Question

Difficulty: MediumTCP vs UDP Comparison and Protocols

A network administrator is evaluating transport layer requirements for a real-time voice conferencing application and a critical database replication service. Which two operational characteristics accurately describe User Datagram Protocol (UDP) when compared to Transmission Control Protocol (TCP)? (Select two.)

  1. UDP operates as a connectionless protocol that transmits data without establishing a initial session handshake.Answer
  2. UDP utilizes a fixed 8-byte header overhead to minimize latency and processing burden.Answer
  3. C
    UDP guarantees segment delivery order by embedding sequence and acknowledgment numbers into its protocol header.
  4. D
    UDP dynamically manages buffer utilization across endpoints using a sliding window mechanism for flow control.

Answer

UDP is characterized by its connectionless operation without a session handshake and its compact 8-byte fixed header structure.
The statements highlighting UDP as a connectionless protocol without session handshakes and noting its fixed 8-byte header overhead are correct. UDP provides low-latency transmission by dispensing with connection setup and header complexity.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze transport protocol connection state requirements.
Identify that UDP does not initiate sessions using a three-way handshake (SYN, SYN-ACK, ACK), making it connectionless.
Eliminates delay associated with connection establishment, ideal for time-sensitive applications like voice conferencing.
2
Compare transport layer header fields and overhead.
Confirm that UDP headers consist of only 4 fields totaling 8 bytes, whereas TCP headers require a minimum of 20 bytes.
The smaller header footprint minimizes processing overhead and reduces bandwidth consumption.
3
Evaluate distractor claims against UDP capabilities.
Recognize that sequence/acknowledgment tracking and sliding window flow control belong to stateful TCP operations.
UDP leaves packet ordering and reliability functions to higher-layer application protocols if needed.

Key Concept

Connectionless vs Connection-Oriented Transport Protocols and Header Overhead
Estimated Time:1m 15s
Rate this question