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2.2.3 OSI Model Layers

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OSI Model Layers 0:00-0:17

A basic understanding of each of the OSI model layers and what they do will help a ton when it

comes to troubleshooting network problems.

Now, before we talk about the individual OSI model layers, let's review how the OSI model layers are commonly grouped.

Grouping OSI Layers 0:18-1:25

One way to group the OSI model layers is

to separate the bottom two layers from the top five layers. This is done because the bottom layers of the OSI model are related to the network
architecture, or physical hardware. The bottom layers dictate how devices are connected and how data is transmitted. The top five layers are
the networking protocols, such as TCP/IP. These layers aren't really concerned with the hardware as much as with the software and the
applications on the computer.

Another common way to group the OSI model is to separate the two middle layers - layers three and four - from the top, creating three
groups. The top layers are called the application layers, the middle layers are called the transport layers, and the bottom layers are the
architecture layers.

Now, with this grouping, the top layers handle service protocols, such as HTTP, DNS, and other service related protocols. And the middle
layers handle how messages get from one device to another through the network, but isn't really concerned with the physical devices of the
network.

Because the OSI model layers are numbered seven through one, often they will be referred to by their number instead of their name.

Let's review each layer in more detail.

The Application Layer 1:26-2:20

At the top we have layer seven: the application layer. This layer is responsible for integrating network services with the operating system. The
application layer provides an interface between an application running on the system and the rest of the network. It doesn't refer to the
application itself. Some of the protocols associated with the application layer include HTTP, FTP, TFTP, and SMTP.

We refer to these protocols as belonging to the application layer, but in reality most of these protocols extend down through the session layer.
In fact, many services or protocols actually span multiple layers.

That's the case with many of these protocols; most of them will extend to the session layer. This is because programmers create protocols and
services that function through multiple layers. However, when we describe these protocols, we do so at the highest layer that they function at,
which is the application layer for these protocols here.

The Presentation Layer 2:21-2:56

The presentation layer can be thought of as the formatting layer. This layer deals with syntax, encryption, and compression. One example of
this is a Web site using the HTTP protocol. When data is encrypted, the HTTP protocol doesn't do this. Instead, the SSL protocol encrypts the
data at the presentation layer.

At layer five we have the session layer, which is responsible for creating sessions between communication devices. Each client connection is
called a session. An example of this is multiple clients connected to a Web server. Each connected client is identified as a session.

The Session Layer 2:57-3:10

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The session layer uses a session ID to identify unique sessions. This keeps the data stream separated so that information requested by one
client isn't sent to another client. The session layer is also responsible for terminating sessions.

The Transport Layer 3:11-3:59

The transport layer is responsible for delivering data on a network. The transport layer receives data from the upper layers and segments it.
For example, suppose you're downloading a 4 MB file from a Web site. The transport layer knows that a 4 MB file can't be sent all at once, so
it segments the data. It divides data into smaller blocks called segments and identifies each block with a sequence number. The sequence
number helps the receiving device reassemble the segment blocks in the right order. The sequence number also helps identify any segments
that got lost in transit, allowing a device to request retransmission of a lost segment.

The transport layer is also responsible for flow control between two hosts. If data is being sent too fast or too slow, the receiving device can
send a message telling the sending device to slow down or speed up.

TCP and UDP Protocols 4:00-4:27

Two specific protocols that are used at the transport layer are TCP and UDP. TCP is referred to as a connection-oriented protocol because it
takes advantage of sequencing, error correction, and flow control to ensure that data sent from upper layers is received at the receiving
device. UDP is referred to as a connectionless protocol, because it is more concerned with moving data through the network, without
necessarily ensuring that everything arrives at the destination device.

Port Numbers 4:28-5:02

The transport layer assigns port numbers. A port is a number which identifies an upper layer service running on a server. For instance, you
could install a Web server and an email server on the same physical server system. Information received from lower levels needs to be
redirected to the appropriate service running on the server. This is done using port numbers at the transport layer. Each service is associated
with a unique port number, such as 80 for HTTP or 25 for SMTP. By using a port number, the transport layer can identify the upper layer
protocol that the data is intended for.

The Network Layer 5:03-5:25

The network layer is responsible for moving data between systems throughout the internetwork and is where routing happens. Routing takes
a message sent from a device to a router to another router - maybe through several routers - to the destination device. Routing protocols
specify how each router identifies destination networks and the path data should take to arrive at that destination network.

IP Address Assignment 5:26-5:46

One very important thing that happens at the network layer is the assignment of IP addresses. This is why the IP address is often referred to as
a network layer address, or a layer three address. When a segment is passed off to the network layer, the source and destination IP addresses
are added to the segment, and the data then becomes a packet.

The Data Link Layer 5:47-6:47

The data link layer is responsible for interfacing between the physical transmission media - the physical devices - and the network layer. This
layer is divided into two sub layers. The top sublayer is called the logical link control sub layer, or LLC, and provides the interface between
the lower layers and the upper layers. The bottom layer is called the media access control sublayer, or MAC, and is responsible for
identifying how devices can access the physical medium. The data link layer is where the MAC address is assigned. When a packet arrives
from the network layer, the MAC address is added to the packet. Data at this layer is called a frame. A frame is the network layer packet with
the MAC address of the source and destination devices added. Also included in a frame is a Cyclic Redundancy Check, or CRC. This is a
mathematical value that helps the receiving device identify any errors that may have occurred during transmission. The data link layer also
defines the logical topology of the network, or how devices access the media.

The Physical Layer 6:48-7:27

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The physical layer is where we work with physical hardware. The physical layer also includes protocols that identify the cables, connectors,
and devices that can be used on the network. For example, we could use the CAT6 protocol to define the type of cables used in the network
and the RJ-45 protocol to define the connectors to use.

At this point, the data that comes down to the physical layer is just a series of bits; it becomes electrical impulses, or light pulses, or some
kind of a radio signal depending on the physical medium used.

By understanding the general function of each of the OSI model layers, you can more easily troubleshoot a network and effectively
communicate with other network administrators.

Summary 7:28-7:49

In this lesson, we talked about the different ways to group the OSI model layers and what each layer is responsible for. The upper three layers
are the protocols that deal with data. The session layer creates session IDs to distinguish between client communications. The transport layer
and network layers are responsible for delivering segments and packets through the network. And the lower two OSI model layers are
responsible for sending data between devices.

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