Example Data Link Protocols

In this section we will examine a group of closely related protocols that are a bit old but are still heavily
used. They are all derived from the data link protocol first used in the IBM mainframe world: SDLC
(Synchronous Data Link Control) protocol.

After developing SDLC, IBM submitted it to ANSI and ISO for acceptance as U.S. and international standards,
respectively. ANSI modified it to become ADCCP (Advanced Data Communication Control Procedure), and
ISO modified it to become HDLC (High-level Data Link Control). CCITT then adopted and modified HDLC for
its LAP (Link Access Procedure) as part of the X.25 network interface standard but later modified it again to
LAPB, to make it more compatible with a later version of HDLC. The nice thing about standards is that you
have so many to choose from. Furthermore, if you do not like any of them, you can just wait for next year's
model.

These protocols are based on the same principles. All are bit oriented, and all use bit stuffing for data
transparency. They differ only in minor, but nevertheless irritating, ways. The discussion of bit-oriented
protocols that follows is intended as a general introduction. For the specific details of any one protocol,
please consult the appropriate definition.

All the bit-oriented protocols use the frame structure shown in Fig. 3-24. The Address field is primarily of
importance on lines with multiple terminals, where it is used to identify one of the terminals. For point-
topoint lines, it is sometimes used to distinguish commands from responses.

High-level Data Link Control (HDLC)

High-level Data Link Control (HDLC) is a group of communication protocols of the data link layer for
transmitting data between network points or nodes. Since it is a data link protocol, data is organized into
frames. A frame is transmitted via the network to the destination that verifies its successful arrival. It is a bit
- oriented protocol that is applicable for both point - to - point and multipoint communications.

Transfer Modes

HDLC supports two types of transfer modes, normal response mode and asynchronous balanced mode.

 Normal Response Mode (NRM) − Here, two types of stations are there, a primary station that send
commands and secondary station that can respond to received commands. It is used for both point -
to - point and multipoint communications.
  Asynchronous Balanced Mode (ABM) − Here, the configuration is balanced, i.e. each station can
both send commands and respond to commands. It is used for only point - to - point
communications.

HDLC Frame

HDLC is a bit - oriented protocol where each frame contains up to six fields. The structure varies according
to the type of frame. The fields of a HDLC frame are −

1. Flag − It is an 8-bit sequence that marks the beginning and the end of the frame. The bit pattern of
the flag is 01111110.
2. Address − It contains the address of the receiver. If the frame is sent by the primary station, it
contains the addresses of the secondary station(s). If it is sent by the secondary station, it contains
the address of the primary station. The address field may be from 1 byte to several bytes.
3. Control − It is 1 or 2 bytes containing flow and error control information.
4. Payload − this carries the data from the network layer. Its length may vary from one network to
another.
 5. FCS − It is a 2 byte or 4 bytes frame check sequence for error detection. The standard code used is
CRC (cyclic redundancy code)

Explore our latest online courses and learn new skills at your own pace. Enroll and become a certified
expert to boost your career.

Types of HDLC Frames

There are three types of HDLC frames. The type of frame is determined by the control field of the frame −

1. I-frame − I-frames or Information frames carry user data from the network layer. They also include
flow and error control information that is piggybacked on user data. The first bit of control field of I-
frame is 0.
2. S-frame − S-frames or Supervisory frames do not contain information field. They are used for flow
and error control when piggybacking is not required. The first two bits of control field of S-frame is
10.
3. U-frame − U-frames or Un-numbered frames are used for myriad miscellaneous functions, like link
management. It may contain an information field, if required. The first two bits of control field of U-
frame is 11.
The Data Link Layer in the Internet
The Internet consists of individual machines (hosts and routers) and the communication infrastructure that
connects them. Within a single building, LANs are widely used for interconnection, but most of the wide
area infrastructure is built up from point-to-point leased lines. we will look at LANs; here we will examine
the data link protocols used on point-to-point lines in the Internet.

In practice, point-to-point communication is primarily used in two situations. First, thousands of

organizations have one or more LANs, each with some number of hosts (personal computers, user
workstations, servers, and so on) along with a router (or a bridge, which is functionally similar). Often, the
routers are interconnected by a backbone LAN. Typically, all connections to the outside world go through
one or two routers that have point-to-point leased lines to distant routers. It is these routers and their
leased lines that make up the communication subnets on which the Internet is built.

The second situation in which point-to-point lines play a major role in the Internet is the millions of
individuals who have home connections to the Internet using modems and dial-up telephone lines. Usually,
what happens is that the user's home PC calls up an Internet service provider's router and then acts like a
full-blown Internet host. This method of operation is no different from having a leased line between the PC
and the router, except that the connection is terminated when the user ends the session. A home PC calling
an Internet service provider is illustrated in Fig. 3-26. The modem is shown external to the computer to
emphasize its role, but modern computers have internal modems.

Figure 3-26. A home personal computer acting as an Internet host.

For both the router-router leased line connection and the dial-up host-router connection, some point-to-

point data link protocol is required on the line for framing, error control, and the other data link layer
functions we have studied in this chapter. The one used in the Internet is called PPP. We will now examine it.