Video Explanation – Transport Layer Protocols (3 min)

Network communications involves a suite of protocols known as the Internet Protocol suite or more commonly
known as the TCP/IP protocol suite. This protocol suite includes all the protocols used in various aspects of
end-to-end network communications, including addressing, routing, and reliability.
The TCP/IP protocol suite is also a conceptual model that classifies and organizes the various protocols into
four different layers: Network Access, Internet, Transport, and Application. The Transport layer includes two
protocols: TCP, Transmission Control Protocol, and UDP, User Datagram Protocol. These protocols
determine how the data will be delivered, reliably or unreliably. It is up to the network application to choose.
If the application chooses TCP, the data will be delivered reliably with guaranteed delivery and assembled in
the proper order. Or it can choose UDP when the data needs to be delivered as quickly as possible, with
some tolerance for loss of data. TCP adds some "overhead," which means there will be some additional
delay. For example, the Network Application HTTP uses TCP to make sure all the data is delivered reliably.
Here, the user types in the URL www.MyBank.example. TCP is used to transport the information reliably
between the user's computer and the web server. The web server, also using TCP, sends the requested data,
the webpage, in separate segments.
Each segment includes a sequence number so the receiver knows if anything is missing and so it can
assemble it in the proper order. UDP is a simpler protocol used to send data as quickly as possible, even if
some data doesn't get delivered. Network applications such as those used for sending voice and real-time
video can sacrifice some data loss in order for the data to be delivered as quickly as possible. As you can
see, UDP does not include any functions for reliability, such as there are no sequence numbers in the UDP
segments.
To summarize, the application such as those that perform file transfers, downloading webpages and email, all
use the reliable Transport protocol TCP, whereas UDP is used for applications such as real-time video and
voice where speed is more important than reliability.
End of Document

 2019 - 2019 Cisco and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved. Cisco Public Page 1 of 1 www.netacad.com