The Open System Interconnect (OSI) Reference Model.
The table below displays the layers defined within the
Open System Interconnect (OSI) Reference Model. The OSI Reference Model consists of 7 layers (
with each layer apart from the lowest layer, consisting of software), each performing a higher level of functionality than the previous one, and stacked on top of each other - hence the OSI Reference Model sometimes being referred to as a
protocol stack.
| 7 |
Application Layer |
| 6 |
Presentation Layer |
| 5 |
Session Layer |
| 4 |
Transport Layer |
| 3 |
Network Layer |
| 2 |
Data Link Layer |
| 1 |
Physical Layer |
References
- TCP/IP Network Administration - Craig Hunt - O'Reilly & Associates, Inc - ISBN: 0-937175-82-X
- Getting Connected: the Internet at 56K and Up - Kevin Dowd - O'Reilly & Associates, Inc- ISBN: 1-56592-203-4
- Practical UNIX and Internet Security - Simson Garfinkel & Gene Spafford - O'Reilly & Associates, Inc - ISBN: 1-56592-148-8