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 ...

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 ...

From the network layer’s routing magic to the shift toward IPv6 and the nuances of physical versus logical topologies, understanding these concepts is key to building robust systems. As IPv6 adoption ...

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 ...

A couple posts ago, we talked about Layer 1 of the OSI Model — the Physical Layer. Today, we’ll start our climb up the Model with a visit to Layer 2, the Data Link Layer. The Data Link Layer is one of ...

Getting started on designing a network is a task of formidable proportions, but all the more so if you are looking to build a secure IT network. Often, IT system administrators are not fully familiar ...