Syn Syn Ack Ack

Syn, Syn-Ack, Ack: The Three-Way Handshake of TCP

The reliable transmission of data across a network relies heavily on the Transmission Control Protocol (TCP). Unlike UDP (User Datagram Protocol), which offers a connectionless, faster but less reliable service, TCP establishes a connection before data transmission using a process called the three-way handshake. This handshake involves three packets: SYN (synchronize), SYN-ACK (synchronize-acknowledge), and ACK (acknowledge). Understanding the sequence and function of these packets is crucial for comprehending how TCP ensures reliable data delivery. This article will delve into the details of the "SYN, SYN-ACK, ACK" process, explaining each packet's role and highlighting common scenarios.

1. The SYN Packet: Initiating the Connection

The three-way handshake begins with the client sending a SYN packet to the server. This packet signifies the client's desire to establish a connection. The SYN packet contains several crucial pieces of information:

Source Port: The port number on the client machine initiating the connection.
Destination Port: The port number on the server machine the client is trying to connect to (e.g., port 80 for HTTP).
Sequence Number: A randomly chosen 32-bit number used for reliable data ordering. This number is incremented for each data segment sent.
SYN Flag: Set to 1, indicating that this is a synchronization request.

Think of the SYN packet as a polite knock on the server's door, asking for permission to establish a connection. It's important to note that the SYN packet itself doesn't transmit any data; its sole purpose is to initiate the connection request.

Example: A web browser (client) initiates a connection to a web server (server) by sending a SYN packet to port 80.

2. The SYN-ACK Packet: Acknowledging and Synchronizing

Upon receiving the SYN packet, the server responds with a SYN-ACK packet. This packet serves two critical purposes:

Acknowledgement (ACK): It acknowledges receipt of the client's SYN packet by including the client's sequence number plus one (acknowledging the received sequence number).
Synchronization (SYN): It also initiates its own synchronization process by including its own sequence number.

The SYN-ACK packet, therefore, acts as both an acknowledgement and a synchronization request from the server. It’s like the server opening the door and saying, "Yes, I received your request, and I'm ready to connect; here's my sequence number."

Example: The server receives the SYN packet and responds with a SYN-ACK packet, containing the acknowledged sequence number (client's sequence number + 1) and the server's own randomly chosen sequence number.

3. The ACK Packet: Completing the Handshake

The final step in the three-way handshake involves the client sending an ACK packet to the server. This packet acknowledges the server's SYN-ACK packet, confirming that the connection is established. The ACK packet contains:

Acknowledgement Number: The server's sequence number plus one, acknowledging the received sequence number from the server.
Sequence Number: The client's sequence number incremented from the initial SYN packet.
ACK Flag: Set to 1, indicating this packet is an acknowledgement.

At this point, the connection is fully established, and data can begin flowing bidirectionally between the client and server. The ACK packet is like the client saying, "Okay, I received your response and we're connected!"

Example: The client receives the SYN-ACK packet and sends an ACK packet back to the server, acknowledging the server's sequence number.

4. Data Transmission and Connection Termination

Once the three-way handshake is complete, data transmission can begin. Each data packet sent will have its own sequence number, allowing for reliable ordering and error detection. When the connection is no longer needed, it's terminated through a four-way handshake involving FIN (finish) and ACK packets. This process ensures that all data is properly transferred and acknowledged before closing the connection.

5. Common Scenarios and Implications

Understanding the three-way handshake is crucial for troubleshooting network issues. For example, a failure at any stage of the handshake will prevent a connection from being established. This could manifest as a website failing to load or a network application not connecting. Furthermore, SYN floods, a type of Denial-of-Service (DoS) attack, exploit the handshake by sending a large number of SYN packets without responding to the SYN-ACK packets, overwhelming the server's resources.

Summary

The SYN, SYN-ACK, ACK exchange is the foundation of reliable communication in TCP. This three-way handshake ensures that both the client and the server are ready to communicate before any data is transmitted, guaranteeing ordered and error-free data transfer. Understanding this process is critical for network administrators and developers alike in troubleshooting connectivity issues and developing robust network applications.

FAQs:

1. What happens if the SYN packet is lost? If the SYN packet is lost, the server won't receive the connection request, and no connection will be established. The client will typically retransmit the SYN packet after a timeout.

2. What happens if the SYN-ACK packet is lost? The client won't receive the server's acknowledgement. After a timeout period, the client will retransmit the SYN packet. This retry mechanism is a crucial part of TCP's reliability.

3. What is a half-open connection? A half-open connection occurs when a SYN packet is sent, and the server responds with a SYN-ACK, but the client fails to send the final ACK. This leaves a connection hanging on the server, consuming resources.

4. How does TCP ensure reliable data delivery beyond the three-way handshake? TCP uses sequence numbers and acknowledgements for every data packet to ensure reliable ordering and error detection. It also incorporates mechanisms for retransmission of lost packets.

5. Can the three-way handshake be bypassed? No, the three-way handshake is fundamental to TCP's connection establishment. Bypassing it would compromise the reliability guarantees provided by TCP. However, some optimized techniques exist to minimize the handshake overhead in specific scenarios, but they don't completely bypass the essential steps.

Search Results:

Fix SharePoint Online sync problems - Microsoft Support Learn how to fix problems syncing with your SharePoint Online libraries.

How to manually sync a Windows 11 device with Intune 6 Feb 2023 · Hi Tony Normally in Windows 11 there is also a sync button to manually force a sync. Below the steps to perform this: Open the 'Settings'-app. Go to 'Accounts'. Choose …

Fix OneDrive sync problems - Microsoft Support Learn how to fix common OneDrive personal or OneDrive for Business sync problems.

What is a cross-tenant synchronization in Microsoft Entra ID ... 23 Jun 2025 · Cross-tenant synchronization automates creating, updating, and deleting Microsoft Entra B2B collaboration users across tenants in an organization. It enables users to access …

OneDrive is stuck on "Sync pending" - Microsoft Support Learn how some files cause "sync pending" in OneDrive and what to do about it.

Hotmail to Outlook syn - Microsoft Q&A 5 May 2023 · Hi Paula, Thanks for reaching out. My name is Iya. I'm an independent advisor and a Microsoft user like you. I'll be happy to help you out today. I am sorry to know that you are …

SynAttackProtect - Microsoft Q&A 29 Oct 2020 · Hi @Doria , As of Windows Vista and onwards (Vista/2008/Win 7/2008 R2/Windows 8/Windows 2012/Windows 2012 R2), syn attack protection algorithm has been …

How long does OneDrive Sync app health take to sync in M365 … 15 May 2025 · Hi there, As mentioned in my original message, I have already tried manually syncing from Intune (and the physical device) and re-enrolled. The syncing between the …

Mendeley syn error in MS Word Online - Microsoft Q&A 2 Jun 2025 · Hello, I have a shared WOrd document that is edited in MS Word online. It uses Mendeley for inserting references. Since a week, the document crashes after inserting a ...

Choose which OneDrive folders to sync to your computer Open OneDrive settings (select the OneDrive cloud icon in your notification area, and then select the OneDrive Help and Settings icon then Settings.) Go to the Account tab. Select Choose …

Sync basics - what you can and cannot sync - Microsoft Support You can sync your Outlook data with mobile devices and with other applications. Outlook also syncs regularly with Microsoft Exchange account accounts and e-mail accounts. The …

Outlook .pst files will not syncronizie on OneDrive - Microsoft Q&A 31 Jan 2023 · Hi, On my Win 11 laptop I have my .pst files in a local catalogue on my laptop. That catalogue is synchronized with OneDrive in purpose to always have a fresh copy of the files on …

Sync files with OneDrive in Windows - Microsoft Support Learn how to install and use OneDrive to sync files between your Windows device and the cloud.

Server connection issue "SYN-SENT error" - cannot open … 1 May 2023 · Moreover, SYN-SENT is not an "error". It is an internal socket state to indicate that SYN (connection request) has been sent, but the SYN-ACK (server response) has not yet …

Sync SharePoint files and folders - Microsoft Support Training: Sync files in Microsoft 365 or SharePoint document libraries so they’re always available on your computer even when you’re offline.

My one drive on my desk top isn't automatically syncing to the … 7 Nov 2023 · My one drive on my desk top isn't automatically syncing to the cloud, unless I manually open the one drive app.

How to Pause and Resume sync in OneDrive - Microsoft Support If you want to stop syncing OneDrive on your computer because you are on a metered or slow internet connection, you can Pause and Resume your sync. Pausing and Resuming can also …

Sync files with OneDrive on macOS - Microsoft Support When you install the Microsoft OneDrive sync app for Mac, a copy of your OneDrive is downloaded to your Mac and put in the OneDrive folder. This folder is kept in sync with …

Sync in SharePoint and OneDrive - SharePoint in Microsoft 365 29 May 2025 · In this article, you learn about syncing SharePoint and OneDrive files using the OneDrive sync app for Windows and Mac.

How to cancel or stop sync in OneDrive - Microsoft Support Learn how to stop, cancel or pause uploads and downloads in OneDrive.