Description of OSI layers Depending on to recommendation X.200, there are seven layers, each generically known as an N layer.

An N+1 entity requests services from the N entity. At each level, two entities (N-entity peers) interact by means of the N protocol by transmitting protocol data units (PDU). A Service Data Unit (SDU) is a specific unit of data that has been passed down from an OSI layer to a lower layer, and which the lower layer has not yet encapsulated into a protocol data unit (PDU). An SDU is a set of data that is sent by a user of the services of a given layer, and is transmitted semantically unchanged to a peer service user. The PDU at any given layer, layer N, is the SDU of the layer below, layer N-1. In effect the SDU is the 'payload' of a given PDU. That is, the process of changing a SDU to a PDU, consists of an encapsulation process, performed by the lower layer. All the data contained in the SDU becomes encapsulated within the PDU. The layer N-1 adds headers or footers, or both, to the SDU, transforming it into a PDU of layer N-1. The added headers or footers are part of the process used to make it possible to get data from a source to a destination. OSI Model Data unit Layer 7. Network process to application Application Host layers Data 6. Data representation, encryption and decryption, convert machine Presentation dependent data to machine independent data 5. Session Segments Interhost communication Function

4. Transport End-to-end connections and reliability, flow control

Packet/Datagram 3. Network Path determination and logical addressing Media Frame layers Bit 2. Data Link Physical addressing 1. Physical Media, signal and binary transmission

Some orthogonal aspects, such as management and security, involve every layer. Security services are not related to a specific layer: they can be related by a number of layers, as defined by ITU-T X.800 Recommendation.[3] These services are aimed to improve the CIA triad (i.e.confidentiality, integrity, availability) of transmitted data. Actually the availability of communication service is determined by network design and/or network management protocols. Appropriate choices for these are needed to protect against denial of service.