Chapter 16: ISOOSI Protocol Architecture

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OVERVIEW

As we saw in the previous chapter, to make two computers talk to each other, protocols play an important role. How do we tackle the big problem of taking care of so many issues involved in networking computers—the speeds, formats, interfaces, applications, etc.? The famous riddle provides the solution: How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time!

When the problem is big, divide it into smaller problems and solve each problem. The OSI protocol architecture does precisely that. A layered approach is followed whereby the problem is divided into seven layers. Each layer does a specific job. This seven-layer architecture, developed by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO), is the topic of this chapter.

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