15-441: Computer Networking

Lecture 3: Application Layer and

Socket Programming
Lecture Overview

• Application layer
• Client-server
• Application requirements
• Background
• TCP vs. UDP
• Byte ordering
• Socket I/O
• TCP/UDP server and client
• I/O multiplexing

Lecture 3: 9-4-01 2
Applications and Application-Layer
Protocols
• Application: communicating,
distributed processes application
transport
network
• Running in network hosts in data link
physical
“user space”
• Exchange messages to
implement app
• e.g., email, file transfer, the
Web
• Application-layer protocols
• One “piece” of an app application
application
transport
transport network
• Define messages exchanged network data link
data link physical
by apps and actions taken physical

• User services provided by

lower layer protocols
Lecture 3: 9-4-01 3
Client-Server Paradigm
Typical network app has two pieces: client and server
Client:
• Initiates contact with server application
transport
(“speaks first”) network
data link
physical
• Typically requests service from
server, request
• For Web, client is implemented in
browser; for e-mail, in mail reader
Server:
• Provides requested service to reply
client application
transport
• e.g., Web server sends network
data link
requested Web page, mail server physical

delivers e-mail
Lecture 3: 9-4-01 4
Ftp: The File Transfer Protocol

FTP FTP file transfer

FTP
user client server
interface
user
at host local file remote file
system system

• Transfer file to/from remote host

• Client/server model
• Client: side that initiates transfer (either to/from remote)

• Server: remote host

• ftp: RFC 959

• ftp server: port 21

Lecture 3: 9-4-01 5
Ftp: Separate Control, Data
Connections
• Ftp client contacts ftp server
at port 21, specifying TCP
as transport protocol
• Two parallel TCP TCP control connection
connections opened: port 21
• Control: exchange commands,
responses between client,
server. TCP data connection
FTP port 20 FTP
“out of band control” client server
• Data: file data to/from server
• Ftp server maintains “state”:
current directory, earlier
authentication

Lecture 3: 9-4-01 6
Ftp Commands, Responses

Sample Commands: Sample Return Codes

• sent as ASCII text over • status code and phrase
control channel
• 331 Username OK,
• USER username
password required
• PASS password
• 125 data connection
• LIST return list of files in
already open;
current directory transfer starting
• RETR filename • 425 Can’t open data
retrieves (gets) file
connection
• STOR filename stores
• 452 Error writing
(puts) file onto remote host
file

Lecture 3: 9-4-01 7
What Transport Service Does an
Application Need?
Data loss Timing
• Some apps (e.g., audio) can • Some apps (e.g., Internet
tolerate some loss telephony, interactive
• Other apps (e.g., file transfer, games) require low delay to
telnet) require 100% reliable be “effective”
data transfer

Bandwidth
• Some apps (e.g., multimedia) require minimum amount of
bandwidth to be “effective”
• Other apps (“elastic apps”) make use of whatever bandwidth they
get

Lecture 3: 9-4-01 8
Transport Service Requirements
of Common Apps
Application Data loss Bandwidth Time Sensitive

file transfer no loss elastic no

e-mail no loss elastic no
web documents no loss elastic no
real-time audio/ loss-tolerant audio: 5Kb-1Mb yes, 100’s msec
video video:10Kb-5Mb
stored audio/video loss-tolerant same as above yes, few secs
interactive games loss-tolerant few Kbps yes, 100’s msec
financial apps no loss elastic yes and no

Lecture 3: 9-4-01 9
Lecture Overview

• Application layer
• Client-server
• Application requirements
• Background
• TCP vs. UDP
• Byte ordering
• Socket I/O
• TCP/UDP server and client
• I/O multiplexing

Lecture 3: 9-4-01 10
Server and Client
Server and Client exchange messages over the
network through a common Socket API

Clients
user
Server
ports space

TCP/UDP TCP/UDP
Socket API kernel
space

IP IP

Ethernet Adapter Ethernet Adapter hardware

Lecture 3: 9-4-01 11
User Datagram Protocol(UDP):
An Analogy
UDP Postal Mail
• Single socket to receive • Single mailbox to receive
messages messages
letters
• No guarantee of delivery • Unreliable 
• Not necessarily in-order • Not necessarily in-order
delivery delivery
• Datagram – independent • Letters
Each letter
sentisindependently
independent
packets • Must address each reply
• Must address each packet • Must address each reply

Example UDP applications

Multimedia, voice over IP
Lecture 3: 9-4-01 12
Transmission Control Protocol
(TCP): An Analogy
TCP Telephone Call
• Reliable – guarantee • Guaranteed delivery
delivery • In-order delivery
• Byte stream – in-order • Connection-oriented
delivery • Setup connection
• Connection-oriented – followed by conversation
single socket per
connection
• Setup connection
followed by data transfer
Example TCP applications
Web, Email, Telnet
Lecture 3: 9-4-01 13
Network Addressing Analogy

Telephone Call Network Programming

Professors at CMU Applications/Servers
412-268-8000 412-268-8000
ext.123 ext.654 Web Mail
Port 80 Port 25

Extension Port No.

Telephone No IP Address
Central Number Network No.
Exchange Host Number
Area Code

15-441 Students Clients

Lecture 3: 9-4-01 14
Concept of Port Numbers
• Port numbers are used to identify
“entities” on a host NTP Web
• Port numbers can be daemon server
• Well-known (port 0-1023) port 123 port 80
• Dynamic or private (port 1024-65535)
• Servers/daemons usually use well- TCP/UDP
known ports
• Any client can identify the server/service
IP
• HTTP = 80, FTP = 21, Telnet = 23, ...
• /etc/service defines well-known ports
Ethernet Adapter
• Clients usually use dynamic ports
• Assigned by the kernel at run time

Lecture 3: 9-4-01 15
Names and Addresses

• Each attachment point on Internet is given

unique address
• Based on location within network – like phone
numbers
• Humans prefer to deal with names not
addresses
• DNS provides mapping of name to address
• Name based on administrative ownership of
host

Lecture 3: 9-4-01 16
Internet Addressing Data Structure

#include <netinet/in.h>

/* Internet address structure */

struct in_addr {
u_long s_addr; /* 32-bit IPv4 address */
}; /* network byte ordered */

/* Socket address, Internet style. */

struct sockaddr_in {
u_char sin_family; /* Address Family */
u_short sin_port; /* UDP or TCP Port# */
/* network byte ordered */
struct in_addr sin_addr; /* Internet Address */
char sin_zero[8]; /* unused */
};

• sin_family = AF_INET selects Internet address family

Lecture 3: 9-4-01 17
Byte Ordering
union {
u_int32_t addr; /* 4 bytes address */
char c[4];
} un;
/* 128.2.194.95 */
un.addr = 0x8002c25f;
/* c[0] = ? */
c[0] c[1] c[2] c[3]

• Big Endian 128 2 194 95

• Sun Solaris, PowerPC, ...
• Little Endian 95 194 2 128
• i386, alpha, ...
• Network byte order = Big Endian

Lecture 3: 9-4-01 18
Byte Ordering Functions

• Converts between host byte order and network

byte order
• ‘h’ = host byte order
• ‘n’ = network byte order
• ‘l’ = long (4 bytes), converts IP addresses
• ‘s’ = short (2 bytes), converts port numbers
#include <netinet/in.h>

unsigned long int htonl(unsigned long int hostlong);

unsigned short int htons(unsigned short int
hostshort);
unsigned long int ntohl(unsigned long int netlong);
unsigned short int ntohs(unsigned short int
netshort);
Lecture 3: 9-4-01 19
Lecture Overview

• Application layer
• Client-server
• Application requirements
• Background
• TCP vs. UDP
• Byte ordering
• Socket I/O
• TCP/UDP server and client
• I/O multiplexing

Lecture 3: 9-4-01 20
What is a Socket?
• A socket is a file descriptor that lets an application read/write data
from/to the network
int fd; /* socket descriptor */
if ((fd = socket(AF_INET, SOCK_STREAM, 0)) < 0) }
perror(“socket”);
exit(1);
}
• socket returns an integer (socket descriptor)
• fd < 0 indicates that an error occurred
• socket descriptors are similar to file descriptors

• AF_INET: associates a socket with the Internet protocol family

• SOCK_STREAM: selects the TCP protocol
• SOCK_DGRAM: selects the UDP protocol

Lecture 3: 9-4-01 21
TCP Server

• For example: web

Web Server server
Port 80
• What does a web server
TCP need to do so that a web
client can connect to it?
IP

Ethernet Adapter

Lecture 3: 9-4-01 22
 Socket I/O: socket()
• Since web traffic uses TCP, the web server must create a socket of type
SOCK_STREAM

int fd; /* socket descriptor */

if((fd = socket(AF_INET, SOCK_STREAM, 0)) < 0) {

perror(“socket”);
exit(1);
}

• socket returns an integer (socket descriptor)

• fd < 0 indicates that an error occurred

• AF_INET associates a socket with the Internet protocol family

• SOCK_STREAM selects the TCP protocol

Lecture 3: 9-4-01 23
Socket I/O: bind()
• A socket can be bound to a port
int fd; /* socket descriptor */
struct sockaddr_in srv; /* used by bind() */

/* create the socket */

srv.sin_family = AF_INET; /* use the Internet addr family */

srv.sin_port = htons(80); /* bind socket ‘fd’ to port 80*/

/* bind: a client may connect to any of my addresses */

srv.sin_addr.s_addr = htonl(INADDR_ANY);

if(bind(fd, (struct sockaddr*) &srv, sizeof(srv)) < 0) {

perror("bind"); exit(1);
}

• Still not quite ready to communicate with a client...

Lecture 3: 9-4-01 24
Socket I/O: listen()
• listen indicates that the server will accept a connection
int fd; /* socket descriptor */
struct sockaddr_in srv; /* used by bind() */

/* 1) create the socket */

/* 2) bind the socket to a port */

if(listen(fd, 5) < 0) {
perror(“listen”);
exit(1);
}

• Still not quite ready to communicate with a client...

Lecture 3: 9-4-01 25
Socket I/O: accept()
• accept blocks waiting for a connection
int fd; /* socket descriptor */
struct sockaddr_in srv; /* used by bind() */
struct sockaddr_in cli; /* used by accept() */
int newfd; /* returned by accept() */
int cli_len = sizeof(cli); /* used by accept() */

/* 1) create the socket */

/* 2) bind the socket to a port */
/* 3) listen on the socket */

newfd = accept(fd, (struct sockaddr*) &cli, &cli_len);

if(newfd < 0) {
perror("accept"); exit(1);
}
• accept returns a new socket (newfd) with the same properties as the
original socket (fd)
• newfd < 0 indicates that an error occurred

Lecture 3: 9-4-01 26
Socket I/O: accept() continued...
struct sockaddr_in cli; /* used by accept() */
int newfd; /* returned by accept() */
int cli_len = sizeof(cli); /* used by accept() */

newfd = accept(fd, (struct sockaddr*) &cli, &cli_len);

if(newfd < 0) {
perror("accept");
exit(1);
}
• How does the server know which client it is?
• cli.sin_addr.s_addr contains the client’s IP address
• cli.sin_port contains the client’s port number
• Now the server can exchange data with the client by
using read and write on the descriptor newfd.
• Why does accept need to return a new descriptor?
Lecture 3: 9-4-01 27
Socket I/O: read()
• read can be used with a socket
• read blocks waiting for data from the client but
does not guarantee that sizeof(buf) is read

int fd; /* socket descriptor */

char buf[512]; /* used by read() */
int nbytes; /* used by read() */

/* 1) create the socket */

/* 2) bind the socket to a port */
/* 3) listen on the socket */
/* 4) accept the incoming connection */

if((nbytes = read(newfd, buf, sizeof(buf))) < 0) {

perror(“read”); exit(1);
}

Lecture 3: 9-4-01 28
TCP Client

• For example: web

client 2 Web Clients

• How does a web client

connect to a web server?
TCP

IP

Ethernet Adapter

Lecture 3: 9-4-01 29
Dealing with IP Addresses
• IP Addresses are commonly written as strings (“128.2.35.50”), but
programs deal with IP addresses as integers.

Converting strings to numerical address:

struct sockaddr_in srv;

srv.sin_addr.s_addr = inet_addr(“128.2.35.50”);
if(srv.sin_addr.s_addr == (in_addr_t) -1) {
fprintf(stderr, "inet_addr failed!\n"); exit(1);
}
Converting a numerical address to a string:

struct sockaddr_in srv;

char *t = inet_ntoa(srv.sin_addr);
if(t == 0) {
fprintf(stderr, “inet_ntoa failed!\n”); exit(1);
}
Lecture 3: 9-4-01 30
Translating Names to Addresses

• Gethostbyname provides interface to DNS

• Additional useful calls
• Gethostbyaddr – returns hostent given sockaddr_in
• Getservbyname
• Used to get service description (typically port number)
• Returns servent based on name
#include <netdb.h>

struct hostent *hp; /*ptr to host info for remote*/

struct sockaddr_in peeraddr;
char *name = “www.cs.cmu.edu”;

peeraddr.sin_family = AF_INET;
hp = gethostbyname(name)
peeraddr.sin_addr.s_addr = ((struct in_addr*)(hp->h_addr))->s_addr;

Lecture 3: 9-4-01 31
Socket I/O: connect()
• connect allows a client to connect to a server...
int fd; /* socket descriptor */
struct sockaddr_in srv; /* used by connect() */

/* create the socket */

/* connect: use the Internet address family */

srv.sin_family = AF_INET;

/* connect: socket ‘fd’ to port 80 */

srv.sin_port = htons(80);

/* connect: connect to IP Address “128.2.35.50” */

srv.sin_addr.s_addr = inet_addr(“128.2.35.50”);

if(connect(fd, (struct sockaddr*) &srv, sizeof(srv)) < 0) {

perror(”connect"); exit(1);
}

Lecture 3: 9-4-01 32
Socket I/O: write()
• write can be used with a socket
int fd; /* socket descriptor */
struct sockaddr_in srv; /* used by connect() */
char buf[512]; /* used by write() */
int nbytes; /* used by write() */

/* 1) create the socket */

/* 2) connect() to the server */

/* Example: A client could “write” a request to a server

*/
if((nbytes = write(fd, buf, sizeof(buf))) < 0) {
perror(“write”);
exit(1);
}

Lecture 3: 9-4-01 33
 Review: TCP Client-Server
Interaction
TCP Server
socket()

bind()

TCP Client listen()

socket() accept()
connection establishment
connect()
data request read()
write()

data reply write()

read()

close() end-of-file notification read()

close()
from UNIX Network Programming Volume 1, figure 4.1 Lecture 3: 9-4-01 34
UDP Server Example

• For example: NTP

NTP
daemon
daemon

Port 123 • What does a UDP server

need to do so that a UDP
UDP client can connect to it?

IP

Ethernet Adapter

Lecture 3: 9-4-01 35
Socket I/O: socket()
• The UDP server must create a datagram socket…

int fd; /* socket descriptor */

if((fd = socket(AF_INET, SOCK_DGRAM, 0)) < 0) {

perror(“socket”);
exit(1);
}

• socket returns an integer (socket descriptor)

• fd < 0 indicates that an error occurred

• AF_INET: associates a socket with the Internet protocol family

• SOCK_DGRAM: selects the UDP protocol

Lecture 3: 9-4-01 36
Socket I/O: bind()
• A socket can be bound to a port
int fd; /* socket descriptor */
struct sockaddr_in srv; /* used by bind() */

/* create the socket */

/* bind: use the Internet address family */

srv.sin_family = AF_INET;

/* bind: socket ‘fd’ to port 80*/

srv.sin_port = htons(80);

/* bind: a client may connect to any of my addresses */

srv.sin_addr.s_addr = htonl(INADDR_ANY);

if(bind(fd, (struct sockaddr*) &srv, sizeof(srv)) < 0) {

perror("bind"); exit(1);
}
• Now the UDP server is ready to accept packets…
Lecture 3: 9-4-01 37
Socket I/O: recvfrom()
• read does not provide the client’s address to the UDP server

int fd; /* socket descriptor */

struct sockaddr_in srv; /* used by bind() */
struct sockaddr_in cli; /* used by recvfrom() */
char buf[512]; /* used by recvfrom() */
int cli_len = sizeof(cli); /* used by recvfrom() */
int nbytes; /* used by recvfrom() */

/* 1) create the socket */

/* 2) bind to the socket */

nbytes = recvfrom(fd, buf, sizeof(buf), 0 /* flags */,

(struct sockaddr*) &cli, &cli_len);
if(nbytes < 0) {
perror(“recvfrom”); exit(1);
}

Lecture 3: 9-4-01 38
Socket I/O: recvfrom() continued...
nbytes = recvfrom(fd, buf, sizeof(buf), 0 /* flags */,
(struct sockaddr*) cli, &cli_len);

• The actions performed by recvfrom

• returns the number of bytes read (nbytes)
• copies nbytes of data into buf
• returns the address of the client (cli)
• returns the length of cli (cli_len)
• don’t worry about flags

Lecture 3: 9-4-01 39
UDP Client Example

2 UDP Clients

• How does a UDP client

communicate with a UDP
server? ports
TCP

IP

Ethernet Adapter

Lecture 3: 9-4-01 40
 Socket I/O: sendto()
• write is not allowed
• Notice that the UDP client does not bind a port number
• a port number is dynamically assigned when the first sendto is called

int fd; /* socket descriptor */

struct sockaddr_in srv; /* used by sendto() */

/* 1) create the socket */

/* sendto: send data to IP Address “128.2.35.50” port 80 */

srv.sin_family = AF_INET;
srv.sin_port = htons(80);
srv.sin_addr.s_addr = inet_addr(“128.2.35.50”);

nbytes = sendto(fd, buf, sizeof(buf), 0 /* flags */,

(struct sockaddr*) &srv, sizeof(srv));
if(nbytes < 0) {
perror(“sendto”); exit(1);
}

Lecture 3: 9-4-01 41
 Review: UDP Client-Server
Interaction
UDP Server
socket()

bind()
UDP Client
recvfrom()
socket()
blocks until datagram
sendto() received from a client
data request

data reply sendto()

recvfrom()

close()

from UNIX Network Programming Volume 1, figure 8.1 Lecture 3: 9-4-01 42

The UDP Server

• How can the UDP server

UDP Server service multiple ports
Port 3000 Port 2000 simultaneously?

UDP

IP

Ethernet Adapter

Lecture 3: 9-4-01 43
UDP Server: Servicing Two Ports
int s1; /* socket descriptor 1 */
int s2; /* socket descriptor 2 */

/* 1) create socket s1 */
/* 2) create socket s2 */
/* 3) bind s1 to port 2000 */
/* 4) bind s2 to port 3000 */

while(1) {
recvfrom(s1, buf, sizeof(buf), ...);
/* process buf */

recvfrom(s2, buf, sizeof(buf), ...);

/* process buf */
}

• What problems does this code have?

Lecture 3: 9-4-01 44
Socket I/O: select()
int select(int maxfds, fd_set *readfds, fd_set *writefds,
fd_set *exceptfds, struct timeval *timeout);

FD_CLR(int fd, fd_set *fds); /* clear the bit for fd in fds */

FD_ISSET(int fd, fd_set *fds); /* is the bit for fd in fds? */
FD_SET(int fd, fd_set *fds); /* turn on the bit for fd in fds */
FD_ZERO(fd_set *fds); /* clear all bits in fds */

• maxfds: number of descriptors to be tested

• descriptors (0, 1, ... maxfds-1) will be tested
• readfds: a set of fds we want to check if data is available
• returns a set of fds ready to read
• if input argument is NULL, not interested in that condition
• writefds: returns a set of fds ready to write
• exceptfds: returns a set of fds with exception conditions
Lecture 3: 9-4-01 45
Socket I/O: select()
int select(int maxfds, fd_set *readfds, fd_set *writefds,
fd_set *exceptfds, struct timeval *timeout);

struct timeval {
long tv_sec; /* seconds /
long tv_usec; /* microseconds */
}
• timeout
• if NULL, wait forever and return only when one of the descriptors is
ready for I/O
• otherwise, wait up to a fixed amount of time specified by timeout
• if we don’t want to wait at all, create a timeout structure with timer value
equal to 0

• Refer to the man page for more information

Lecture 3: 9-4-01 46
Socket I/O: select()
• select allows synchronous I/O multiplexing
int s1, s2; /* socket descriptors */
fd_set readfds; /* used by select() */

/* create and bind s1 and s2 */

while(1) {
FD_ZERO(&readfds); /* initialize the fd set
*/
FD_SET(s1, &readfds); /* add s1 to the fd set */
FD_SET(s2, &readfds); /* add s2 to the fd set */

if(select(s2+1, &readfds, 0, 0, 0) < 0) {

perror(“select”);
exit(1);
}
if(FD_ISSET(s1, &readfds)) {
recvfrom(s1, buf, sizeof(buf), ...);
/* process buf */
}
/* do the same for s2 */
}

Lecture 3: 9-4-01 47
More Details About a Web Server

How can a a web server manage

multiple connections simultaneously?
Web Server

Port 8001 Port 80

TCP

IP

Ethernet Adapter

Lecture 3: 9-4-01 48
Socket I/O: select()
int fd, next=0; /* original socket */
int newfd[10]; /* new socket descriptors */
while(1) {
fd_set readfds;
FD_ZERO(&readfds); FD_SET(fd, &readfds);

/* Now use FD_SET to initialize other newfd’s

that have already been returned by accept() */

select(maxfd+1, &readfds, 0, 0, 0);

if(FD_ISSET(fd, &readfds)) {
newfd[next++] = accept(fd, ...);
}
/* do the following for each descriptor newfd[n] */
if(FD_ISSET(newfd[n], &readfds)) {
read(newfd[n], buf, sizeof(buf));
/* process data */
}
}
• Now the web server can support multiple connections...
Lecture 3: 9-4-01 49
A Few Programming Notes:
Representing Packets
0 1 2 3
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1
+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+
| Type |
+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+
| Length | Checksum |
+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+
| Address |

+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+

Type: 4-byte integer

Length: 2-byte integer
Checksum: 2-byte integer
Address: 4-byte IP address

Lecture 3: 9-4-01 50
A Few Programming Notes:
Building a Packet in a Buffer
struct packet {
u_int32_t type;
u_int16_t length;
u_int16_t checksum;
u_int32_t address;
};

/* ================================================== */
char buf[1024];
struct packet *pkt;

pkt = (struct packet*) buf;

pkt->type = htonl(1);
pkt->length = htons(2);
pkt->checksum = htons(3);
pkt->address = htonl(4);

Lecture 3: 9-4-01 51
Socket Programming References

• Man page
• usage: man <function name>
• Textbook
• Sections 2.6, 2.7
• demo programs written in Java
• Unix Network Programming : Networking
APIs: Sockets and XTI (Volume 1)
• Section 2, 3, 4, 6, 8
• ultimate socket programming bible!

Lecture 3: 9-4-01 52