The OSI Reference Model

The OSI is the Open System Interconnection reference model for communications. As illustrated in Figure. The OSI reference model consists of seven layers, each of which can have several sublayers. The upper layers of the OSI reference model define functions focused on the application, while the lower three layers define functions focused on end-to-end delivery of the data.


• The Application Layer (Layer 7) refers to communications services to applications and is the interface between the network and the application. Examples include: Telnet, HTTP, FTP, Internet browsers, NFS, SMTP gateways, SNMP, X.400 mail, and FTAM.

• The Presentation Layer (Layer 6) defining data formats, such as ASCII text, EBCDIC text, binary, BCD, and JPEG. Encryption also is defined as a presentation layer service. Examples include: JPEG, ASCII, EBCDIC, TIFF, GIF, PICT, encryption, MPEG, and MIDI.

• The Session Layer (Layer 5) defines how to start, control, and end communication sessions. This includes the control and management of multiple bidirectional messages so that the application can be notified if only some of a series of messages are completed. This allows the presentation layer to have a seamless view of an incoming stream of data. The presentation layer can be presented with data if all flows occur in some cases. Examples include: RPC, SQL, NFS, NetBios names, AppleTalk ASP, and DECnet SCP.

• The Transport Layer (Layer 4) defines several functions, including the choice of protocols. The most important Layer 4 functions are error recovery and flow control. The transport layer may provide for retransmission, i.e., error recovery, and may use flow control to prevent unnecessary congestion by attempting to send data at a rate that the network can accommodate, or it might not, depending on the choice of protocols. Multiplexing of incoming data for different flows to applications on the same host is also performed. Reordering of the incoming data stream when packets arrive out of order is included. Examples include: TCP, UDP, and SPX.

• The Network Layer (Layer 3) defines end-to-end delivery of packets and defines logical addressing to accomplish this. It also defines how routing works and how routes are learned; and how to fragment a packet into smaller packets to accommodate media with smaller maximum transmission unit sizes. Examples include: IP, IPX, AppleTalk DDP, and ICMP. Both IP and IPX define logical addressing, routing, the learning of routing information, and end-to-end delivery rules. The IP and IPX protocols most closely match the OSI network layer (Layer 3) and are called Layer 3 protocols because their functions most closely match OSI's Layer 3.

• The Data Link Layer (Layer 2) is concerned with getting data across one particular link or medium. The data link protocols define delivery across an individual link. These protocols are necessarily concerned with the type of media in use. Examples include: IEEE 802.3/802.2, HDLC, Frame Relay, PPP, FDDI, ATM, and IEEE 802.5/802.2.

• The Physical Layer (Layer 1) deals with the physical characteristics of the transmission medium. Connectors, pins, use of pins, electrical currents, encoding, and light modulation are all part of different physical layer specifications. Examples includes: EIA/TIA-232, V.35, EIA/TIA-449, V.24, RJ-45, Ethernet, 802.3, 802.5, FDDI, NRZI, NRZ, and B8ZS.

The upper layers of the OSI reference model, i.e., the Application Layer (Layer 7), the Presentation Layer (Layer 6), and the Session Layer (Layer 5), define functions focused on the application. The lower four layers, i.e., the Transport Layer (Layer 4), the Network Layer (Layer 3), the Data Link Layer (Layer 2), and the Physical Layer (Layer 1), define functions focused on end-to-end delivery of the data. As a Cisco Certified Network Associate, you will deal mainly with the lower layers, particularly the data link layer (Layer 2) upon which switching is based, and the network layer (Layer 3) upon which routing is based.