RTP: a transport layer implementation project

ABSTRACT

This paper describes a project for use in computer networks courses, implementation of the Reliable Transport Protocol (RTP), that gives students hands-on experience with network protocol concepts and construction.

Lecture topics such as the protocol layering model, sliding window protocols, packet formats and headers, techniques for establishing and closing connections, and UDP sockets programming are all driven home via first-hand experience. Students gain general programming and debugging experience on a realistic, event-driven, asynchronous application as well, and necessarily exercise their knowledge of algorithms and data structures.

References

1. 1.IEEE. Carrier sense multiple access with collision detection. 802.3, IEEE, New York, 1985a.
2. 2.Postel, J. Transmission control protocol. RFC 793, DARPA, September 1981.
3. 3.Richards, B. Bugs as features: Teaching network protocols through debugging. In Proc. of the Thirty-First ACM SIGCSE Technical Symposium on Computer Science Education (March 2000).
4. 4.Stevens, W. R. UNIX Network Programming. Prentice Hall, 1990.
5. 5.Tanenbaum, A. S. Computer Networks. Prentice Hall, 1996.

Index Terms

• Applied computing

  • Education