Why TCP provides reliable delivery in Computer Networks - Challenge Your Understanding

Challenge - 5 Problems

🧠 Conceptual

intermediate

How does TCP ensure data arrives correctly?

Which mechanism does TCP use to confirm that data sent from one computer is received correctly by another?

A TCP relies on the application layer to verify data delivery.

B TCP uses acknowledgments (ACKs) to confirm receipt of data packets.

C TCP uses IP addresses to guarantee data delivery.

D TCP sends data only once without checking if it arrives.

💡 Hint

Think about how a sender knows the receiver got the message.

TCP uses acknowledgments (ACKs) to confirm that data packets have been received. If an ACK is not received, TCP resends the data.

📋 Factual

intermediate

What role does sequence numbering play in TCP?

Why does TCP assign sequence numbers to data packets?

A To assign IP addresses to packets.

B To encrypt the data for security purposes.

C To identify the order of packets and detect missing data.

D To compress data before sending.

💡 Hint

Think about how TCP keeps track of the order of data.

Sequence numbers allow TCP to arrange packets in the correct order and detect if any packets are missing, enabling retransmission.

🚀 Application

advanced

What happens if a TCP packet is lost during transmission?

Consider a TCP connection where a packet is lost. What does TCP do to handle this situation?

A TCP waits for an acknowledgment and retransmits the lost packet if no ACK is received in time.

B TCP closes the connection immediately.

C TCP ignores the lost packet and continues sending new data.

D TCP switches to UDP to send the data.

💡 Hint

Think about how TCP ensures all data arrives despite losses.

TCP uses timers to detect missing acknowledgments. If an ACK is not received within a timeout, TCP retransmits the lost packet.

🔍 Analysis

advanced

Why is TCP called a connection-oriented protocol?

Which reason best explains why TCP is considered connection-oriented?

A Because TCP establishes a connection before data transfer and manages it until completion.

B Because TCP sends data without establishing any connection.

C Because TCP uses IP addresses to route packets.

D Because TCP does not guarantee data delivery.

💡 Hint

Think about what happens before TCP starts sending data.

TCP establishes a connection through a handshake process before sending data, ensuring both sides are ready and agree on communication parameters.

❓ Reasoning

expert

How does TCP handle data flow to avoid overwhelming the receiver?

Which mechanism does TCP use to prevent sending too much data too quickly to the receiver?

A TCP sends data as fast as possible without any control.

B TCP uses fixed-size packets regardless of receiver status.

C TCP relies on the network layer to control data flow.

D TCP uses flow control with a sliding window to match the receiver's capacity.

💡 Hint

Consider how TCP adapts to the receiver's ability to process data.

TCP uses a sliding window mechanism for flow control, allowing the sender to send only as much data as the receiver can handle at a time.