TCP Header - Definition, Diagram, Format [GATE Notes]

Q: What is TCP header?

The UDP and TCP header is used for packaging the data for transfer over the network connections. However, because TCP is the more robust of the two protocols, the UDP headers are limited to 8 bytes in size, while the TCP header is larger at 20 bytes with an option for additional data.

What is Transmission Control Protocol (TCP)?

Before studying the TCP header in detail, let us first discuss the TCP. The TCP provides a connection-oriented, full-duplex, reliable, streamed delivery service using IP to transport messages between two processes.
Reliability is ensured by:

Connection-oriented service
Flow control using sliding window protocol
Error detection using checksum
Error control using go-back-N ARQ technique
Congestion avoidance algorithms; multiplicative decrease and slow-start

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What is TCP Header?

The Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) header is the first 24 bytes of a TCP segment that contains the parameters and state of an end-to-end TCP socket. The TCP header tracks the state of communication between two TCP endpoints.

TCP Header Diagram

The diagram of TCP Header is shown below:

TCP Header Format

The TCP header format is classified into various fields that are as follows:

Source port
Destination port
Sequence number
Acknowledgement number
HLEN
Control Flag Bits
Window size
Checksum
Options

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Source Port

It defines the port number of the application program in the sender's host. The source port is 16 bits in size.

Destination Port

It defines the port number of the application program in the receiver's host. The destination port is 16 bits in size.

Sequence Nnmber

It conveys to the receiving host which octet in this sequence comprises the first byte in the segment. The sequence number is a 32-bit field. TCP assigns a unique sequence number to each byte of data contained in the TCP segment.

Acknowledgement Number

The acknowledgement number specifies the sequence number of the next octet that the receiver expects to receive. The acknowledgement number is a 32bit field. During the three-way handshake, the request segment is sent for connection establishment.

HLEN

This field specifies the number of 32-bit words present in the TCP header. This field helps the receiver to know from where the actual data begins. The HLEN field is of 4 bits, and it ranges from 20 bytes to 60 bytes in tcp header size.

Control Flag Bits

The control flag bit is 6 bits. The control flag field is basically divided into the following felids that are as follows:

If the URG(Urgent pointer)=1, then the urgent pointer is in use otherwise, it is not in use.
IF ACK = 1 means the acknowledgement number is valid, and if ACK = 0 means the segment does not contain acknowledgement.
If PSH(Push the data without buffering) = 1 means the request to forward the data to the application layer without buffering it.
If RST = 1 means it abruptly resets the connection whenever there is a host crash or is sometimes used to reject a segment.
SYN: Synchronize sequence numbers during connection establishment
Connection request: SYN=1,ACK=0
Reply: SYN=1,ACK=1
FIN: Terminate the connection

Window Size

It tells how many bytes may be sent, starting at the acknowledged byte. It advertises how much data (in bytes) the sender can receive without acknowledgement. Thus, the window size is used for Flow Control.

Checksum

The checksum is used for error detection. It checksums the data, header, and pseudo-header. The sender adds CRC checksum to the checksum field before sending the data. The receiver rejects the data that fails the CRC check.

Options

The options field is used for several purposes. The options field contains 40 bytes of information. Some widely used options are:

MSS(maximum segment size)
Window scale
Time Stamp

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FAQs on TCP Header

What is TCP header?

The UDP and TCP header is used for packaging the data for transfer over the network connections. However, because TCP is the more robust of the two protocols, the UDP headers are limited to 8 bytes in size, while the TCP header is larger at 20 bytes with an option for additional data.

What are TCP header and flags?

There are various types of TCP flag bits present in the TCP header in the TCP header. Each of the TCP flag bits has its significance. The commonly used TCP flags are fin, urg, psh, rst, syn, and ack.

What are the different fields that are used in the TCP header?

The fields that are used in Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) Header Segment are as Source Port, Destination Port, Sequence Number, Acknowledgement Number, Header Length, Window Size, Flags, TCP Checksum, and Urgent Pointer.

What are fin and syn flags in the TCP header?

The FIN flag in the TCP header indicates the end of data transmission to finish the TCP connection. The SYN flag in the TCP header synchronizes sequence numbers to initiate the TCP connection. The purposes of fin and syn flags are mutually exclusive.

What is the TCP packet?

The TCP(Transmission Control Protocol) is the transport protocol that is used on top of IP(Internet Protocol) to ensure the reliable transmission of packets. The TCP(Transmission Control Protocol) includes mechanisms to solve many problems that are arise from packet-based messaging, such as out-of-order packets, lost packets, duplicate packets, and corrupted packets.

What is a TCP Header?