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 ...

In the last newsletter, we discussed the move from “real” to “virtual” networks, concentrating more at the lower levels of the OSI stack. In particular, we noted that several years ago we moved from ...

Peeling back the layers of IoT devices reveals most of them are nothing more than what are already on the Internet in the form of present-day M2M devices. In just six years, according to Cisco Systems ...

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 ...

This vendor-written tech primer has been edited by Network World to eliminate product promotion, but readers should note it will likely favor the submitter’s approach. The application layer of the ...

The Open System Interconnect (OSI) network model, referred to by many as simply a stack, is in fact a well-designed, layered architecture for efficient intersystem and intrasystem communications. In ...

For many in the communication industry, the open system interconnect (OSI) network model is a simply a stack. But, designers shouldn't be so quick to diminish the value that the OSI model provides to ...

Networks function and flourish because they deliver reliable and fast communication over large distances. And while people often marvel at the speed, it's the reliability -- made possible through the ...