TCP Communication: How to Send TCP Traffic in Packet Tracer

TCP (Transmission Control Protocol) is a fundamental communication protocol that underlies many of our internet-based activities like web browsing, email, and file transfers. It is known for its reliability in ensuring data is sent and received accurately between host devices.

In this article, we will give you an overview of TCP communication protocol and then show you how to send TCP traffic between host devices in a network.

Properties of TCP Communication Protocol

Transmission control Protocol(TCP) posses the following properties;

• TCP has many applications: it uses HTTPS for secure web traffic, DNS for domain resolution, FTP for file transfers, and SMTP/POP3 for email communication.
• TCP communication occurs through established handshakes between communicating devices, ensuring reliable data transfer.

Network Topology

For this demonstration, we will make use of the network topology shown below;

This network consists of two routers, each connected to two PCs through a switch. A server is connected to Router1 as shown in the network.

Below are the IP addresses table configured in the above network;

Device	Default Gateway	Interface (Ip address)	Interface (Ip address)	Subnet Mask
Router 1(R1)	__	G0/0/1 (192.168.1.1)	G0/0/0 (192.168.2.1)	255.255.255.0
Router 2(R2)	__	G0/0/1 (192.168.3.1)	G0/0/0 (192.168.2.2)	255.255.255.0
PC0	192.168.3.1	fa/0 (192.168.3.2)	__	255.255.255.0
PC1	192.168.3.1	fa/0 (192.168.3.3)	__	255.255.255.0
PC2	192.168.1.1	fa/0 (192.168.1.2)	__	255.255.255.0
PC3	192.168.1.1	fa/0 (192.168.1.3)	__	255.255.255.0

I configured the IP addresses for the host devices and the router interfaces with the IP addresses shown in the table above.

Also, I have completed the static route configuration to ensure that all PCs can communicate with each other.

How to Send TCP Traffic in Packet Tracer

In this section, I will show you how to send HTTP traffic, DNS traffic, FTP traffic, and email traffic, all of which use transmission control protocols.

Sending HTTPs traffic

Sending HTTPS traffic involves secure web browsing. To achieve this in Packet Tracer, follow these steps.

1. Open the Desktop tab of PC0.
2. Ping from PC0 to PC3 to initiate an ARP (Address Resolution Protocol) request.
3. Turn on simulation mode.
4. Open the web browser in the Desktop tab and paste the IP address of PC3.
5. Click “Go” and observe how the packets move by playing the simulation.

Here is a video showing how to complete the above steps;

Sending DNS traffic in Packet Tracer

Domain Name System (DNS) traffic is vital for resolving domain names to IP addresses. To send DNS traffic:

1. Add a DNS record for PC0 to the Server0.
2. Add the IP address of Server0 as the DNS server of PC3
3. Open the Desktop tab of PC3.
4. Ping from PC3 to PC0 to initiate an ARP (Address Resolution Protocol) request.
5. Turn on simulation mode.
6. Then use the “nslookup PC0” command on pc3 to send the traffic

Here is a video showing how to complete the above steps;

Sending FTP Traffic in Packet Tracer

File transfer protocol(FTP) is vital for managing a server’s files remotely from an FTP client.. To to configure FTP,

1. Create any FTP user account on the server.
2. Initiate Login to FTP server from PC3(FTP client) using ‘ftp Ip address of server’
3. Enter the password and username when prompted.
4. Use the appropriate command to manage the server (e.g ‘mkdir’, ‘dir’, ‘get’..)
5. Exit from the server using ‘Control-C’

Here is a video showing how to complete the above steps;