Final answer:
The maximum value of l that ensures TCP sequence numbers are not exhausted is 4294967295, which is the highest number a 4-byte sequence number field can represent. so, option a is the correct answer.
Step-by-step explanation:
The question asks about the maximum value of l that ensures TCP sequence numbers are not exhausted. The TCP (Transmission Control Protocol) sequence number field is 4 bytes in size, which means it can represent numbers from 0 to 4294967295 (232 - 1).
Since the sequence number field rolls over after hitting its maximum value, the maximum value of l is the largest value that a 4-byte (32-bit) field can hold, which is 4294967295. This is also known as the wraparound value. The sequence number wraps back to zero after it passes this value, allowing TCP to avoid sequence number exhaustion as long as there is not more than 4294967295 bytes of data in transit without an acknowledgment.
The maximum value of l such that TCP sequence numbers are not exhausted can be determined by understanding the size of the TCP sequence number field. The TCP sequence number field has 4 bytes, which means it can represent numbers from 0 to 2^32 - 1. Since the sequence numbers are used to keep track of packets sent over a TCP connection, the maximum value of l would be 2^32 - 1.
When calculating the maximum value, it is important to note that the counting starts from 0. Therefore, the maximum value of l would be:
2^32 - 1 = 4294967295