Stream Control Transmission Protocol SCTP

Stream Control Transmission
Protocol (SCTP)
Ch23
Ameera Almasoud
Ameera Almasoud
Based on Data Communications and Networking, 4th

Edition. by Behrouz A. Forouzan, McGraw-Hill
Companies, Inc., 2007
Stream Control Transmission Protocol

Stream Control Transmission Protocol
(SCTP) is a new reliable, message-oriented

transport layer protocol.
SCTP combine the best features of UDP
and TCP.
designed for Internet applications that
have recently been introduced.
These new applications need a more
sophisticated service than TCP.
Ameera Almasoud

SCTP Services
Process-to-Process Communication.
Multiple Streams.
Multihoming.
Full-Duplex Communication.
Connection-Oriented Service.
Reliable Service.
Ameera Almasoud

SCTP Services
Process-to-Process Communication
SCTP uses all well-known ports in the TCP
space.
some extra port numbers used by

SCTP
Ameera Almasoud

SCTP Services
Multiple Streams
Ameera Almasoud

SCTP Services
Multiple Streams
SCTP allows multistream service in each
connection.
which is called association in SCTP
terminology.
SCTP is mainly used to transfer real-time data
(multimedia).
If one of the streams is blocked, the other
streams can still deliver their data ( fault
tolerance).
Ameera Almasoud

SCTP Services
Multihoming
Ameera Almasoud

SCTP Services
Multihoming
The sending and receiving host can define
multiple IP addresses in each end for an

association.
This is a fault-tolerant approach:
when one path fails, another interface can be used

for data delivery without interruption.
An association in SCTP can involve multiple
streams.
Ameera Almasoud

SCTP Services
Full-Duplex Communication
SCTP offers full-duplex service, in which data
can flow in both directions at the same time.

Each SCTP then has a sending and receiving
buffer.
Ameera Almasoud

SCTP Services
Connection-Oriented Service
SCTP is a connection-oriented protocol.

a connection is called an association.
Connection steps:
The two SCTPs establish an association
between each other.
Data are exchanged in both directions.
The association is terminated.
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SCTP Services
Reliable Service
SCTP, like TCP, is a reliable transport protocol.

It uses an acknowledgment mechanism to
check the safe and sound arrival of data.
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SCTP Features
Transmission Sequence Number
Stream Identifier
Stream Sequence Number
Packets
Acknowledgment Number
Flow Control
Error Control
Congestion Control
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SCTP Features
Transmission Sequence Number
The unit of data in SCTP is data chunk.

In SCTP, a data chunk is numbered using a
TSN.
similar to sequence number in TCP.
TSN is 32 bit long.
Initialized with a random number between 0
and 232-1.
Ameera Almasoud

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SCTP Features
Stream Identifier
In SCTP, there may be several streams in each
association.
Each stream in SCTP needs to be identified by
using a stream identifier (SI).
Each data chunk must carry the SI in its
header so that when it arrives at the
destination, it can be properly placed in its
stream.
Ameera Almasoud

14
SCTP Features
Stream Sequence Number
SCTP uses stream sequence number (SSN) to
differentiate between data chunks that belong

to the same stream
This guarantees that the data chunks of each
stream are delivered in-order at the
destination
Ameera Almasoud

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SCTP Features
Packets
data are carried as data chunks.

control information is carried as control
chunks.
Several control chunks and data chunks can
be packed together in a packet.
A packet in SCTP plays the same role as a
segment in TCP.
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Comparison between a TCP segment and an

SCTP packet
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SCTP Features
Packets
In SCTP, control information and data information
are carried in separate chunks.

The SCTP header is shorter due to the following:
An SCTP sequence number (TSN) belongs to each
data chunk and hence is located in the chunk's

header.
The acknowledgment number and window size are
part of each control chunk.
There is no need for a header length field because
there are no options to make the length of the
header variable;SCTP header length is fixed (12
bytes).
No need for the urgent pointer.
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SCTP Features
Packets
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SCTP Features
Packets
Data chunks are identified by three items:
TSN, SI, and SSN.

TSN is a cumulative number identifying the
association
SI defines the stream.
SSN defines the chunk in a stream.
Ameera Almasoud

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SCTP Features
Acknowledgment Number
SCTP acknowledgment numbers are chunk-
oriented.
acknowledgment numbers are used to
acknowledge only data chunks.
control chunks are acknowledged by other
control chunks if necessary.
Ex: INIT control chunk in acknowledge by
another INIT ACK control chunk.
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SCTP Features
Flow Control
SCTP implements flow control to avoid
overwhelming the receiver.
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SCTP Features
Error Control
SCTP implements error control to provide
reliability.
TSN numbers and acknowledgment numbers
are used for error control.
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SCTP Features
Congestion Control
SCTP implements congestion control to
determine how many data chunks can be

injected into the network
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Packet Format
In an SCTP packet, control chunks come before data

chunks.
control chunks control
maintain
association.
Edition. byand
Behrouz
A. Forouzan, the
McGraw-Hill
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Packet Format
General Header
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Packet Format
Chunks
SCTP requires the information section to be a
multiple of 4 bytes; if not, padding bytes

(eight as) are added at the end of the section.
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Packet Format
Chunks
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An SCTP Association
A connection in SCTP is called an association.
Three phases are required to establish an
association
An association is simply a connection that
supports multihoming.
The three phases are:
Association Establishment
Data Transfer
Association Termination
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An SCTP Association
1. The server announces that it is ready to
connect (passive open)

2. The client issues a request for an active
open
3. SCTP starts a four-way handshaking process
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a four-way handshaking process
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An SCTP Association
No other chunk is allowed in a packet carrying
an INIT or INIT ACK chunk.

A COOKIE ECHO or a COOKIE ACK chunk can
carry data chunks.
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An SCTP Association
Cookie
To prevent SYN flooding attack: SCTP
generate a cookie.
The cookie is sent with the second packet to
the address received in the first packet.
There are two potential situations:
If the sender of the first packet is an attacker:
1.
the server never receives the third packet

the cookie is lost and no resources are allocated.
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An SCTP Association
Cookie
2.
If the sender of the first packet is an honest client

that needs to make a connection:
The receiver receives the second packet, with the cookie.

It sends a packet (third in the series) with the cookie, with no
changes.
The server receives the third packet and knows that it has
come from an honest client because the cookie that the
sender has sent is there.
The server can now allocate resources.
This strategy works if no entity can "eat" a cookie
"baked" by the server.

to guarantee this, the server creates a digest
The information and the digest together make the
cookie.
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Data Transfer
A message received from a process becomes a
DATA chunk, or chunks if fragmented.

In SCTP, only DATA chunks consume TSNs;
DATA chunks are the only chunks that are
acknowledged.
The acknowledgment in SCTP defines the TSN of
the last data chunk received in order.
The acknowledgment in SCTP defines is
accumulative.
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Data Transfer
Simple data transfer
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Data Transfer
Multihoming Data Transfer
Multihoming allows both ends to define
multiple IP addresses for communication.

only one of these addresses can be defined as
the primary address; the rest are alternative
addresses.
The primary address is defined during
association establishment.
a source defines the primary address for a
destination.
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Data Transfer
Multistream Delivery
SCTP uses TSN numbers to handle data
transfer, movement of data chunks between

the source and destination.
The delivery of the data chunks is controlled
by SIs and SSNs.
SCTP can support multiple streams and a
message can belong to one of these streams.
Each stream is assigned a stream identifier
(SI) which uniquely defines that stream.
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Data Transfer
Fragmentation
The size of an IP datagram carrying a
message can be determined by adding the

size of the message, in bytes, to the four
overheads:
data chunk header.
necessary SACK chunks.
SCTP general header.
IP header.
If the total size exceeds the MTU, the
message needs to be fragmented.

Ameera Almasoud

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Association
Termination
SCTP does not allow a half close situation.

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Flow control
Receiver Site
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Flow control
sender site
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Flow control scenario
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Error control
receiver site
It uses a SACK chunk to report the state of the
receiver buffer to the sender
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Error control
sender site
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Error control
Retransmission
To control a lost or discarded chunk, SCTP
employs two strategies:

using retransmission timers and
receiving four SACKs with the same missing
chunks.
Ameera Almasoud

46

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Stream Control Transmission

Based on Data Communications and Networking, 4th