EEE F411: Internet of Things (IoT)

Lecture-8:
Networking and Communication:
Network Models for IoT

Instructor & IC:

Dr. Sandeep Kumar
Faculty (EEE Dept)
 Learning Objectives
 OSI Network Model

 IoT Network Model Design and Standardization

 IETF suggested six-layer modified OSI model for IoT

 ITU-T suggested four-layer modified OSI model for IoT

 ETSI Suggested M2M Reference Architectural Model

 OGC Suggested Smart Cities Spatial Information Framework

 Other IoT Models/Architectures (SOA-based and API Oriented)

 OSI Network Model
• The Open Systems Interconnection (OSI) is a conceptual model that characterizes and
standardizes the communication functions of a network without regard to its underlying
internal structure and technology.

• Its goal is the interoperability of diverse a range of communication networks by using the
standard communication protocols.

• This model partitions a communication network into a number of abstraction layers. The
original version of the model has seven layers.

• Each layer serves the layer above it and gets served by the layer below it.

• The model is a product of the Open Systems Interconnection (OSI) project at the
International Organization for Standardization (ISO).
OSI Network Model
 OSI Network Model: Role of Each Layer

(1) Application Layer (Layer – 7 ):

• It is the most perceptive layer because it’s what the user perceives.

• It actually represents the problem the user wants the system to solve. For
example: internet browsing, e-mail, FTP, remote system login etc.

• It allows the user to input and read data while connected to a server/system
somewhere on the internet.

• In industrial applications, it may represents a program on PLC for enabling

remote control of the applications/processes etc.
 OSI Network Model: Role of Each Layer Cont’d…

(2) Presentation Layer (Layer – 6 ):

• It performs formatting on the data going to and from the application.

• This layers performs the services as encryption/decryption, compression and conversion of

data from one format to other.

(3) Session Layer (Layer – 5):

• It establishes connections between the applications.

• It mainly enforces the dialogue rules which specify the order and speed of data transfer
between the sender and receiver applications.
 OSI Network Model: Role of Each Layer Cont’d…
(4) Transport Layer (Layer – 4 ):

• It is essentially an interface between processor and the outside world.

• It generates address for the session entities and ensures that all the blocks or packets of data
have been sent or received properly.

(5) Network Layer (Layer – 3 ):

• It performs routing and accounting functions on the messages received from the transport
layer.

• If the message is lengthy, this layer breaks it up and sequence over the network.

• This layer utilizes the routing table to find the next node on the way to destination addresses.
 OSI Network Model: Role of Each Layer Cont’d…
(6) Data Link Layer (Layer – 2 ):

• This layer establishes and controls the physical path for communication from
one node to next node with error detection.

• It performs media access control (MAC) to decide which node can use the
media and when.

• The rules used to perform these functions are also called the Link Layer
Protocols.

• Ethernet, SPI, I2C, RS-232, Modbus, NFC, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi etc. are examples
of Link Layer Protocols.
 OSI Network Model: Role of Each Layer Cont’d…
(7) Physical Layer (Layer – 1 ):

• This layer represents the actual hardware and is most important from the cost
point of view.

• It does not add anything in the message frame.

• It simply converts the message received from the data link layer into a string
of ones and zeros representing a signal on the media.

• Examples of hardware in the physical layer are network adapters, repeaters,

networking hubs, etc.
 IoT Network Model Design and Standardization
A number of international organizations have taken action for IoT design standardization.
Following are the examples:

(1) Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF):

• It is an international body which initiated actions for addressing and working on the
recommendations on engineering aspects of IoT.

• It also suggested specifications for IoT network layers, communication protocols and
applications

(2) International Telecommunication Union for Telecommunication (ITU-T):

• It suggested a reference model for IoT domain networking, transport capabilities and
applications at application & application support layers.
 IoT Network Model Design and Standardization Cont’d…
(3) European Telecommunication Standards Institute (ETSI):

• It initiated the development of a set of standards for the IoT network, devices and gateway
for the machine-to-machine (M2M) communications.

• It also proposed high level architecture for applications and service capabilities.

(4) Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC):

It is an international industry consortium which suggested open standards for sensor’s

discovery, capabilities, quality and other aspects with support from geographical information
web.
Suggested IoT Reference Models…
 IETF Suggested Six-Layer Modified OSI Model for IoT/M2M

Seven-layer generalised OSI model (on left), IETF six layer modified OSI model for
IoT/M2M (in the middle), Conceptual framework Equation for IoT applications and
services (on right) .
 IETF Model: Features added
Modifications as compared to the original OSI model:
• The Presentation and Session layers are replaced by the Application-Support layer
which uses protocols, such as CoAP.

[Constrained Application Protocol (CoAP) is a specialized Internet Application Protocol for resource-
constrained internet devices, such as nodes in wireless sensor networks. CoAP is designed to easily
translate into HTTP for simplified integration with the web, while meeting specialized requirements such
as multicast support, very low overhead, and simplicity. Multicast, low overhead, and simplicity are
extremely important for Internet of Things (IoT) and Machine-to-Machine (M2M) devices, which tend to
be deeply embedded and have much less memory and power supply than traditional internet devices
have.]

• The CoAP protocol at this layer is used for the request/response interactions as per the
client/server model of communication.
• The application-support layer, furthermore, includes processes for data managing,
acquiring, organizing and analyzing which are mostly used by the IoT applications and
services.
 IETF Model: Features added

• A new layer called the ‘Data Adaptation layer’, has been created to support
the gateway capabilities. The gateway here enables communication
between the devices network and the web.

• Physical and data link layers have been combined into a single layer called
the ‘Physical-cum-data-link layer’ which deals with the requisite basic
hardware as well as it’s MAC protocols altogether.
 ITU-T suggested four-layer modified OSI model for IoT
• The ITU-T four-layer model with its comparisons with IETF six-layer model, is as follows:

ITU-T model IETF model

 ITU-T suggested four-layer modified OSI model for IoT Cont’d…

Some key points:

This model considers four layers which are:

• Lowest layer, L1, is the device layer and has device and gateway capabilities.

• Next layer, L2 (Network Layer), has transport and network capabilities.

• Next layer, L3, is the services and application-support layer. The support layer has two
types of capabilities—generic and specific service.

• Top layer, L4 (Application layer), is for applications and services.

 ETSI Suggested M2M Reference Architectural Model

Explanation =>

Source: Mohapatra, Sukant K., Jay N. Bhuyan, Pankaj Asundi, and Anand Singh. "A Solution Framework for Managing Internet of Things
(IOT)." International journal of Computer Networks & Communications.
 ETSI Suggested M2M Reference Architectural Model

• The ETSI reference model has three domains: Device and Gateway domain, Network domain,
and Application domain.
• The Device and Gateway domain includes smart devices with sensors and actuators. A
gateway typically interconnects to the Communication-Service-Provider (CSP) network while
supporting the device inter-working and inter-connections. The M2M area network supports
connection between different smart devices and gateways.
• The Network domain provides the communication service between smart devices in device
domain and servers in the Application domain. It typically includes the core network of a CSP.
• The Application domain supports various application services. These Application services are
rendered by specific business-processing servers where data analysis, various actions, alerts,
and reports are being handled.
OGC Suggested Network Model for the Smart Cities
Stream Processing
based System
Architecture of IoT.
[pp.146 in T1]
Physical & Cyber
Realms-based
architecture of IoT.
[pp. 231 in T1]
SOA-Based & API-Oriented
Architectures of IoT…
Thank you.