Starting at the top of the UDP header, we can see User Datagram Protocol, followed by a summary of what the header represents. Below the header and summary are the UDP header fields. Unlike TCP, UDP has a simple header, with no additional communication details listed, such as Timestamps or SEQ/ACK analysis:
The UDP header
Starting at the top of the UDP header, we can see the UDP, followed by a summary of what the header represents with information on the source and destination ports:
- Source Port 16-bit: The source port field is the port on the receiver's side, and this field. In this case, the sender is a DNS client, as the source port in frame 1 is Source Port: 54585, which is not associated with any application; it is an ephemeral or temporarily assigned port that is used in this connection.
- Destination Port 16-bit: The destination port field is the port on the sender's side, and this field is 16bit. In this case, the port in frame 1 is Destination Port: domain (53). Port 53 is associated with DNS, and is the port on the DNS server accepting resolution requests to resolve a domain name.
- Length 16-bit: In a UDP packet, the length represents the number of bytes in the UDP header and any data that follows. In frame 1, we can see Length: 36, which is equal to the UDP header (8 bytes) and the DNS header (28 bytes).
- Checksum 16-bit: The UDP checksum is a calculated value of the data portion of the packet that is periodically recalculated during transmission to ensure data integrity. The UDP checksum is optional in IPv4; however, it is required in IPv6. The checksum is required in IPv6 primarily because IPv6 does not have a checksum, and the value in the UDP header is used to ensure data integrity.