Application Layer

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Application Layer

• We will learn about protocols by examining
  popular application-level protocols
• HTTP
• FTP
• SMTP / POP3 / IMAP
• Focus on client-server model
• Web
• HTML

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Client-server architecture

• server
• always-on host
• permanent IP address
• clients
• communicate with server
• may be intermittently connected
• may have dynamic IP addresses
• do not communicate directly with each other

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Web and HTTP

• First some jargon
• What is WWW?
• Web page consists of objects
• Objects can be HTML file, JPEG image, JavaScript,
  video file,
• Web page consists of base HTML-file which
  includes several referenced objects
• Each object is addressable by a URL
• Example URL

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HTTP overview

• HTTP hypertext transfer protocol
• Webs application layer protocol
• Resources to be accessed by HTTP are identified
  using Uniform Resource Identifiers (URIs)or,
  more specifically, Uniform Resource Locators
  (URLs)

HTTP request
PC running Explorer
HTTP response
HTTP request
Server running Apache Web server
HTTP response
Mac running Navigator
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HTTP overview (continued)

• Uses TCP
• 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 Web server (HTTP server)
• TCP connection closed

• HTTP is stateless
• server maintains no information about past client
  requests

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HTTP connections

• Nonpersistent HTTP
• At most one object is sent over a TCP connection.

• Persistent HTTP
• Multiple objects can be sent over single TCP
  connection between client and server.

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Nonpersistent HTTP
(contains text, references to 10 jpeg images)

• Suppose user enters URL www.someSchool.edu/someDep
  artment/home.index

• 1a. HTTP client initiates TCP connection to HTTP
  server (process) at www.someSchool.edu on port 80

1b. HTTP server at host www.someSchool.edu
waiting for TCP connection at port 80. accepts
connection, notifying client
2. HTTP client sends HTTP request message
(containing URL) into TCP connection socket.
Message indicates that client wants object
someDepartment/home.index
3. HTTP server receives request message, forms
response message containing requested object, and
sends message into its socket
time
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Nonpersistent HTTP (cont.)
4. HTTP server closes TCP connection.

• 5. HTTP client receives response message
  containing html file, displays html. Parsing
  html file, finds 10 referenced jpeg objects

time
6. Steps 1-5 repeated for each of 10 jpeg objects
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Non-Persistent HTTP Response time

• Definition of RTT time for a small packet to
  travel from client to server and back.
• Response time
• one RTT to initiate TCP connection
• one RTT for HTTP request and first few bytes of
  HTTP response to return
• file transmission time
• total 2RTTtransmit time

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Persistent HTTP

• Nonpersistent HTTP issues
• requires 2 RTTs per object
• OS overhead for each TCP connection
• browsers often open parallel TCP connections to
  fetch referenced objects

• Persistent HTTP
• server leaves connection open after sending
  response
• subsequent HTTP messages between same
  client/server sent over open connection
• client sends requests as soon as it encounters a
  referenced object
• as little as one RTT for all the referenced
  objects

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Hands-on!Trying out HTTP (client side) for
yourself

• 1. Telnet to your favorite Web server

Opens TCP connection to port 80 (default HTTP
server port)
telnet jjcweb.jjay.cuny.edu 80

• 2. Type in a GET HTTP request

By typing this in (hit carriage return twice),
you send this minimal (but complete) GET request
to HTTP server
GET /ssengupta/ HTTP/1.1 Host jjcweb.jjay.cuny.ed
u
3. Look at response message sent by HTTP server!
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Request Method types

• GET
• Requests a representation of the specific
  resource.
• POST
• Submits data to be processed (e.g., from an HTML
  form) to the identified resource. The data is
  included in the body of the request. This may
  result in the creation of a new resource or the
  updates of existing resources or both.
• PUT
• Uploads a representation of the specific
  resource.
• DELETE
• Deletes the specific resource.
• TRACE
• Echoes back the received request, so that a
  client can see what intermediate servers are
  adding or changing in the request.

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How about Utilization?

• An example
• average object size 100,000 bits
• avg. request rate from institutions browsers to
  origin servers 15/sec
• Internet delay from institutional router to any
  origin server and back to router 2 sec
• Consequences
• utilization on LAN 15
• utilization on access link 100
• total delay Internet delay access delay
  LAN delay
• 2 sec seconds milliseconds
• Huge delay

origin servers
public Internet
1.5 Mbps access link
institutional network
10 Mbps LAN
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How to speed up Internet access?
origin servers

• possible solution
• increase bandwidth of access link to, say, 10
  Mbps
• consequence
• utilization on LAN 15
• utilization on access link 15
• Total delay Internet delay access delay
  LAN delay
• 2 sec msecs msecs
• often a costly upgrade

public Internet
10 Mbps access link
institutional network
10 Mbps LAN
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A better solution Web Cache
origin servers

• Install web cache
• suppose hit rate is 0.4
• consequence
• 40 requests will be satisfied almost immediately
• 60 requests satisfied by origin server
• utilization of access link reduced to 60,
  resulting in negligible delays

public Internet
1.5 Mbps access link
institutional network
10 Mbps LAN
institutional cache
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Web caches (proxy server)
Goal satisfy client request without involving
origin server

• user sets browser Web accesses via cache
• browser sends all HTTP requests to cache
• object in cache cache returns object
• else cache requests object from origin server,
  then returns object to client

origin server
Proxy server
client
client
origin server
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More about Web caching

• Why Web caching?
• reduce response time for client request
• reduce traffic on an institutions access link.
• Internet dense with caches enables poor
  content providers to effectively deliver content

origin server
Proxy server
client
client
origin server
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HTTP overview (continued)

• If HTTP is stateless, how does it remember our
  session information?

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User-server state cookies

• Example
• When initial HTTP requests arrives at site, site
  creates
• unique ID
• entry in backend database for ID

• Many major Web sites use cookies
• 1) cookie file kept on users host, managed by
  users browser
• 2) back-end database at Web site
• Cookies are not cache!

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Cookies keeping state (cont.)
client
server
cookie file
backend database
one week later
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Cookies (continued)
Remember HTTP is stateless
aside

• What cookies can bring
• Authorization (e.g., bypass popup blocker)
• Previous session (e.g., shopping carts)

• Cookies and privacy
• cookies permit sites to learn a lot about you!!!
• Security???

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Application layer

• 2.1 Web browsing and HTTP
• 2.2 File transferring and FTP (File Transfer
  Protocol)
• 2.3 Email and SMTP

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FTP the file transfer protocol
file transfer
user at host
remote file system
local 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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FTP separate control, data connections

1. FTP client contacts FTP server at port 21
2. client authorized over control connection
3. client browses remote directory by sending
   commands over control connection.
4. when server receives file transfer command,
   server opens 2nd TCP connection (for file) to
   client
5. after transferring one file, server closes data
   connection.

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Application layer

• 2.1 Web browsing and HTTP
• 2.2 File transferring and FTP
• 2.3 Email and SMTP (Simple Mail Transfer
  Protocol)

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Electronic Mail

• 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., Outlook, Mozilla Thunderbird
• outgoing, incoming messages stored on server

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Electronic Mail mail servers

• Mail Servers
• mailbox contains incoming messages for user
• message queue of outgoing (to be sent) mail
  messages
• SMTP protocol between mail servers to send email
  messages
• client sending mail server
• server receiving mail server

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Scenario Alice sends message to Bob

• 4) Client side of SMTP opens TCP connection with
  Bobs mail server and sends Alices message
• 5) Bobs mail server places the message in Bobs
  mailbox
• 6) Bob invokes his user agent to read message

• 1) Alice uses UA to compose message and to
  bob_at_someschool.edu
• 2) Alices UA sends message to her mail server
• 3) Message placed in message queue

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SMTP comparison with HTTP

• Comparison with HTTP
• HTTP pull
• SMTP push
• HTTP each object encapsulated in its own
  response msg
• SMTP multiple objects handled

• SMTP uses persistent connections

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Mail access protocols
SMTP
access protocol
receivers mail server

• Post Office Protocol (POP3)

• Internet Message Access Protocol (IMAP)

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POP3 and IMAP Comparison

• POP3
• Uses download and delete mode.
• Bob cannot re-read e-mail if he changes client
• POP3 is stateless across sessions

• IMAP
• Keep all messages in one place the server
• Allows user to organize messages in folders
• IMAP keeps user state across sessions
• names of folders and mappings between message IDs
  and folder name

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Summary comparison among the protocols?

• HTTP

• FTP

• SMTP