The OSI model defines protocols for how a network technically handles communications at the various functional layers. Starting with electrons and photons at the physical layer (Layer 1), the model ...

Other tips in this series have examined the seven-layer OSI model from the perspective of security. Although security was not the No. 1 goal of the designers of the OSI model, the idea behind these ...

We recently advised that people in the business of planning, building and supporting computer networks should not lose sight of the mythical OSI Layer 8. We define Layer 8 as the human-to-human ...

Layer 2 of the OSI model is where we find the Data Link Layer, which provides the mechanism by which data is transferred from node to node across a network. What makes this layer important is that it ...

Whether it’s wired or wireless, most data communications today happens by way of packets of information travelling over one or more networks. But before these networks can work together, though, they ...

We have now met the archenemy of networks, Mr. Murphy, as he cackles “What can go wrong, will,” in the introduction to failure modes and the discussion of failure modes at the physical and data link ...

We met Mr. Murphy, of “What can go wrong, will” infamy, in the introduction to failure modes and the discussion of failure modes at the foundation levels. Now we will learn his tricks on shared media ...