SCTP, also known as Stream Control Transmission Protocol, is a transport layer protocol that provides reliable, message-oriented, and multipath capabilities for communication between network endpoints. It is designed to offer a more robust and flexible alternative to the Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) and User Datagram Protocol (UDP).
SCTP operates by establishing a connection between two endpoints, referred to as the sender and receiver, through a process known as association. This association is responsible for managing the transmission of messages and ensuring their delivery with strict order and without duplication. Additionally, SCTP provides congestion control mechanisms to prevent network congestion and ensure fair resource allocation.
One of the notable features of SCTP is its support for multi-homing, which allows an endpoint to use multiple network interfaces simultaneously. This enables improved fault tolerance and load balancing as SCTP can dynamically route messages through different paths. It also offers protection against network failures and supports seamless handover between different network connections.
SCTP is widely used in various applications that require reliable and efficient data transmission, such as Voice over IP (VoIP), telephony signaling, financial transactions, and real-time multimedia streaming. Its message-oriented nature makes it suitable for applications that transfer discrete packets of data rather than continuous streams.
In summary, SCTP is a transport layer protocol that provides reliable, message-oriented, and multipath capabilities for communication between network endpoints. It ensures the ordered and non-duplicated delivery of messages while offering enhanced fault tolerance and multi-homing capabilities.
