Arjuna Sathiaseelan wrote:
I have some doubts.
The question is Who has control over Who? Does the application layer control
the transport protocol, or do transport protocols have their own autonomy?
So if the application does'nt send any data, should the transport protocol
send keep alives by its own judgement or should the application trigger the
keep-alives? My belief was that application layer controls the transport
layer. I maybe wrong in my assumption.
I believe that there should be some sort of synchronization between the
three layers (application, transport and network) and send one keep-alive
rather than these layers sending their own keep-alives.
Arjuna
<snip>
Hmmm... I don't yet know.
I could suggest some models:
1) Application keep alives are "special" and handed to the API
differently to data.
- Not sure I like this, should DCCP just view this as data?
2) Apps TELL DCCP to keep the "connection alive?" via an API.
DCCP agrees to send a packet on the "wire" if needed.
- Possible, providing apps do not need to exchange anything.
3) Apps ASK DCCP is the "connection alive?" via an API and DCCP replies,
possibly sending a packet on the "wire" if needed?
- Possible, providing apps do not need to exchange anything.
4) Apps and DCCP do their own thing, and work independently.
- For apps that need to exchange something, but potentialluy ugly as you
suggest when two entities work un-coordinated.
Gorry
