, or short problem cue. Back: the definition, explanation, or answer.
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- What is the Transport layer responsible for?
- End-to-end, reliable (or best-effort) delivery of data between applications
- What is TCP (Transmission Control Protocol)?
- A connection-oriented, reliable transport protocol that guarantees ordered delivery
- What is UDP (User Datagram Protocol)?
- A connectionless transport protocol offering fast, best-effort delivery without guarantees
- What is a key tradeoff between TCP and UDP?
- TCP guarantees reliability and order at the cost of speed; UDP is faster but offers no such guarantees
- What application scenario commonly uses UDP instead of TCP?
- Real-time applications like video streaming or online gaming, where speed matters more than perfect reliability
- What is a three-way handshake?
- The TCP connection establishment process using SYN, SYN-ACK, and ACK messages
- What does SYN stand for in the TCP handshake?
- Synchronize, the initial request to establish a connection
- What is a port number?
- A numeric identifier used to direct traffic to a specific application or service on a device
- What is a well-known port, such as port 80?
- A standardized port number reserved for a common service (port 80 is typically HTTP)
- What port is typically used for HTTPS?
- Port 443
- What is flow control at the Transport layer?
- Preventing a fast sender from overwhelming a slower receiver
- What is congestion control?
- Adjusting data transmission rates to avoid overwhelming the network itself
- What is a sliding window, in TCP flow control?
- A mechanism allowing multiple packets to be sent before requiring acknowledgment, improving efficiency
- What is an acknowledgment (ACK) in TCP?
- A signal confirming that data has been successfully received
- What is segmentation, at the Transport layer?
- Breaking data from an application into smaller segments for transmission