CMPDL004 Computer Networks Assignment Number 2 of 2 Network Protocol Design: The E-PostOffice

Nature of the problem/situation How the E-PostOffice is intended to operate is detailed in the assignment paper. The task here is to design the technical implementation. Overview of Solution: end user perspective To send e-post to an intended recipient the end-user enters an Internet web-page from any Internet access point. This can be at home, work, Internet-Caf, or possibly a dedicated kiosk set up on Post Office premises. The URL could be eg www.epost.co.uk Here, the User sees an HTML web-page with an input mask. This allows direct input of text to be sent. E-post sent in way via a Post Office central server is directed to printers at local district sorting offices based on the Post Code entered by the end-user on webpage input mask. Payments for this service are collected from the input mask via Credit Card or Debit Card. To keep the service simple prints are restricted to a single sheets, and the User gets a warning if they exceed this. Further there is only one class of delivery, no 1st and 2nd. The user gets a return message if the recipients address is invalid (This is looked up from a database of Post Code addresses). The User can choose a delivery date in the future. Messages intended for abroad are directed to a printer at an appropriate sorting office and the printed documents are processed accordingly, ie stamped and sent underway. Those printed at local offices are stamped and delivered by Postmen (people). The User has the chance to send to multiple recipients, and also to send further documents. Protocol Specification Assumptions of the proposed system: 1. Small payments incur no, or minimal, charges from Credit Card or Banks Debit Card providers. Charges disproportionate to the service would deter its uptake. 2. Security for Credit Card payments is built into the software provided by the vendors. 3. Foreign Post Offices will process loose sheets in a similar way to Post Cards. 4. The National Post Offices are already networked to each other and a central National main sorting office. Were this not true documents to be printed would have to be send to Local sorting Office via something like a message handling push protocol similar to SMTP. 5. A National address/Post Code database exists and the Post Office has access. 6. Foreign addresses cannot be looked up, the UK does not have access to other countries address databases.

Design Choices: 1. The use of a Web front end is strategic. The majority of users are familiar with Web based email these days. This makes it available from anywhere with an Internet connection. The alternative of asking Users to install client-side software may meet with resistance. 2. Distributed printing at Local Sorting Offices is crucial to minimizing transport costs and aiding prompt delivery where required. 3. Using online payment methods is accepted these days; the technology is well understood and relatively easily implemented. 4. A range of standard font size is enforced, to prevent users making illegible prints. 5. Multiple Senders are not supported. If users want to indicate this they should do so in the body text. Rational being that only one card can be charged. 6. The decision not to allow anonymous sender was taken to avoid abuse of the system. This is cross-referenced in the background with the users card details. This also prevents the user accidentally sending a message to them self. 7. Upload of preformatted documents has not been included because of the difficulty in assessing whether some formats would fit onto a single printed sheet. Further word processor docs have been discounted because of having to support rival products. Messages Sent / Received 1. Welcome initial Web page, with input mask and basic usage instructions. 2. UK address unknown self explanatory, comes after user presses Submit and the address/post Code from the relevant input field is referenced in the National Address Database. This does not appear if address look up is successful. Please re-try follows. 3. Document too large when User exceeds one sheet of printed paper. Please reduce document to fit on one printed sheet follows. 4. Payment successful upon successful completion of online payment details. 5. Please check senders name or address ref pt.6 Design, above. 6. Message Processed although it is technically not possible to guarantee delivery at this stage, it is implied. 7. Another Document? follows successful message processing so that the User has a chance to send further documents. Web Input Mask: Fields: 1. Senders name 2. Senders address 3. Recipients address multiple input field 4. Message free text input field, inc restrictions indicated in Design 5. Desired delivery date if no input delivery is asap. Buttons: a. Payment Method this generates a Pop up Window to choose and input Card details. b. Send transmits message. c. Override sender is recipient could happen if there are multiple recipients. d. Another Document appears only after the message is sent, and if selected the process repeats.

Message Transfer between Client and Server follows established Push technology methods. Messages exchange to setup a connection and transmit runs something like this:Server: Server: Server: Client: Server: Client: Server: Client: Server: Client: Client: Client: Client: Client: Client: Server: Client: Server: ready e-post.co.uk ready e-post.co.uk ready e-post.co.uk Hello some.client Hello from e-post.co.uk to some.client Message from some.client some.client acceptable ready to transmit end of message protocol; !!$!! on single line message ID: qwertyuiop line by line of text from text input field line by line of text from text input field line by line of text from text input field line by line of text from text input field !!$!! message accepted QUIT e-post.co.uk tearing down Connection.

Notes to transmission protocol: The message transmission protocol is quite simple as a dedicated connection from Client to Server has already been established at the http over TCP/IP level. Sender and destination information is not distinguishable in the body text, as they are in preplaned locations implemented in the web-page software. They are read by a template at the server side processing. It was felt to keep the protocol simple that minimal header information was needed since this is a dedicated, though transient, connection. Just a Message Id is included for possible trouble shooting and message tracking. Evaluation The systems as designed above should work well for simple text messages that do not exceed a single A4 printed sheet. This includes all address information and space for a machine printed stamp. A potential weakness in the design specification is to exclude security considerations. This means no secure transmission protocol has been implemented here and messages could be intercepted and read or altered in transit. This could be improved by using HTTPS for example on the web-front end. A security weakness in the proposed solution is scant care of avoiding one user impersonating another. The senders name and address are checked against the Card

details, but this is not infallible. A further precaution against impersonation may be to ask Users to set up a permanent login account, which would be traceable back to the user in the event of abuse again not infallible, but it would help. Privacy is another weakness of the system; loose printed material can be read by anyone underway possibly negating the need for secure protocols on the messages electronic transmission. Structural weaknesses include reliance on central web and database servers, but highavailability Cluster technology minimizes the risks here. Further, Internet and dedicated connections can be disrupted. This is a fact of life and must be accepted. A serious structural weakness is the need to maintain printers in each Local Sorting Office around the country. Messages may be sent at any hour via the Internet and printers may run out of paper, or ink, or simply break down in the middle of the night. One way to minimize this risk would be to buffer out-of-office-hours prints. Trained staff would be in attendance on the next morning upon releasing the overnight buffer to cope with any problems. In this way for example the Christmas rush could be managed. There is a weakness in the transmission protocol described above in that the Client is responsible for sending a termination signal for the Server to tear down the connection. The Client might crash before that QUIT signal is sent. This could be amended by implementing a connection waiting time-out, whereby the Server breaks the connection if no further messages are received within a predetermined time of the last one.