o OSI stands for Open System Interconnection is
a reference model that describes how information from a software application
in one computer moves through a physical medium to the software
application in another computer.
o OSI consists of seven layers, and each layer performs
a particular network function.
o OSI model was developed by the International
Organization for Standardization (ISO) in 1984, and it is now considered as an
architectural model for the inter-computer communications.
o OSI model divides the whole task into seven smaller
and manageable tasks. Each layer is assigned a particular task.
o Each layer is self-contained, so that task assigned to
each layer can be performed independently.
Characteristics of OSI Model:
o The OSI model is divided into two layers: upper layers
and lower layers.
o The upper layer of the OSI model mainly deals with the
application-related issues, and they are implemented only in the software. The
application layer is closest to the end user. Both the end user and the
application layer interact with the software applications. An upper layer
refers to the layer just above another layer.
o The lower layer of the OSI model deals with the data
transport issues. The data link layer and the physical layer are implemented in
hardware and software. The physical layer is the lowest layer of the OSI model
and is closest to the physical medium. The physical layer is mainly responsible
for placing the information on the physical medium.
Functions of the OSI Layers
There are seven OSI layers. Each
layer has different functions. A list of seven layers are given below:
- Physical Layer
- Data-Link Layer
- Network Layer
- Transport Layer
- Session Layer
- Presentation Layer
- Application Layer
Physical layer
o The main functionality of the physical layer is to transmit the individual bits from one node to another node.
o It is the lowest layer of the OSI model.
o It establishes, maintains and deactivates the physical
connection.
o It specifies the mechanical, electrical and procedural
network interface specifications.
Functions of a Physical layer:
o Line Configuration: It
defines the way how two or more devices can be connected physically.
o Data Transmission: It
defines the transmission mode whether it is simplex, half-duplex or full-duplex
mode between the two devices on the network.
o Topology: It
defines the way how network devices are arranged.
o Signals: It
determines the type of the signal used for transmitting the information.
Data-Link Layer
o This layer is responsible for the error-free transfer of data frames.
o It defines the format of the data on the network.
o It provides a reliable and efficient communication
between two or more devices.
o It is mainly responsible for the unique identification
of each device that resides on a local network.
o It contains two sub-layers:
o Logical Link Control Layer
o It is responsible for transferring the packets to the
Network layer of the receiver that is receiving.
o It identifies the address of the network layer
protocol from the header.
o It also provides flow control.
o Media Access Control Layer
o A Media access control layer is a link between the
Logical Link Control layer and the network's physical layer.
o It is used for transferring the packets over the
network.
Functions of the Data-link layer
o Framing: The
data link layer translates the physical's raw bit stream into packets known as
Frames. The Data link layer adds the header and trailer to the frame. The
header which is added to the frame contains the hardware destination and source
address.
o Physical Addressing: The Data link layer adds a header to the frame that contains a destination address. The frame is transmitted to the destination address mentioned in the header.
o Flow Control: Flow
control is the main functionality of the Data-link layer. It is the technique
through which the constant data rate is maintained on both the sides so that no
data get corrupted. It ensures that the transmitting station such as a server
with higher processing speed does not exceed the receiving station, with lower
processing speed.
o Error Control: Error
control is achieved by adding a calculated value CRC (Cyclic Redundancy Check)
that is placed to the Data link layer's trailer which is added to the message
frame before it is sent to the physical layer. If any error seems to occurr,
then the receiver sends the acknowledgment for the retransmission of the
corrupted frames.
o Access Control: When
two or more devices are connected to the same communication channel, then the
data link layer protocols are used to determine which device has control over
the link at a given time.
Network Layer
o It is a layer 3 that manages device addressing, tracks
the location of devices on the network.
o It determines the best path to move data from source
to the destination based on the network conditions, the priority of service,
and other factors.
o The Data link layer is responsible for routing and
forwarding the packets.
o Routers are the layer 3 devices, they are specified in
this layer and used to provide the routing services within an internetwork.
o The protocols used to route the network traffic are
known as Network layer protocols. Examples of protocols are IP and Ipv6.
Functions of Network Layer:
o Internetworking: An
internetworking is the main responsibility of the network layer. It provides a
logical connection between different devices.
o Addressing: A
Network layer adds the source and destination address to the header of the
frame. Addressing is used to identify the device on the internet.
o Routing: Routing
is the major component of the network layer, and it determines the best optimal
path out of the multiple paths from source to the destination.
o Packetizing: A
Network Layer receives the packets from the upper layer and converts them into
packets. This process is known as Packetizing. It is achieved by internet
protocol (IP).
Transport Layer
o The Transport layer is a Layer 4 ensures that messages are transmitted in the order in which they are sent and there is no duplication of data.
o The main responsibility of the transport layer is to
transfer the data completely.
o It receives the data from the upper layer and converts
them into smaller units known as segments.
o This layer can be termed as an end-to-end layer as it
provides a point-to-point connection between source and destination to deliver
the data reliably.
The two protocols used in this layer
are:
o Transmission Control Protocol
o It is a standard protocol that allows the systems to
communicate over the internet.
o It establishes and maintains a connection between
hosts.
o When data is sent over the TCP connection, then the
TCP protocol divides the data into smaller units known as segments. Each
segment travels over the internet using multiple routes, and they arrive in
different orders at the destination. The transmission control protocol reorders
the packets in the correct order at the receiving end.
o User Datagram Protocol
o User Datagram Protocol is a transport layer protocol.
o It is an unreliable transport protocol as in this case
receiver does not send any acknowledgment when the packet is received, the
sender does not wait for any acknowledgment. Therefore, this makes a protocol
unreliable.
Functions of Transport Layer:
o Service-point addressing: Computers run several programs simultaneously
due to this reason, the transmission of data from source to the destination not
only from one computer to another computer but also from one process to another
process. The transport layer adds the header that contains the address known as
a service-point address or port address. The responsibility of the network
layer is to transmit the data from one computer to another computer and the
responsibility of the transport layer is to transmit the message to the correct
process.
o Segmentation and reassembly: When the transport layer receives the message
from the upper layer, it divides the message into multiple segments, and each
segment is assigned with a sequence number that uniquely identifies each
segment. When the message has arrived at the destination, then the transport
layer reassembles the message based on their sequence numbers.
o Connection control: Transport
layer provides two services Connection-oriented service and connectionless
service. A connectionless service treats each segment as an individual packet,
and they all travel in different routes to reach the destination. A
connection-oriented service makes a connection with the transport layer at the
destination machine before delivering the packets. In connection-oriented
service, all the packets travel in the single route.
o Flow control: The
transport layer also responsible for flow control but it is performed
end-to-end rather than across a single link.
o Error control: The
transport layer is also responsible for Error control. Error control is performed
end-to-end rather than across the single link. The sender transport layer
ensures that message reach at the destination without any error.
Session Layer
o It is a layer 3 in the OSI model.
o The Session layer is used to establish, maintain and synchronizes
the interaction between communicating devices.
Functions of Session layer:
o Dialog control: Session
layer acts as a dialog controller that creates a dialog between two processes
or we can say that it allows the communication between two processes which can
be either half-duplex or full-duplex.
o Synchronization: Session
layer adds some checkpoints when transmitting the data in a sequence. If some
error occurs in the middle of the transmission of data, then the transmission
will take place again from the checkpoint. This process is known as
Synchronization and recovery.
Presentation Layer
o A Presentation layer is mainly concerned with the syntax and semantics of the information exchanged between the two systems.
o It acts as a data translator for a network.
o This layer is a part of the operating system that
converts the data from one presentation format to another format.
o The Presentation layer is also known as the syntax
layer.
Functions of Presentation layer:
o Translation: The
processes in two systems exchange the information in the form of character
strings, numbers and so on. Different computers use different encoding methods,
the presentation layer handles the interoperability between the different
encoding methods. It converts the data from sender-dependent format into a
common format and changes the common format into receiver-dependent format at
the receiving end.
o Encryption: Encryption
is needed to maintain privacy. Encryption is a process of converting the
sender-transmitted information into another form and sends the resulting
message over the network.
o Compression: Data
compression is a process of compressing the data, i.e., it reduces the number
of bits to be transmitted. Data compression is very important in multimedia
such as text, audio, video.
Application Layer
o An application layer serves as a window for users and
application processes to access network service.
o It handles issues such as network transparency,
resource allocation, etc.
o An application layer is not an application, but it performs
the application layer functions.
o This layer provides the network services to the
end-users.
Functions of Application layer:
o File transfer, access, and management (FTAM): An application layer allows a user to access the
files in a remote computer, to retrieve the files from a computer and to manage
the files in a remote computer.
o Mail services: An
application layer provides the facility for email forwarding and storage.
Directory services: An application provides the distributed database sources and is used to provide that global information about various objects.
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