OSI Model TCP/IP Model

Functions components

Physical • Physical characteristics of interfaces • Cabling system components • TCP/IP does not define any specific protocol for the physical layer. It supports all of the standard
Layer and media • Adapters that connect media to physical and proprietary protocols.

• Representation of bits interfaces • At this level, the communication is between two hops or nodes, either a computer or router.

• Data rate • Connector design and pin assignments • The unit of communication is a single bit. When the connection is established between the two
• Synchronization of bits • Hub, repeater, and patch panel
nodes, a stream of bits is flowing between them.

• Line configuration specifications

• Physical topology • Wireless system components • The physical layer, however, treats each bit individually.

• Transmission mode • Network Interface Card (NIC) • Note that if a node is connected to n links, it needs n physical-layer protocols, one for each link.

• The reason is that different links may use different physical- layer protocols.
• It is the bottom layer of OSI Model. Deals with all aspects of physically moving
data from one computer to the next.
• Converts data from the upper layers into 1s and 0s for transmission over media.
• Defines how data is encoded onto the media used to transmit the data
• Defined on this layer: Cable standards, wireless standards, and fiber optic standards.
• The physical layer identifies the topology to be used in the network. It is responsible
for the actual physical connection between the devices. Such physical connection
may be made by using twisted pair cable.

Data Layer • Framing • Network interface cards • TCP/IP does not define any specific protocol for the data link layer either.
• Physical addressing • Ethernet and Token Ring switches • It supports all of the standard and proprietary protocols. At this level, the communication is also between
• Flow, Error and Access control • Bridges two hops or nodes.
• The unit of communication however, is a packet called a frame.
• Is responsible for moving frames from node to node or computer to computer • A frame is a packet that encapsulates the data received from the network layer with an added header and
• Can move frames from one adjacent computer to another, cannot move frames sometimes a trailer.
across routers ***Encapsulation = frame*** • The head, among other communication information, includes the source and destination of frame.
• Requires MAC address. or physical address • The destination address is needed to define the right recipient of the frame because many nodes may have
• Protocols defined include Ethernet Protocol and Point-to-Point Protocol (PPP). been connected to the link.
• The data link layer has two distinct sub-layers: • The source address is needed for possible response or acknowledgment as may be required by some
• Media Access Control (MAC) layer: protocols.
• Logical Link Control (LLC) layer:

Network • InterNetworking • At the network layer (or, more accurately, the internetwork layer), TCP/IP supports the Internet Protocol
Layer • Logical Addressing (IP).
• Routing • The Internet Protocol (IP) is the transmission mechanism used by the TCP/IP protocols.
• IP transports data in packets called datagram, each of which is transported separately.
• It is responsible for the source to destination delivery of a packet across multiple • Datagram can travel along different routes and can arrive out of sequence or be duplicated.
networks. • IP does not keep track of the routes and has no facility for reordering datagram once they arrive at their
• If two systems are attached to different networks with devices like routers, then N/ destination.
W layer is used. • Note that there is a main difference between the communication at the network layer and the
• Thus DLL overseas the delivery of the packet between the two systems on same communication at data link or physical layers.
network and the network layer ensures that the packet gets its point of origin to its • Communication at the network layer is end to end while the communication at the other two layers are
final destination. node to node.
• The datagram started at computer A is the one that reaches computer B.
• The network layers of the routers can inspect the source and destination of the packet for finding the best
route, but they are not allowed to change the contents of the packet.
• Of course, the communication is logical, not physical. Although the network layer of computer A and B
think that they are sending and receiving datagram, the actual communication again is done at the physical
level.

Transport • Segmentation of message into packet & reassembly of packets into message. • There is a main difference between the transport layer and the network layer. Although all nodes in a
Layer • Port addressing network need to have the network layer, only the two end computers need to have the transport layer.
• Flow and Error Control • The network layer is responsible for sending individual datagram from computer A to computer B.
• the transport layer is responsible for delivering the whole message, which is called a segment, a user
• It is responsible for process-to-process delivery of the entire message. datagram, or a packet, from A to B. A segment may consist of a few or tens of datagram.
• TL looks after the delivery of entire message considering all its packets & make • The segments need to be broken into datagram and each datagram has to be delivered to the network layer
sure that all packets are in order. On the other hand n/w layer treated each packet for transmission. Since the Internet defines a different route for each datagram, the datagram may arrive out
independently. of order and may be lost.
• At the receiver side, TL provides services to application layer & takes services form • The transport layer at computer B needs to wait until all of these datagram to arrive, assemble them and
n/w layer. make a segment out of them.
• At the source side, TL receives message from upper layer into packets and • Again, we should know that the two transport layers only think that they are communicating with each
reassembles these packets again into message at the destination. other using a segment; the communication is done through the physical layer and the exchange of bits.
• Transport Layer provides two types of services • Traditionally, the transport layer was represented in the TCP/IP suite by two protocols: User Datagram
• Connection Oriented Transmission Protocol (UDP) and Transmission Control Protocol (TCP).
• Connectionless Transmission • A new protocol called Stream Control Transmission Protocol (SCTP) has been introduced in the last few
years.

Session • Establishing, Maintaining and ending a session Data Application

Layer • Dialog Control and separation Segment Transport
• Virtual connection between application entities Packet Network
• Synchronization of data flow Frame Data link
• Connection parameter negotiations Bit physical
• Acknowledgements of data received during a session
• Retransmission of data if it is not received by a device

• Session layer is the fifth layer of OSI Model

• It has the responsibility of beginning, maintaining and ending the
communication between two devices, called session.
• It also provides for orderly communication between devices by regulating the flow
of data.
• Responsible for managing the dialog between networked devices
Establishes, manages, and terminates connections
• Provides duplex, half-duplex, or simplex communications between devices
• Provides procedures for establishing checkpoints, adjournment, termination, and
restart or recovery procedures

Presentation • Data Presentation or Translation • Graphics formatting

Layer • Data Encryption and Decryption • Content translation
• Data Compression • System-specific translation

• Presentation layer is the sixth layer of OSI Model.

• It is concerned with the syntax & semantics of the information
• exchanged between the two devices.
• It was designed for data encryption, decryption and compression.

Application • Mail Services • Support for file transfers • The application layer in TCP/IP is equivalent to the combined session, presentation, and application layers
Layer • File transfer & Access • Ability to print on a network in the OSI model. The application layer allows a user to access the services of our private internet or the
• Remote log-in • Electronic messaging global Internet. Many protocols are defined at this layer to provide services such as electronic mail, file
• Accessing the World Wide Web transfer, accessing the World Wide Web, and so on.
• Note that the communication at the application layer, like the one at the transport layer, is end to end. A
• It is the topmost i.e. seventh layer of OSI Model. message generated at computer A is sent to computer B without being changed during the transmission.
• It enables the user to access the network.
• It provides user interface & supports for services such as e-mail, file transfer, access
to the world wide web.
• So it provides services to different user applications.