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Quizzes > Computers & Technology > Computers & IT

Test Your CCNA Transport Layer Knowledge

Think you can ace our OSI model transport layer quiz? Dive in!

Difficulty: Moderate
2-5mins
Learning OutcomesCheat Sheet
Paper art scene showing network icons cables routers OSI model transport layer symbols on teal background for CCNA quiz

Ready to conquer networking fundamentals? Our Free CCNA Transport Layer Quiz is here to guide your journey, inviting aspiring Cisco pros and IT enthusiasts to dive into transport protocols headfirst. Take our OSI model transport layer quiz to challenge yourself on end-to-end communications and error recovery. This CCNA Transport Layer Quiz features rigorous OSI transport layer trivia and CCNA transport layer practice questions designed to sharpen your skills. Whether you're brushing up on Transport layer functions CCNA quiz or comparing TCP vs. UDP metrics, you'll get immediate feedback and detailed explanations to pinpoint knowledge gaps. Supplement your study with a comprehensive practice test or in-depth OSI exploration . Get started now and master the transport layer!

Which OSI model layer is responsible for establishing end-to-end connections?
Session
Data Link
Transport
Physical
The Transport layer (Layer 4) of the OSI model is responsible for end-to-end communication, segmenting data, and providing error detection and flow control. It ensures reliable data delivery between hosts. It also uses port numbers to direct data to specific applications on the destination host. Cisco Transport Layer Overview
Which transport layer protocol provides a connectionless service?
HTTP
TCP
UDP
ARP
UDP is a connectionless protocol that sends datagrams without establishing a session, which reduces overhead but does not guarantee delivery. It is suitable for applications requiring speed over reliability. RFC 768 - UDP
Which transport layer protocol provides reliable, ordered, and error-checked delivery of a stream of bytes?
UDP
TCP
ICMP
IP
TCP provides reliable, ordered delivery with error checking and retransmission capabilities. It uses sequence numbers, acknowledgments, and timers to manage data flow and integrity. RFC 793 - TCP
What is the name of the transport layer PDU for TCP?
Segment
Datagram
Frame
Packet
In TCP communication, the Protocol Data Unit (PDU) is called a segment, which encapsulates application data along with TCP headers. UDP uses the term datagram. OSI Transport Layer
Which mechanism at the transport layer controls the rate at which a sender transmits data to match the receiver's capability?
Address resolution
Congestion control
Routing
Flow control
Flow control ensures a sender does not overwhelm a receiver by using the TCP window size to limit in-flight data. Congestion control, by contrast, manages overall network health. Cisco on Flow vs Congestion Control
In TCP, which flag bit is used to initiate a connection?
ACK
FIN
SYN
URG
The SYN (synchronize) flag is used in the first step of TCP's three-way handshake to initiate a connection. It signals the start of synchronization of sequence numbers. RFC 793 Flags
How many bits long is each port number in the TCP header?
32 bits
16 bits
8 bits
64 bits
TCP port numbers are each 16 bits long, allowing for values from 0 to 65535. This field is used to identify sending and receiving application processes. RFC 793 TCP Header
Which field in the TCP header indicates the port at the destination application?
Source Port
Sequence Number
Acknowledgement Number
Destination Port
The Destination Port field in the TCP header specifies which application or service on the receiving host should process the incoming segment. TCP Segment Structure
During TCP's three-way handshake, after the client sends SYN and server replies with SYN-ACK, what does the client send next?
FIN
ACK
SYN
RST
In the three-way handshake, the client responds to the server's SYN-ACK with an ACK, completing connection establishment. This final acknowledgment opens the TCP session. Three-Way Handshake Explained
Splitting large messages into smaller pieces at the transport layer is known as:
Reassembly
Segmentation
Routing
Fragmentation
Segmentation is the process of dividing large application data into smaller transport-layer segments. Reassembly is the corresponding process at the receiver to reconstruct the original data. Segmentation in Networking
Which process uses port numbers to direct segments to the correct application on a host?
Bridging
Switching
Multiplexing and Demultiplexing
Encapsulation
Multiplexing and demultiplexing use source and destination port numbers in transport headers to map incoming segments to the correct sending/receiving applications. GeeksforGeeks on Multiplexing
What port number range is designated for well-known ports that require administrative privileges?
0-1023
65536-131071
49152-65535
1024-49151
Well-known ports range from 0 to 1023 and are assigned by IANA for standard services like HTTP (80) and SSH (22). They often require administrative privileges to bind. IANA Port Numbers
Which port range is reserved for dynamic or private ports on most operating systems?
49152-65535
65536-131071
0-1023
1024-49151
Dynamic or private ports are in the range 49152 to 65535. These are typically used for ephemeral ports assigned by the OS for client-side connections. RFC 6335 Port Numbering
Which TCP header field indicates the maximum number of bytes the sender is willing to receive?
Sequence Number
Acknowledgement Number
Urgent Pointer
Window Size
The Window Size field advertises how many bytes the sender's receive buffer can accept, enabling flow control. A larger window allows more in-flight data. TCP Window Size
Which TCP mechanism gradually increases the congestion window size to probe the network capacity?
Slow Start
Routing Update
Delayed Acknowledgment
Fast Recovery
Slow Start begins with a small congestion window and increases it exponentially each round-trip time until loss or threshold. This probes bandwidth availability efficiently. RFC 5681 Slow Start
What is the maximum window size value without using TCP window scaling?
32768 bytes
65535 bytes
131070 bytes
262140 bytes
The 16-bit Window Size field in the TCP header without scaling supports a maximum of 65,535 bytes. Window scaling extends this further when negotiated. RFC 7323 Window Scaling
Which TCP feature reduces the number of acknowledgments by waiting to send an ACK in hope of sending data back?
Window Scaling
Fast Retransmit
Delayed Acknowledgment
Nagle's Algorithm
Delayed ACK waits up to a short timeout for outgoing data to piggyback on the acknowledgment, reducing packet overhead. It's defined in RFC 1122. RFC 1122 Delayed ACK
Which transport layer protocol is generally used for real-time applications like VoIP?
UDP
TCP
SCTP
ICMP
UDP is preferred for real-time applications like VoIP and streaming because it provides low latency by not retransmitting lost packets. RFC 3550 RTP/UDP
Which protocol uses UDP port 53 by default?
SNMP
DHCP
TFTP
DNS
DNS typically uses UDP port 53 for query/response transactions, falling back to TCP when message size exceeds 512 bytes or for zone transfers. RFC 1035 DNS
Which process maps incoming segments to the correct application using port numbers?
Routing
Address Resolution
Encryption
Demultiplexing
Demultiplexing uses the destination port number in the transport header to deliver the segment to the appropriate application process. Computer Networking Ports
In UDP, what is the primary purpose of the checksum field?
Flow control
Multiplexing
Error detection
Routing decisions
The checksum in UDP provides basic error detection for the header and data, ensuring integrity. In IPv6 it's mandatory; in IPv4 it's optional. RFC 768 UDP
Which scenario best justifies using UDP over TCP?
File transfer requiring reliable delivery
Live video streaming with low latency
Database synchronization
Email transmission
Live video streaming often prefers UDP to minimize latency and avoid delays due to retransmissions, accepting occasional packet loss. Why Streaming Uses UDP
What action does TCP take when it receives three duplicate ACKs for the same sequence number?
Enter slow start and reset cwnd to 1 MSS
Close the connection
Ignore duplicates and continue
Fast retransmit and reduce congestion window
On three duplicate ACKs, TCP performs fast retransmit to resend the missing segment and halves the congestion window to implement fast recovery. RFC 5681 Fast Retransmit
Which TCP state does a connection enter after a host sends a FIN and receives an acknowledgement for that FIN?
FIN_WAIT_2
CLOSE_WAIT
LAST_ACK
FIN_WAIT_1
After sending a FIN and receiving its ACK, the TCP connection moves from FIN_WAIT_1 to FIN_WAIT_2, waiting for the peer's FIN. RFC 793 TCP States
Which phase in TCP congestion control transitions window growth from exponential to linear?
Slow Start
Congestion Avoidance
Fast Recovery
Delayed Acknowledgment
In congestion avoidance, TCP increases the congestion window linearly, in contrast to the exponential increase during slow start, to avoid inducing congestion. RFC 5681 Congestion Avoidance
Which TCP algorithm uses measured round-trip time and variance to calculate the retransmission timeout?
Additive Increase Multiplicative Decrease
Jacobson/Karels Algorithm
Nagle's Algorithm
Exponential Backoff
The Jacobson/Karels algorithm computes a smoothed RTT and RTT variance to set an adaptive RTO, improving reliability and responsiveness. RFC 6298 RTO Calculation
What does the PSH flag in the TCP header instruct the receiving TCP to do?
Put the connection in passive mode
Prioritize this segment for retransmission
Pause data transmission
Push buffered data to the application immediately
The PSH (push) flag tells the receiver to deliver the buffered data to the application without waiting for the buffer to fill. This reduces latency for interactive applications. RFC 793 PSH Flag
Which TCP feature allows the receiver to inform the sender about non-contiguous blocks of data that have been received?
Window Scaling
Selective Acknowledgment (SACK)
Urgent Pointer
Delayed ACK
Selective Acknowledgment (SACK) allows the receiver to specify exactly which data blocks have arrived, enabling the sender to retransmit only missing segments. RFC 2018 SACK
What is the purpose of the TCP urgent pointer?
Signal the recipient to close the socket
Indicate the end of urgent data
Mark the start of a new connection
Set the congestion window to zero
The urgent pointer indicates the end of urgent data within a segment so that the receiver can process it out of sequence. It's used for interrupt signals. RFC 793 Urgent Pointer
In TCP Tahoe, what happens to the congestion window after a packet loss detected by timeout?
Reduced to one maximum segment size
Left unchanged
Halved but not reset to one MSS
Doubled to clear congestion
TCP Tahoe resets the congestion window to one maximum segment size (MSS) upon timeout, re-entering slow start. Reno differs by using fast recovery on triple-ACKs. RFC 2001 Tahoe vs Reno
What is the maximum segment lifetime (MSL) concept used for in TCP?
Timeout before retransmission
Maximum time a segment can exist before being discarded
Duration of slow start
Maximum number of retransmissions
MSL is the maximum time a TCP segment can remain in the network before being discarded. It's used to set the TIME_WAIT duration to ensure old segments expire. RFC 793 MSL
How does TCP window scaling extend the maximum window size, and what is the maximum shift count allowed?
Doubles the window size per RTT; unlimited shifts
Uses a 32-bit window field; shift count up to 30
Uses a scale factor in options; shift count up to 14
Adds a 16-bit scale factor; shift count up to 16
TCP window scaling negotiates a scale factor in the options field, allowing the 16-bit window to be left-shifted up to 14 bits, extending the window beyond 65,535 bytes. RFC 7323 Window Scaling
During the TIME_WAIT state, why must a TCP socket remain alive for two maximum segment lifetimes (2 MSL)?
To notify the application of closure
To allow the connection to be reopened quickly
To finish any ongoing data transfers
To ensure delayed duplicates are expired
TIME_WAIT lasts 2×MSL to ensure all delayed or duplicated segments are expired in the network, preventing confusion with future connections that might reuse the same ports. RFC 793 TIME_WAIT
Which congestion control algorithm does modern Linux TCP stacks default to for high-bandwidth networks?
TCP Reno
TCP Cubic
TCP Tahoe
TCP Vegas
Linux uses TCP Cubic by default, which improves performance on high-bandwidth, high-latency networks by using a cubic function for window growth. RFC 8312 CUBIC
What is TCP Fast Open and how does it reduce connection establishment latency?
Merges SYN and ACK in one packet
Skips the three-way handshake entirely
Uses UDP for the first RTT then upgrades to TCP
Allows data in the initial SYN using a cookie
TCP Fast Open lets the client include data in the initial SYN using a shared cookie, enabling the server to process data in the first round-trip, reducing latency. RFC 7413 Fast Open
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Study Outcomes

  1. Understand OSI transport layer functions -

    Explain the role of the transport layer in end-to-end data delivery within the OSI model and its key services such as segmentation and reassembly.

  2. Differentiate TCP and UDP protocols -

    Compare and contrast the features of TCP and UDP, including reliability, connection orientation, and typical use cases.

  3. Apply flow control and error management -

    Identify and employ mechanisms like sliding window flow control and error-checking techniques to ensure reliable data transmission.

  4. Analyze port numbers and connection management -

    Determine how transport layer port numbers facilitate multiplexing and demultiplexing of data streams and manage sessions.

  5. Evaluate end-to-end data transfer mechanisms -

    Assess the processes of segmentation, sequencing, and acknowledgment to maintain data integrity across network nodes.

  6. Leverage quiz feedback to reinforce learning -

    Use instant feedback from practice questions to identify knowledge gaps and strengthen understanding of CCNA transport layer concepts.

Cheat Sheet

  1. End-to-End Communication & Segmentation -

    The transport layer enables reliable end-to-end data delivery by segmenting application data and reassembling it at the destination host. Each segment header includes sequence numbers per RFC 793 to ensure correct ordering and loss recovery. Mastering segmentation helps in CCNA Transport Layer Quiz scenarios involving packet reconstruction and throughput optimization.

  2. TCP vs UDP Protocols -

    TCP (RFC 793) provides connection-oriented, reliable transmission with acknowledgments and retransmissions, while UDP (RFC 768) offers connectionless, low-overhead datagram delivery. Remember "TCP = Tourist Coach, UDP = Unregulated Delivery" to recall reliability vs speed trade-offs. These differences frequently appear in OSI model transport layer quiz and CCNA transport layer practice questions.

  3. Flow Control & Sliding Window -

    Cisco's CCNA curriculum emphasizes the sliding window mechanism, where window size = bandwidth × RTT, to regulate data flow and avoid congestion. Dynamic window adjustment ensures neither sender nor receiver is overwhelmed, boosting efficiency. Practice calculating window sizes for OSI transport layer trivia and CCNA Transport Layer Quiz problems.

  4. Error Detection with Checksums -

    The transport layer uses a 16-bit one's-complement checksum (per RFC 793/RFC 768) over header and data to detect errors in transit. If the computed checksum ≠ 0xFFFF after one's complement, the segment is discarded and retransmitted. This fundamental error-management concept often appears on Transport layer functions CCNA quiz items.

  5. Port Numbers & Multiplexing -

    Transport layer sockets are identified by source and destination port numbers, ranging from 0 - 65,535, with 0 - 1,023 as well-known ports (e.g., TCP 80 for HTTP). Understanding how ports enable multiple applications to use a single IP address is key for session multiplexing and demultiplexing questions. Test yourself with CCNA transport layer trivia on port assignments and socket operations.

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