Lesson 03 Introduction to Applications

3.0 Introduction

In this chapter we learn the conceptual and implementation aspects of network applications.
We start by defining key application layer concepts, including application layer protocols. We
then examine several network applications in detail including the Web, email, DNS and P2P file
sharing.

Learning outcome:

After completing this lesson, you would be able to:

List some popular network applications

Describe how e-mail works in the application level
Identify mail access protocols
List the mail message formats

3.1 Introduction to Web, FTP, email, DNS, P2P, HTTP

Web, FTP, email, DNS, P2P, and HTTP are some of popular internet applications. Now we will
understand them in detail.

FTP

You must be familiar with the File Transfer Protocol (FTP). This protocol is used as a simple
method of transferring files between computer systems. FTP actually requires two TCP ports for
communication a data port and a command port. The command port communicates over TCP
port 21 and the data port normally uses TCP port 20.

EMail

Email is a shortened version of the two words 'electronic' and 'mail' and can be considered the
electronic version of the letter. It is one of the most used and popular services on the Internet.
Email enables messages to be transferred from an individual to another individual or from an
individual to a group of people. Documents (audio, video, pictures etc.) can be attached to email
messages and sent with the message. Email can be sent and viewed various ways the most
common through a computer program, such as 'Outlook'. Email can be sent to anywhere in the
world and viewed whenever the recipient logs onto the Internet and checks their mailbox
where emails are stored.
1
HTTP

The Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) is one of the most widely used protocols on the World
Wide Web. Surfers use a Web browser to request content from the web site. The browser, in
turn, communicates to the Web server using HTTP commands. Web content is then returned
from the Web server to the Web client using the HTTP protocol. HTTP also operates at the
application layer protocol and used TCP and UDP ports 80 for normal communication and uses
TCP and UDP ports 443 when communication over SSL.

DNS

To translate a typical URL address typed into a Web browser, there must be another layer to
convert it into the IP address. This translation is usually accomplished by Domain Name Server
(DNS) servers that are installed within organizations, at ISPs and at key points within the
internet structure. DNS operates within the application layer and allows clients to access these
various DNS servers to perform the translation. The distributed nature of this information store
allows users to type a domain name (eg. Microsoft.com) into a Web browser and get the same
response regardless of where the user is located.

Typically when a user is trying to translate a domain name into an actual IP the DNS server
performs a query over UDP port 53 to the DNS server. UDP allows the DNS query to be quick
and efficient. To allow the reliable exchange of this information, DNS switches to TCP for
communication and uses port 53.

2
P2P File sharing.

In peer to peer network there are no dedicated servers, and there is no hierarchy among the
computers. All the computers are equal therefore knows as peers. Each computer functions as
both a client and a server, and there is no administrator responsible. The user at each computer
determines what data on that computer is shared on the network.

3
Some common P2P file sharing applications are,

Ares

Bit Torrent

Fast Track

4
3.2 email in the Internet

Shown above is the process of which email works in the application layer.

Mail client send a message to the main mail server using SMTP.

Main mail server communicates with 0 to more intermediate mail servers using SMTP.

The massage is received at the receiving mail server and the recipient mail server
releases a POP3 or IMAP request to the receiving mail server.

Finally the receiving mail server responses to the recipient mail server again using IMAP
or POP3.

5
3.2 SMTP

The Simple Mail Tranfer Protocol (SMTP) is used to send internet mail. For example if a company
installs an email server, such as Microsoft Exchange, to allow the company to share email over
the internet, the email server normally has the SMTP protocol enabled to facilitate this
communication. SMTP uses TCP and UDP ports 25 for communication.

To give you a clear over view of how typical SMTP connection works here is a briefing.

The client has responsibility for delivering a message to one or more envelope recipients, or
notifying an envelope sender if delivery is not made. It wants to transfer this responsibility to
the server. The client waits for the server's greeting: If the server does not accept the
connection, the client quits. The client then sends a HELO request, and waits for the response: If
the server does not accept the request, the client quits. The client then sends a MAIL request
showing the envelope sender address, and waits for the response: If the server does not accept
the request, the client quits. The client then sends one RCPT (receipt) request for each envelope
recipient address, waiting for a response after each address: It keeps track of which addresses
are accepted. If none of the addresses are accepted, the client quits. The client then sends a
DATA request, and waits for the response: If the server does not accept the request, the client
quits. The client then sends the encoded message, waits for the response, and quits: If the client
encounters a message I/O error, it closes the connection immediately, without sending a final
dot and without sending a QUIT request.

6
3.3 SMTP in comparison with HTTP

To begin with, SMTP and HTTP are both file transfer protocols. They transfer files form one host
to another but in two different ways.

HTTP SMTP

transfers files from a web server to a client transfers files from one mail server to another
server mail server

Information is loaded to the Web server and The sending server pushes the message to the
anyone can pull the information from the receiving server thus generally referred as a
server whenever they need it, therefore HTTP push protocol.
is referred to as Pull Protocol.

HTTP does not need to be in ASCII format. SMTP requires each message including body of
each massage to be in 7 bit ASCII format.

3.5 Mail Message Formats and MIME

The RFC 822 email message format is the standard for the exchange of electronic mail in TCP/IP
internetworks. Its use of simple ASCII text makes it easy to create process and read email
messages, which has contributed to the success of email as a worldwide communication
method.

Unfortunately, while ASCII text is great for writing simple memorandums and other short
messages, it provides no flexibility to support other types of communication. To allow email to
carry multimedia information, arbitrary files, and messages in languages using character sets
other than ASCII, the Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions (MIME) standard was created.

While MIME was developed specifically for mail, its encoding and data representation methods
have proven so useful that it has been adopted by other application protocols as well. One of
the best known of these is the Hyper Text Transfer Protocol (HTTP), which uses MIME headers
for indicating the characteristics of data being transferred. Some elements of MIME were in fact
developed not for email but for use by HTTP or other protocols. Be aware, however, that HTTP
only uses elements of MIME; there are important differences, and HTTP messages are not
MIMEcompliant.

7
 3.6 Mail Access Protocols

There are a number of popular mail access protocols:

POP3 Post Office Protocol Version 3

A tiny subset of IMAP functions which allows serverbased mail to be downloaded, but
has extremely limited remote mailbox management functions (basically, limited to
retaining or deleting the messages held on the remote server). POP is favored by many
ISPs because it is simpler to configure and administer than IMAP.

IMAP Internet Mail Access Protocol.

A complex and powerful protocol which allows all sorts of devices (e.g. NCs, PDAs, PCs,
etc) to access and manipulate serverbased mail from any location, from multiple
mailboxes, etc, etc. For example, a device with limited local storage capacity could
simply view message headers, to avoid downloading huge binary attachments that it is
unable to display anyway. IMAP offers huge opportunities to exploit email as an
ecommerce tool. Unfortunately, the dominance of POP amongst ISPs and commercial
MUAs is hindering such development.

HTTP Hyper Text Transfer Protocol.

HTTP stands for Hypertext Transfer Protocol and is the means by which your internet
browser and web server communicate. HTTP provides the capability not only for your
web browser to request pages and files from the webserver, but also HTTP provides the
ability for your browser to send information back to the server. Usually this information
is in the form of text box information, check boxes, and radio buttons you click on or fill
out when you register on a particular website, respond to a poll, or submit any form.

Summary

You have completed the third lesson of Module 2303: Computer Networks. Now you would be able to
explain popular network applications such as P2P, HTTP, FTP, e-mail, and DNS.

The next lesson will be on The Web and HTTP. Before moving to that lesson, check your success of
learning with Quiz 3.

8
9