Chapter 5

Link Layer and LANs

Computer Networking:
A Top Down Approach
5th edition.
Jim Kurose, Keith Ross
Addison-Wesley, April
2009.

5: DataLink Layer 5-1

Chapter 5: The Data Link Layer

Our goals:
 understand principles behind data link layer
services:
 error detection, correction
 sharing a broadcast channel: multiple access
 link layer addressing
 reliable data transfer, flow control: done!
 instantiation and implementation of various link
layer technologies

5: DataLink Layer 5-2

1
 Link Layer
 5.1 Introduction and  5.6 Link-layer switches
services  5.7 PPP
 5.2 Error detection  5.8 Link virtualization:
and correction MPLS
 5.3Multiple access  5.9 A day in the life of a
protocols web request
 5.4 Link-layer
Addressing
 5.5 Ethernet

5: DataLink Layer 5-3

Link Layer: Introduction

Some terminology:
 hosts and routers are nodes
 communication channels that
connect adjacent nodes along
communication path are links
 wired links
 wireless links
 LANs
 layer-2 packet is a frame,
encapsulates datagram

data-link layer has responsibility of

transferring datagram from one node
to adjacent node over a link
5: DataLink Layer 5-4

2
Link layer: context
 datagram transferred by
transportation analogy
 trip from Princeton to
different link protocols
Lausanne
over different links:
 limo: Princeton to JFK
 e.g., Ethernet on first link,
 plane: JFK to Geneva
frame relay on
intermediate links, 802.11  train: Geneva to Lausanne
on last link  tourist = datagram
 each link protocol  transport segment =
provides different communication link
services  transportation mode =
 e.g., may or may not link layer protocol
provide rdt over link
 travel agent = routing
algorithm
5: DataLink Layer 5-5

Link Layer Services

 framing, link access:
 encapsulate datagram into frame, adding header, trailer
 channel access if shared medium
 “MAC” addresses used in frame headers to identify
source, dest
• different from IP address!
 reliable delivery between adjacent nodes
 we learned how to do this already (chapter 3)!
 seldom used on low bit-error link (fiber, some twisted
pair)
 wireless links: high error rates
• Q: why both link-level and end-end reliability?

5: DataLink Layer 5-6

3
Link Layer Services (more)
 flow control:
 pacing between adjacent sending and receiving nodes
 error detection:
 errors caused by signal attenuation, noise.
 receiver detects presence of errors:
• signals sender for retransmission or drops frame
 error correction:
 receiver identifies and corrects bit error(s) without
resorting to retransmission
 half-duplex and full-duplex
 with half duplex, nodes at both ends of link can transmit,
but not at same time
5: DataLink Layer 5-7

Where is the link layer implemented?

 in each and every host
 link layer implemented in
“adaptor” (aka network host schematic

interface card NIC) application

transport
 Ethernet card, PCMCI network cpu memory

card, 802.11 card

link

 implements link, physical host

layer
bus
controller (e.g., PCI)
link
 attaches into host’s physical
physical

system buses
transmission

 combination of network adapter

hardware, software,
card

firmware
5: DataLink Layer 5-8

4
Adaptors Communicating

datagram datagram

controller controller

sending host receiving host

datagram

frame

 sending side:  receiving side

 encapsulates datagram in  looks for errors, rdt, flow
frame control, etc
 adds error checking bits,  extracts datagram, passes
rdt, flow control, etc. to upper layer at receiving
side
5: DataLink Layer 5-9

Link Layer
 5.1 Introduction and  5.6 Link-layer switches
services  5.7 PPP
 5.2 Error detection  5.8 Link virtualization:
and correction MPLS
 5.3Multiple access  5.9 A day in the life of a
protocols web request
 5.4 Link-layer
Addressing
 5.5 Ethernet

5: DataLink Layer 5-10

5
 Error Detection
EDC= Error Detection and Correction bits (redundancy)
D = Data protected by error checking, may include header fields

• Error detection not 100% reliable!

• protocol may miss some errors, but rarely
• larger EDC field yields better detection and correction

otherwise

5: DataLink Layer 5-11

Parity Checking
Single Bit Parity: Two Dimensional Bit Parity:
Detect single bit errors Detect and correct single bit errors

0 0

5: DataLink Layer 5-12

6
Internet checksum (review)
Goal: detect “errors” (e.g., flipped bits) in transmitted
packet (note: used at transport layer only)

Sender: Receiver:
 compute checksum of
 treat segment contents
received segment
as sequence of 16-bit
integers  check if computed checksum
equals checksum field value:
 checksum: addition (1’s
complement sum) of  NO - error detected
segment contents  YES - no error detected.
 sender puts checksum But maybe errors
value into UDP checksum nonetheless?
field

5: DataLink Layer 5-13

Checksumming: Cyclic Redundancy Check

 view data bits, D, as a binary number
 choose r+1 bit pattern (generator), G
 goal: choose r CRC bits, R, such that
 <D,R> exactly divisible by G (modulo 2)
 receiver knows G, divides <D,R> by G. If non-zero remainder:
error detected!
 can detect all burst errors less than r+1 bits
 widely used in practice (Ethernet, 802.11 WiFi, ATM)

5: DataLink Layer 5-14

7
CRC Example
Want:
D.2r XOR R = nG
equivalently:
D.2r = nG XOR R
equivalently:
if we divide D.2r by
G, want remainder R

D.2r
R = remainder[ ]
G

5: DataLink Layer 5-15

Link Layer
 5.1 Introduction and  5.6 Link-layer switches
services  5.7 PPP
 5.2 Error detection  5.8 Link virtualization:
and correction MPLS
 5.3Multiple access  5.9 A day in the life of a
protocols web request
 5.4 Link-layer
Addressing
 5.5 Ethernet

5: DataLink Layer 5-16

8
Multiple Access Links and Protocols
Two types of “links”:
 point-to-point
 PPP for dial-up access
 point-to-point link between Ethernet switch and host

 broadcast (shared wire or medium)

 old-fashioned Ethernet
 upstream HFC
 802.11 wireless LAN

humans at a
shared wire (e.g., shared RF shared RF cocktail party
cabled Ethernet) (e.g., 802.11 WiFi) (satellite) (shared air, acoustical)
5: DataLink Layer 5-17

Multiple Access protocols

 single shared broadcast channel
 two or more simultaneous transmissions by nodes:
interference
 collision if node receives two or more signals at the same time
multiple access protocol
 distributed algorithm that determines how nodes
share channel, i.e., determine when node can transmit
 communication about channel sharing must use channel
itself!
 no out-of-band channel for coordination

5: DataLink Layer 5-18

9
Ideal Multiple Access Protocol
Broadcast channel of rate R bps
1. when one node wants to transmit, it can send at
rate R.
2. when M nodes want to transmit, each can send at
average rate R/M
3. fully decentralized:
 no special node to coordinate transmissions
 no synchronization of clocks, slots
4. simple

5: DataLink Layer 5-19

MAC Protocols: a taxonomy

Three broad classes:
 Channel Partitioning
 divide channel into smaller “pieces” (time slots,
frequency, code)
 allocate piece to node for exclusive use
 Random Access
 channel not divided, allow collisions
 “recover” from collisions

 “Taking turns”
 nodes take turns, but nodes with more to send can take
longer turns

5: DataLink Layer 5-20

10
Channel Partitioning MAC protocols: TDMA

TDMA: time division multiple access

 access to channel in "rounds"
 each station gets fixed length slot (length = pkt
trans time) in each round
 unused slots go idle
 example: 6-station LAN, 1,3,4 have pkt, slots 2,5,6
idle
6-slot
frame
1 3 4 1 3 4

5: DataLink Layer 5-21

Channel Partitioning MAC protocols: FDMA

FDMA: frequency division multiple access
 channel spectrum divided into frequency bands
 each station assigned fixed frequency band
 unused transmission time in frequency bands go idle
 example: 6-station LAN, 1,3,4 have pkt, frequency
bands 2,5,6 idle
frequency bands

FDM cable

5: DataLink Layer 5-22

11
 Random Access Protocols
 When node has packet to send
 transmit at full channel data rate R.
 no a priori coordination among nodes

 two or more transmitting nodes ➜ “collision”,

 random access MAC protocol specifies:
 how to detect collisions
 how to recover from collisions (e.g., via delayed
retransmissions)
 Examples of random access MAC protocols:
 slotted ALOHA
 ALOHA
 CSMA, CSMA/CD, CSMA/CA

5: DataLink Layer 5-23

Slotted ALOHA
Assumptions: Operation:
 all frames same size  when node obtains fresh
 time divided into equal frame, transmits in next
size slots (time to slot
transmit 1 frame)  if no collision: node can
 nodes start to transmit send new frame in next
only slot beginning slot
 nodes are synchronized  if collision: node

 if 2 or more nodes
retransmits frame in
transmit in slot, all each subsequent slot
nodes detect collision with prob. p until
success

5: DataLink Layer 5-24

12
 Slotted ALOHA

Pros Cons
 single active node can  collisions, wasting slots
continuously transmit  idle slots
at full rate of channel  nodes may be able to
 highly decentralized: detect collision in less
only slots in nodes than time to transmit
packet
need to be in sync
 clock synchronization
 simple
5: DataLink Layer 5-25

Slotted Aloha efficiency

Efficiency : long-run  max efficiency: find
fraction of successful slots p* that maximizes
(many nodes, all with many Np(1-p)N-1
frames to send)  for many nodes, take
limit of Np*(1-p*)N-1
 suppose: N nodes with as N goes to infinity,
many frames to send, gives:
each transmits in slot Max efficiency = 1/e = .37
with probability p

!
 prob that given node At best: channel
has success in a slot = used for useful
p(1-p)N-1 transmissions 37%
 prob that any node has of time!
a success = Np(1-p)N-1
5: DataLink Layer 5-26

13
Pure (unslotted) ALOHA
 unslotted Aloha: simpler, no synchronization
 when frame first arrives
 transmit immediately

 collision probability increases:

 frame sent at t0 collides with other frames sent in [t0-1,t0+1]

5: DataLink Layer 5-27

Pure Aloha efficiency

P(success by given node) = P(node transmits) .

P(no other node transmits in [t0-1,t0] .

P(no other node transmits in [t0,t0 +1]
= p . (1-p)N-1 . (1-p)N-1
= p . (1-p)2(N-1)

… choosing optimum p and then letting n -> infty ...

= 1/(2e) = .18

even worse than slotted Aloha!

5: DataLink Layer 5-28

14
CSMA (Carrier Sense Multiple Access)

CSMA: listen before transmit:

If channel sensed idle: transmit entire frame
 If channel sensed busy, defer transmission

 human analogy: don’t interrupt others!

5: DataLink Layer 5-29

CSMA collisions spatial layout of nodes

collisions can still occur:

propagation delay means
two nodes may not hear
each other’s transmission

collision:
entire packet transmission
time wasted
note:
role of distance & propagation
delay in determining collision
probability

5: DataLink Layer 5-30

15
CSMA/CD (Collision Detection)
CSMA/CD: carrier sensing, deferral as in CSMA
 collisions detected within short time
 colliding transmissions aborted, reducing channel
wastage
 collision detection:
 easy in wired LANs: measure signal strengths,
compare transmitted, received signals
 difficult in wireless LANs: received signal strength
overwhelmed by local transmission strength
 human analogy: the polite conversationalist

5: DataLink Layer 5-31

CSMA/CD collision detection

5: DataLink Layer 5-32

16
“Taking Turns” MAC protocols
channel partitioning MAC protocols:
 share channel efficiently and fairly at high load
 inefficient at low load: delay in channel access,
1/N bandwidth allocated even if only 1 active
node!
Random access MAC protocols
 efficient at low load: single node can fully
utilize channel
 high load: collision overhead
“taking turns” protocols
look for best of both worlds!
5: DataLink Layer 5-33

“Taking Turns” MAC protocols

Polling:
 master node
“invites” slave nodes data
to transmit in turn poll

 typically used with master

“dumb” slave devices data

 concerns:
 polling overhead
 latency slaves
 single point of
failure (master)

5: DataLink Layer 5-34

17
“Taking Turns” MAC protocols
Token passing:
T
 control token passed
from one node to next
sequentially.
 token message (nothing
to send)
 concerns:
T
 token overhead
 latency
 single point of failure
(token)

data
5: DataLink Layer 5-35

Summary of MAC protocols

 channel partitioning, by time, frequency or code
 Time Division, Frequency Division
 random access (dynamic),
 ALOHA, S-ALOHA, CSMA, CSMA/CD
 carrier sensing: easy in some technologies (wire), hard in
others (wireless)
 CSMA/CD used in Ethernet
 CSMA/CA used in 802.11
 taking turns
 polling from central site, token passing
 Bluetooth, FDDI, IBM Token Ring

5: DataLink Layer 5-36

18
Link Layer
 5.1 Introduction and  5.6 Link-layer switches
services  5.7 PPP
 5.2 Error detection  5.8 Link virtualization:
and correction MPLS
 5.3Multiple access  5.9 A day in the life of a
protocols web request
 5.4 Link-Layer
Addressing
 5.5 Ethernet

5: DataLink Layer 5-37

MAC Addresses and ARP

 32-bit IP address:
 network-layer address
 used to get datagram to destination IP subnet
 MAC (or LAN or physical or Ethernet)
address:
 function: get frame from one interface to another
physically-connected interface (same network)
 48 bit MAC address (for most LANs)
• burned in NIC ROM, also sometimes software settable

5: DataLink Layer 5-38

19
 LAN Addresses and ARP
Each adapter on LAN has unique LAN address

1A-2F-BB-76-09-AD Broadcast address =

FF-FF-FF-FF-FF-FF

LAN
(wired or = adapter
wireless)
71-65-F7-2B-08-53
58-23-D7-FA-20-B0

0C-C4-11-6F-E3-98

5: DataLink Layer 5-39

LAN Address (more)

 MAC address allocation administered by IEEE
 manufacturer buys portion of MAC address space
(to assure uniqueness)
 analogy:
(a) MAC address: like Social Security Number
(b) IP address: like postal address
 MAC flat address ➜ portability
 can move LAN card from one LAN to another
 IP hierarchical address NOT portable
 address depends on IP subnet to which node is attached

5: DataLink Layer 5-40

20
 ARP: Address Resolution Protocol

Question: how to determine  Each IP node (host,

MAC address of B router) on LAN has
knowing B’s IP address? ARP table
 ARP table: IP/MAC
137.196.7.78
address mappings for
1A-2F-BB-76-09-AD
some LAN nodes
137.196.7.23
137.196.7.14 < IP address; MAC address; TTL>
 TTL (Time To Live): time
LAN after which address
71-65-F7-2B-08-53 mapping will be forgotten
58-23-D7-FA-20-B0
(typically 20 min)

0C-C4-11-6F-E3-98
137.196.7.88

5: DataLink Layer 5-41

ARP protocol: Same LAN (network)

 A wants to send datagram
to B, and B’s MAC address  A caches (saves) IP-to-
not in A’s ARP table. MAC address pair in its
 A broadcasts ARP query ARP table until information
packet, containing B's IP becomes old (times out)
address  soft state: information
 dest MAC address = FF- that times out (goes
FF-FF-FF-FF-FF away) unless refreshed
 all machines on LAN  ARP is “plug-and-play”:
receive ARP query  nodes create their ARP
 B receives ARP packet, tables without
replies to A with its (B's) intervention from net
MAC address administrator
 frame sent to A’s MAC
address (unicast)

5: DataLink Layer 5-42

21
Addressing: routing to another LAN
walkthrough: send datagram from A to B via R
assume A knows B’s IP address
74-29-9C-E8-FF-55 88-B2-2F-54-1A-0F

A E6-E9-00-17-BB-4B
222.222.222.221
1A-23-F9-CD-06-9B
111.111.111.111

222.222.222.220 222.222.222.222
111.111.111.110
B
111.111.111.112
R 49-BD-D2-C7-56-2A
CC-49-DE-D0-AB-7D

 two ARP tables in router R, one for each IP

network (LAN)

5: DataLink Layer 5-43

 A creates IP datagram with source A, destination B

 A uses ARP to get R’s MAC address for 111.111.111.110
 A creates link-layer frame with R's MAC address as dest,
frame contains A-to-B IP datagram
This is a really important
 A’s NIC sends frame example – make sure you
 R’s NIC receives frame understand!
 R removes IP datagram from Ethernet frame, sees its
destined to B
 R uses ARP to get B’s MAC address
 R creates frame containing A-to-B IP datagram sends to B
74-29-9C-E8-FF-55 88-B2-2F-54-1A-0F

A
E6-E9-00-17-BB-4B
222.222.222.221
1A-23-F9-CD-06-9B
111.111.111.111

222.222.222.220 222.222.222.222
111.111.111.110 B
111.111.111.112
R 49-BD-D2-C7-56-2A

CC-49-DE-D0-AB-7D
5: DataLink Layer 5-44

22
Link Layer
 5.1 Introduction and  5.6 Link-layer switches
services  5.7 PPP
 5.2 Error detection  5.8 Link virtualization:
and correction MPLS
 5.3Multiple access  5.9 A day in the life of a
protocols web request
 5.4 Link-Layer
Addressing
 5.5 Ethernet

5: DataLink Layer 5-45

Ethernet
“dominant” wired LAN technology:
 cheap $20 for NIC
 first widely used LAN technology
 simpler, cheaper than token LANs and ATM
 kept up with speed race: 10 Mbps – 10 Gbps

Metcalfe’s Ethernet
sketch

5: DataLink Layer 5-46

23
Star topology
 bus topology popular through mid 90s
 all nodes in same collision domain (can collide with each
other)
 today: star topology prevails
 active switch in center
 each “spoke” runs a (separate) Ethernet protocol (nodes
do not collide with each other)

switch

bus: coaxial cable star

5: DataLink Layer 5-47

Ethernet Frame Structure

Sending adapter encapsulates IP datagram (or other
network layer protocol packet) in Ethernet frame

Preamble:
 7 bytes with pattern 10101010 followed by one
byte with pattern 10101011
 used to synchronize receiver, sender clock rates

5: DataLink Layer 5-48

24
Ethernet Frame Structure (more)
 Addresses: 6 bytes
 if adapter receives frame with matching destination
address, or with broadcast address (eg ARP packet), it
passes data in frame to network layer protocol
 otherwise, adapter discards frame

 Type: indicates higher layer protocol (mostly IP

but others possible, e.g., Novell IPX, AppleTalk)
 CRC: checked at receiver, if error is detected,
frame is dropped

5: DataLink Layer 5-49

Ethernet: Unreliable, connectionless

 connectionless: No handshaking between sending and

receiving NICs
 unreliable: receiving NIC doesn’t send acks or nacks
to sending NIC
 stream of datagrams passed to network layer can have gaps
(missing datagrams)
 gaps will be filled if app is using TCP
 otherwise, app will see gaps
 Ethernet’s MAC protocol: unslotted CSMA/CD

5: DataLink Layer 5-50

25
 Ethernet CSMA/CD algorithm
1. NIC receives datagram 4. If NIC detects another
from network layer, transmission while
creates frame transmitting, aborts and
2. If NIC senses channel idle, sends jam signal
starts frame transmission 5. After aborting, NIC
If NIC senses channel enters exponential
busy, waits until channel backoff: after mth
idle, then transmits collision, NIC chooses K at
3. If NIC transmits entire random from
frame without detecting {0,1,2,…,2m-1}. NIC waits
another transmission, NIC K·512 bit times, returns to
is done with frame ! Step 2

5: DataLink Layer 5-51

Ethernet’s CSMA/CD (more)

Jam Signal: make sure all Exponential Backoff:
other transmitters are  Goal: adapt retransmission
aware of collision; 48 bits attempts to estimated
Bit time: .1 microsec for 10 current load
Mbps Ethernet ;  heavy load: random wait
for K=1023, wait time is will be longer
about 50 msec  first collision: choose K from
{0,1}; delay is K· 512 bit
transmission times
 after second collision: choose
See/interact with Java
K from {0,1,2,3}…
applet on AWL Web site:
highly recommended !  after ten collisions, choose K
from {0,1,2,3,4,…,1023}

5: DataLink Layer 5-52

26
 CSMA/CD efficiency
 Tprop = max prop delay between 2 nodes in LAN
 ttrans = time to transmit max-size frame

1
efficiency 
1  5t prop /t trans

 efficiency goes to 1
 as tprop goes to 0
 as ttrans goes to infinity

 better performance than ALOHA: and simple,

cheap, decentralized!

5: DataLink Layer 5-53

802.3 Ethernet Standards: Link & Physical Layers

 many different Ethernet standards

 common MAC protocol and frame format
 different speeds: 2 Mbps, 10 Mbps, 100 Mbps,
1Gbps, 10G bps
 different physical layer media: fiber, cable

MAC protocol
application and frame format
transport
network 100BASE-TX 100BASE-T2 100BASE-FX
link 100BASE-T4 100BASE-SX 100BASE-BX
physical

copper (twister fiber physical layer

pair) physical layer 5: DataLink Layer 5-54

27
Manchester encoding

 used in 10BaseT
 each bit has a transition
 allows clocks in sending and receiving nodes to
synchronize to each other
 no need for a centralized, global clock among nodes!
 Hey, this is physical-layer stuff!
5: DataLink Layer 5-55

Link Layer
 5.1 Introduction and  5.6 Link-layer switches,
services LANs, VLANs
 5.2 Error detection  5.7 PPP
and correction  5.8 Link virtualization:
 5.3 Multiple access MPLS
protocols  5.9 A day in the life of a
 5.4 Link-layer web request
Addressing
 5.5 Ethernet

5: DataLink Layer 5-56

28
Hubs
… physical-layer (“dumb”) repeaters:
 bits coming in one link go out all other links at
same rate
 all nodes connected to hub can collide with one
another
 no frame buffering
 no CSMA/CD at hub: host NICs detect
collisions
twisted pair

hub

5: DataLink Layer 5-57

Switch
 link-layer device: smarter than hubs, take
active role
 store, forward Ethernet frames
 examine incoming frame’s MAC address,
selectively forward frame to one-or-more
outgoing links when frame is to be forwarded on
segment, uses CSMA/CD to access segment
 transparent
 hosts are unaware of presence of switches
 plug-and-play, self-learning
 switches do not need to be configured

5: DataLink Layer 5-58

29
 Switch: allows multiple simultaneous
transmissions
A

 hosts have dedicated, C’ B

direct connection to switch
 switches buffer packets 1 2
6 3
 Ethernet protocol used on
4
each incoming link, but no 5
collisions; full duplex C
 each link is its own collision
domain
B’ A’
 switching: A-to-A’ and B-
to-B’ simultaneously, switch with six interfaces
without collisions (1,2,3,4,5,6)
 not possible with dumb hub

5: DataLink Layer 5-59

Switch Table
A
 Q: how does switch know that
C’
A’ reachable via interface 4, B
B’ reachable via interface 5?
1 2
 A: each switch has a switch 6 3
table, each entry: 5 4
 (MAC address of host, interface
to reach host, time stamp) C

 looks like a routing table! B’ A’

 Q: how are entries created,
maintained in switch table? switch with six interfaces
 something like a routing (1,2,3,4,5,6)
protocol?

5: DataLink Layer 5-60

30
Switch: self-learning Source: A
Dest: A’

A A A’
 switch learns which hosts
C’
can be reached through B
which interfaces
1 2
 when frame received, 6 3
switch “learns” location of
5 4
sender: incoming LAN
segment
C
 records sender/location
pair in switch table B’ A’

MAC addr interface TTL

A 1 60 Switch table
(initially empty)

5: DataLink Layer 5-61

Switch: frame filtering/forwarding

When frame received:

1. record link associated with sending host

2. index switch table using MAC dest address
3. if entry found for destination
then {
if dest on segment from which frame arrived
then drop the frame
else forward the frame on interface indicated
}
else flood forward on all but the interface
on which the frame arrived
5: DataLink Layer 5-62

31
Self-learning, Source: A
Dest: A’

forwarding: A A A’

example C’ B

 frame destination 1 2
unknown: flood A6A’ 3
5 4
 destination A
location known: C
A’ A
selective send
B’ A’

MAC addr interface TTL

A 1 60 Switch table
A’ 4 60 (initially empty)

5: DataLink Layer 5-63

Interconnecting switches
 switches can be connected together

S4

S1
S3
A S2
F
D I
B C
G H
E

 Q: sending from A to G - how does S1 know to

forward frame destined to F via S4 and S3?
 A: self learning! (works exactly the same as in
single-switch case!)
5: DataLink Layer 5-64

32
Self-learning multi-switch example
Suppose C sends frame to I, I responds to C

1 S4

S1 2 S3
A S2
F
D I
B C
G H
E

 Q: show switch tables and packet forwarding in S1,

S2, S3, S4

5: DataLink Layer 5-65

Institutional network

mail server
to external
network
router web server

IP subnet

5: DataLink Layer 5-66

33
 Switches vs. Routers
 both store-and-forward devices
 routers: network layer devices (examine network layer
headers)
 switches are link layer devices

 routers maintain routing tables, implement routing

algorithms
 switches maintain switch tables, implement
filtering, learning algorithms

5: DataLink Layer 5-67

VLANs: motivation

What’s wrong with this picture? What happens if:

 CS user moves office to EE,
but wants connect to CS
switch?
 single broadcast domain:
 all layer-2 broadcast
traffic (ARP, DHCP)
crosses entire LAN
Computer
Computer
(security/privacy,
Science Electrical
Engineering efficiency issues)
Engineering
 each lowest level switch has
only few ports in use

5: DataLink Layer 5-68

34
 VLANs Port-based VLAN: switch ports grouped
(by switch management software) so
that single physical switch ……

1 7 9 15

Virtual Local 2 8 10 16

Area Network
… …
Switch(es) supporting
VLAN capabilities can Electrical Engineering Computer Science

be configured to
(VLAN ports 1-8) (VLAN ports 9-15)

define multiple virtual … operates as multiple virtual switches

LANS over single
physical LAN
infrastructure.
1 7 9 15
2 8 10 16

… …

Electrical Engineering Computer Science

(VLAN ports 1-8) (VLAN ports 9-16)

5: DataLink Layer 5-69

Port-based VLAN
router
 traffic isolation: frames
to/from ports 1-8 can
only reach ports 1-8
 can also define VLAN based on
MAC addresses of endpoints, 1 7 9 15

rather than switch port

2 8 10 16

 dynamic membership:
…
ports can be dynamically
…

assigned among VLANs Electrical Engineering

(VLAN ports 1-8)
Computer Science
(VLAN ports 9-15)

 forwarding between VLANS:

done via routing (just as with
separate switches)
 in practice vendors sell combined
switches plus routers
5: DataLink Layer 5-70

35
VLANS spanning multiple switches

1 7 9 15 1 3 5 7
2 8 10 16 2 4 6 8

… …

Electrical Engineering Computer Science Ports 2,3,5 belong to EE VLAN

(VLAN ports 1-8) (VLAN ports 9-15) Ports 4,6,7,8 belong to CS VLAN

 trunk port: carries frames between VLANS defined

over multiple physical switches
 frames forwarded within VLAN between switches can’t be
vanilla 802.1 frames (must carry VLAN ID info)
 802.1q protocol adds/removed additional header fields for
frames forwarded between trunk ports

5: DataLink Layer 5-71

802.1Q VLAN frame format

Type

802.1 frame

802.1Q frame

2-byte Tag Protocol Identifier Recomputed

(value: 81-00) CRC

Tag Control Information (12 bit VLAN ID field,

3 bit priority field like IP TOS)

5: DataLink Layer 5-72

36
Link Layer
 5.1 Introduction and  5.6 Link-layer switches
services  5.7 PPP
 5.2 Error detection  5.8 Link virtualization:
and correction MPLS
 5.3Multiple access  5.9 A day in the life of a
protocols web request
 5.4 Link-Layer
Addressing
 5.5 Ethernet

5: DataLink Layer 5-73

Point to Point Data Link Control

 one sender, one receiver, one link: easier than
broadcast link:
 no Media Access Control
 no need for explicit MAC addressing
 e.g., dialup link, ISDN line
 popular point-to-point DLC protocols:
 PPP (point-to-point protocol)
 HDLC: High level data link control (Data link
used to be considered “high layer” in protocol
stack!

5: DataLink Layer 5-74

37
PPP Design Requirements [RFC 1557]

 packet framing: encapsulation of network-layer

datagram in data link frame
 carry network layer data of any network layer
protocol (not just IP) at same time
 ability to demultiplex upwards
 bit transparency: must carry any bit pattern in the
data field
 error detection (no correction)
 connection liveness: detect, signal link failure to
network layer
 network layer address negotiation: endpoint can
learn/configure each other’s network address
5: DataLink Layer 5-75

PPP non-requirements

 no error correction/recovery
 no flow control
 out of order delivery OK
 no need to support multipoint links (e.g., polling)

Error recovery, flow control, data re-ordering

all relegated to higher layers!

5: DataLink Layer 5-76

38
PPP Data Frame
 Flag: delimiter (framing)
 Address: does nothing (only one option)
 Control: does nothing; in the future possible
multiple control fields
 Protocol: upper layer protocol to which frame
delivered (eg, PPP-LCP, IP, IPCP, etc)

5: DataLink Layer 5-77

PPP Data Frame

 info: upper layer data being carried
 check: cyclic redundancy check for error
detection

5: DataLink Layer 5-78

39
 Byte Stuffing
 “data transparency” requirement: data field must
be allowed to include flag pattern <01111110>
 Q: is received <01111110> data or flag?

 Sender: adds (“stuffs”) extra < 01111110> byte

after each < 01111110> data byte
 Receiver:
 two 01111110 bytes in a row: discard first byte,
continue data reception
 single 01111110: flag byte

5: DataLink Layer 5-79

Byte Stuffing

flag byte
pattern
in data
to send

flag byte pattern plus

stuffed byte in
transmitted data

5: DataLink Layer 5-80

40
PPP Data Control Protocol
Before exchanging network-
layer data, data link peers
must
 configure PPP link (max.
frame length,
authentication)
 learn/configure network
layer information
 for IP: carry IP Control
Protocol (IPCP) msgs
(protocol field: 8021) to
configure/learn IP
address
5: DataLink Layer 5-81

Link Layer
 5.1 Introduction and  5.6 Link-layer switches
services  5.7 PPP
 5.2 Error detection  5.8 Link virtualization:
and correction MPLS
 5.3Multiple access  5.9 A day in the life of a
protocols web request
 5.4 Link-Layer
Addressing
 5.5 Ethernet

5: DataLink Layer 5-82

41
 Virtualization of networks

Virtualization of resources: powerful abstraction in

systems engineering:
 computing examples: virtual memory, virtual
devices
 Virtual machines: e.g., java
 IBM VM os from 1960’s/70’s
 layering of abstractions: don’t sweat the details of
the lower layer, only deal with lower layers
abstractly

5: DataLink Layer 5-83

The Internet: virtualizing networks

1974: multiple unconnected … differing in:
nets  addressing conventions
 ARPAnet  packet formats
 data-over-cable networks  error recovery
 packet satellite network (Aloha)  routing
 packet radio network

ARPAnet satellite net

"A Protocol for Packet Network Intercommunication",
V. Cerf, R. Kahn, IEEE Transactions on Communications,
5: DataLink Layer 5-84
May, 1974, pp. 637-648.

42
The Internet: virtualizing networks
Internetwork layer (IP): Gateway:
 addressing: internetwork  “embed internetwork packets in
appears as single, uniform local packet format or extract
entity, despite underlying local them”
network heterogeneity  route (at internetwork level) to
 network of networks next gateway

gateway

ARPAnet satellite net

5: DataLink Layer 5-85

Cerf & Kahn’s Internetwork Architecture

What is virtualized?
 two layers of addressing: internetwork and local
network
 new layer (IP) makes everything homogeneous at
internetwork layer
 underlying local network technology
 cable
 satellite
 56K telephone modem
 today: ATM, MPLS
… “invisible” at internetwork layer. Looks like a link
layer technology to IP!
5: DataLink Layer 5-86

43
ATM and MPLS
 ATM, MPLS separate networks in their own
right
 different service models, addressing, routing
from Internet
 viewed by Internet as logical link connecting
IP routers
 just like dialup link is really part of separate
network (telephone network)
 ATM, MPLS: of technical interest in their
own right
5: DataLink Layer 5-87

Asynchronous Transfer Mode: ATM

 1990’s/00 standard for high-speed (155Mbps to
622 Mbps and higher) Broadband Integrated
Service Digital Network architecture
 Goal: integrated, end-end transport of carry voice,
video, data
 meeting timing/QoS requirements of voice, video
(versus Internet best-effort model)
 “next generation” telephony: technical roots in
telephone world
 packet-switching (fixed length packets, called
“cells”) using virtual circuits

5: DataLink Layer 5-88

44
Multiprotocol label switching (MPLS)

 initial goal: speed up IP forwarding by using fixed

length label (instead of IP address) to do
forwarding
 borrowing ideas from Virtual Circuit (VC) approach
 but IP datagram still keeps IP address!

PPP or Ethernet
MPLS header IP header remainder of link-layer frame
header

label Exp S TTL

20 3 1 5
5: DataLink Layer 5-89

MPLS capable routers

 a.k.a. label-switched router
 forwards packets to outgoing interface based
only on label value (don’t inspect IP address)
 MPLS forwarding table distinct from IP forwarding
tables
 signaling protocol needed to set up forwarding
 RSVP-TE
 forwarding possible along paths that IP alone would
not allow (e.g., source-specific routing) !!
 use MPLS for traffic engineering
 must co-exist with IP-only routers
5: DataLink Layer 5-90

45
MPLS forwarding tables
in out out
label label dest interface
10 A 0 in out out
12 D 0 label label dest interface

8 A 1 10 6 A 1
12 9 D 0

R6
0 0
D
1 1
R4 R3
R5
0 0
A
R2 in outR1 out
label label dest interface
in out out
label label dest interface 6 - A 0
8 6 A 0
5: DataLink Layer 5-91

Link Layer
 5.1 Introduction and  5.6 Link-layer switches
services  5.7 PPP
 5.2 Error detection  5.8 Link virtualization:
and correction MPLS
 5.3Multiple access  5.9 A day in the life of a
protocols web request
 5.4 Link-Layer
Addressing
 5.5 Ethernet

5: DataLink Layer 5-92

46
 Synthesis: a day in the life of a web request

 journey down protocol stack complete!

 application, transport, network, link
 putting-it-all-together: synthesis!
 goal: identify, review, understand protocols (at
all layers) involved in seemingly simple scenario:
requesting www page
 scenario: student attaches laptop to campus
network, requests/receives www.google.com

5: DataLink Layer 5-93

A day in the life: scenario

browser DNS server
Comcast network
68.80.0.0/13

school network
68.80.2.0/24

web page

web server Google’s network

64.233.169.105 64.233.160.0/19

5: DataLink Layer 5-94

47
A day in the life… connecting to the Internet
DHCP DHCP  connecting laptop needs to
UDP
get its own IP address,
DHCP
DHCP IP
DHCP Eth addr of first-hop router,
Phy addr of DNS server: use
DHCP
DHCP
 DHCP request encapsulated
DHCP in UDP, encapsulated in IP,
encapsulated in 802.1
DHCP
DHCP UDP
DHCP IP Ethernet
Eth router
broadcast
DHCP
 Ethernet frame
Phy (runs DHCP)
(dest: FFFFFFFFFFFF) on LAN,
received at router running
DHCP server
 Ethernet demux’ed to IP
demux’ed, UDP demux’ed to
DHCP
5: DataLink Layer 5-95

A day in the life… connecting to the Internet

DHCP DHCP  DHCP server formulates
DHCP UDP DHCP ACK containing
DHCP IP client’s IP address, IP
DHCP Eth address of first-hop
Phy router for client, name &
IP address of DNS server
 encapsulation at DHCP
server, frame forwarded
DHCP DHCP (switch learning) through
DHCP UDP LAN, demultiplexing at
DHCP IP client
DHCP Eth router  DHCP client receives DHCP
DHCP
Phy (runs DHCP) ACK reply

Client now has IP address, knows name & addr of DNS

server, IP address of its first-hop router
5: DataLink Layer 5-96

48
A day in the life… ARP (before DNS, before HTTP)
DNS DNS  before sending HTTP request,
DNS UDP need IP address of www.google.com:
DNS
ARP
IP DNS
ARP query Eth
Phy  DNS query created, encapsulated
in UDP, encapsulated in IP,
encasulated in Eth. In order to
send frame to router, need MAC
address of router interface: ARP
ARP
ARP reply Eth
Phy
 ARP query broadcast, received
by router, which replies with
ARP reply giving MAC address
of router interface
 client now knows MAC address
of first hop router, so can now
send frame containing DNS
query

5: DataLink Layer 5-97

A day in the life… using DNS DNS

DNS UDP DNS server
DNS IP
DNS DNS DNS Eth
DNS UDP DNS Phy
DNS IP
DNS Eth
Phy
DNS
Comcast network
68.80.0.0/13

 IP datagram forwarded from

campus network into comcast
network, routed (tables created
 IP datagram containing DNS
by RIP, OSPF, IS-IS and/or
query forwarded via LAN BGP routing protocols) to DNS
switch from client to 1st hop server
router
 demux’ed to DNS server
 DNS server replies to
client with IP address of
www.google.com 5: DataLink Layer 5-98

49
A day in the life… TCP connection carrying HTTP
HTTP
HTTP
SYNACK
SYN TCP
SYNACK
SYN IP
SYNACK
SYN Eth
Phy

 to send HTTP request,

client first opens TCP
socket to web server
 TCP SYN segment (step 1
SYNACK
SYN TCP in 3-way handshake) inter-
SYNACK
SYN IP domain routed to web
SYNACK
SYN Eth server
Phy  web server responds with
TCP SYNACK (step 2 in 3-
web server way handshake)
64.233.169.105  TCP connection established!
5: DataLink Layer 5-99

A day in the life… HTTP request/reply

 web page finally (!!!)
displayed
HTTP
HTTP HTTP
HTTP
HTTP TCP
HTTP
HTTP IP
HTTP
HTTP Eth
Phy

 HTTP request sent into

TCP socket
 IP datagram containing
HTTP HTTP
TCP
HTTP request routed to
www.google.com
HTTP
HTTP IP
HTTP Eth  web server responds with
Phy HTTP reply (containing
web page)
web server
 IP datgram containing
64.233.169.105
HTTP reply routed back to
client 5: DataLink Layer 5-100

50
Chapter 5: Summary
 principles behind data link layer services:
 error detection, correction
 sharing a broadcast channel: multiple access
 link layer addressing

 instantiation and implementation of various link

layer technologies
 Ethernet
 switched LANS, VLANs
 PPP
 virtualized networks as a link layer: MPLS
 synthesis: a day in the life of a web request

5: DataLink Layer 5-101

Chapter 5: let’s take a breath

 journey down protocol stack complete
(except PHY)
 solid understanding of networking principles,
practice
 ….. could stop here …. but lots of interesting
topics!
 wireless
 multimedia
 security
 network management

5: DataLink Layer 5-102

51