User Datagram Protocol (UDP)
Srinidhi Varadarajan
UDP: The User Datagram Protocol
UDP is another transport protocol in the TCP/IP suite UDP provides an unreliable datagram service
Packets may be lost or delivered out of order Users exchange datagrams (not streams) Connection-less Not buffered -- UDP accepts data and transmits immediately (no buffering before transmission) Full duplex -- concurrent transfers can take place in both directions
UDP Datagram Format
0 4 8 16 24 Destination Port Checksum 31 Source Port Message Length
Data
UDP Header Fields
UDP Destination Port: identifies destination process UDP Source Port: optional -- identifies source process for replies, or zero Message Length: length of datagram in bytes, including header and data Checksum: optional -- 16-bit checksum over header and data, or zero
UDP Versus TCP (1)
Choice of UDP versus TCP is based on:
Functionality Performance
Performance
TCPs window-based flow control scheme leads to bursty bulk transfers (not rate based) TCPs slow start algorithm can reduce throughput TCP has extra overhead per segment UDP can send small, inefficient datagrams
time
UDP Versus TCP (2)
Reliability
TCP provides reliable, in-order transfers UDP provides unreliable service -- application must accept or deal with
Packet loss due to overflows and errors Out-of-order datagrams
Multicast and broadcast
Supported only by UDP TCPs error control scheme does not lend itself to reliable multicast
Data size
UDP datagrams limited to IP MTU (64KB)
UDP Versus TCP (3)
Application complexity
Application-level framing can be difficult using TCP because of the Nagle algorithm Nagle algorithm controls when TCP segments are sent to use IP datagrams efficiently But, data may be received and read by applications in different units than how it was sent Written
time
Read
UDP versus TCP (4)
Which is used for ...
HyperText Transfer Protocol (HTTP)? File Transfer Protocol (FTP)? Telnet? Post Office Protocol (POP)? Remote WHO (rwho)? MBONE audio/video? Real Player? Network File System (NFS)?
Middleware Model (1)
Application Application Middleware Network API Presentation Application Transport Network Data Link Physical Presentation Application Transport Network Data Link Physical Alternate API
Middleware Model (2)
Higher-level services can be provided for application development by so called middleware
May be built above the operating system (and run on various operating systems) May be part of the operating system
Possible functions: messaging, distributed object management, directory services, user-defined data types, composite data types, remote procedure calls (RPC), alternate communication abstractions
You should now be able to ...
Distinguish between services, interfaces, and implementations related to protocols Identify the relationship between the TCP/IP protocol suite and the OSI Reference Model Identify the functions of the key protocols in the TCP/IP protocol suite Identify the differences between transport services provided by TCP and UDP Match application needs to services provided by TCP and UDP
