Computer networksLesson 4 of 4 in the course Transport layer

Network Flow Control: ARQ, Sliding Windows, and Signaling

5 flashcards · 5 quiz questions · 5 match pairs · 5 fill-in sentences · English

Save course
Lesson progress
0 / 5

Your progress is kept in this browser only.Sign up to save it

Summary

Flow control coordinates the rate at which data is sent and received. This lesson introduces why flow control matters, distinguishes it from congestion control, and explains the simple stop-and-wait method.

Flow control manages the rate of data transmission between two nodes so that a fast sender does not overwhelm a slower receiver. A receiver may be slower because it is handling heavy traffic or has less processing power than the sender.

All flashcards

What is flow control?
Managing the transmission rate so a sender does not overwhelm a receiver that is slower or busy.
How does flow control differ from congestion control?
Flow control addresses the sender-to-receiver rate mismatch; congestion control responds to congestion in the network.
What does an ACK do in stop-and-wait?
It confirms that a frame was received correctly and lets the sender proceed.
What does a sliding window allow a sender to do?
Transmit a limited range of frames without waiting for an acknowledgement after each one.
What is closed-loop flow control?
Control that uses reported conditions as feedback to adjust transmission behavior.

Quiz questions

  1. What distinguishes sliding-window flow control from stop-and-wait?Answer: It permits multiple outstanding frames before acknowledgements arrive.
  2. What does Go-Back-N typically retransmit after an error is reported?Answer: The frame in error and following frames in the specified group.
  3. How does Selective Repeat focus recovery after transmission errors?Answer: It retransmits messages that need recovery rather than an entire following group.
  4. What role does a controller perform in a closed-loop control system?Answer: It compares information with a desired value and chooses a correction.
  5. Which signaling method uses dedicated physical control lines for flow control?Answer: Hardware signaling such as RTS/CTS or DTR/DSR.

Based on the Wikipedia article Flow control (data), licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Adapted into a summary, flashcards and quizzes.

More in Computer networks

All Computer networks lessons
Computer networksWi-Fi: Standards, Network Operation, Applications, and Security5 flashcards · 5 quiz questions · 4 gamesPlay free →Computer networksComputer Networking Foundations: Media, Protocols, Topologies, and Security5 flashcards · 5 quiz questions · 4 gamesPlay free →Computer networksBorder Gateway Protocol: Routing, Sessions, Policy, and Operations5 flashcards · 5 quiz questions · 4 gamesPlay free →Computer networksPacket Switching: Forwarding, Service Models, and Internet Development5 flashcards · 5 quiz questions · 4 gamesPlay free →Computer networksOSI Model: Layer Functions, Encapsulation, and TCP/IP Comparison5 flashcards · 5 quiz questions · 4 gamesPlay free →Computer networksARP: Address Resolution, Caching, and Related Protocols5 flashcards · 5 quiz questions · 4 gamesPlay free →