Process-to-Process Communication
This section introduces the transport layer as the network layer responsible for delivering data between application processes. It focuses on service-point addressing, port numbers, multiplexing and demultiplexing, segmentation and reassembly, and the relationship between transport services and application requirements.
Learning Goals
- Explain how the transport layer enables process-to-process communication beyond host-to-host delivery.
- Identify the role of port numbers and service-point addressing in directing data to the correct application process.
- Differentiate multiplexing and demultiplexing and illustrate how multiple application streams share a network connection.
- Describe how segmentation and reassembly are used to transfer application data efficiently across the network.
- Analyze application communication requirements and map them to appropriate transport-layer service characteristics such as reliability, ordering, and timing.