DATA
COMMUNICATION
MODELS
OUTLINE
• Explanation of communication models
• The two (2) main types
• Explanation of each layer
Explanation
• Data communication models are frameworks that
describe how data is transmitted between
devices across a network.
• They help standardize and organize the
communication process so that different systems
can interact reliably.
• It outlines the flow of data through different
layers from a sender to a receiver
THE TYPES
•OSI Model
(Open Systems Interconnection)
- 7 Layers
•TCP/IP Model
(Transmission Control Protocol / Internet Protocol)
- 4 Layers
THE OSI MODEL
• OSI stands for Open Systems Interconnection and it is a model
designed by the international Standards Organization (ISO) in
1984 to help computers with different architectures to
communicate successfully.
• There are 7 layers namely:
OSI LAYERS
7. APPLICATION Away
6. PRESENTATION Pizza
5. SESSION Sausage
4. TRANSPORT Throw
3. NETWORK Not
2. DATA LINK Do
7. PHYSICAL Please
APPLICATION LAYER
• It is used by network applications such as web browsers.
Mozilla Firefox, Google chrome, Internet Explorer, Edge, etc.
• Protocols used here are: HTTP, HTTPs, FTP, DNS, SMTP, POP, IMAP,
SSH, Telnet.
Activities that use this layer are: file transfer, web surfing, emails
and virtual terminals.
Devices used here are: Computers, Phones, Servers
PRESENTATION LAYER
• The next layer receives data from the application layer.
Here, data is in the form of characters that must be converted to
machine readable form.
At the sender side, data is encrypted and reaching the receiver side,
data gets decrypted.
Activities here are: Translation, Data Compression and
Encryption/Decryption
Software layer: SSL/TLS, JPEG, MPEG, ASCII
SESSION LAYER
• It defines how to establish, maintain and terminate sessions between
two systems.
User authentication,
user authorization,
user permissions and
session management in general are the activities executed here.
Software layer: NetBIOS
TRANSPORT LAYER
• It controls the reliability of communication through segmentation,
Flow control, Error Control and Data Recovery.
• Segmentation is the breaking down of data into smaller units called
segments to ease transmission.
• Flow control is control of the amount of data being transported.
• Error Control is the use of checksum to determine if data has been
lost or corrupted.
• Protocols used are
TCP (Transmission Control Protocol) and
UDP (User Datagram Protocol)
NETWORK LAYER
• It does logical addressing, routing and path determination.
• Routing is the process of moving data packets from source to
destination.
• Path determination is the process of determining the best possible
path for data transmission within a network
Protocol is IP (Internet Protocol) and the device used is Router
IP Address is a logical address whereas
MAC Address is a physical address
DATA-LINK LAYER
• It ensures error-free data transfer between systems. It uses MAC
addresses and frames.
• Devices used are: Switches, Bridges, NICs
• Protocols are: Ethernet (framing), PPP(Point-to-Point Protocol),
ARP(Address Resolution Protocol)
PHYSICAL LAYER
• It transmits raw bits over a physical medium e.g. Cables, wireless
devices).
• Devices used are: Hubs, Repeaters, Cables, Modems
THE TCP/IP MODEL
• It determines how data is transmitted across networks,
especially the internet.
• It consists of four (4) layers namely:
4. Application Layer
3. Transport Layer
2. Internet Layer
1. Network Access Layer
• It combines Physical + Data Link to form Network Interface ------L1
• Network Layer is Internet Layer
• Transport layer is Transport layer
• Session + Presentation + Application layer forms Application layer
• The main difference is that:
• OSI is theoretical whereas TCP/IP is practical
• OSI is mostly used for teaching and referencing whereas TCP/IP is used in the actual
networking (Internet)
• OSI supports only connection-oriented (TCP) whereas TCP/IP supports both
connection-oriented (TCP) and connectionless (UDP)
APPLICATION LAYER
• It interfaces directly with user applications and services. It handles
data formatting, encryption and session management.
• Common protocols are: HTTP, FTP, SMTP, DNS, Telnet
TRANSPORT LAYER
• It ensures fast delivery of data between devices Manages error
checking and flow control.
• Common protocols are: TCP, UDP
INTERNET LAYER
• It is responsible for logical addressing, routing and packet forwarding
across networks.
• The only common protocol is IP
NETWORK INTERFACE LAYER
• It handles physical transmission of data over the network. It includes
hardware addressing and framing.
• Protocols are Ethernet, Wi-Fi, PPP, ARP
IP Address
• An IP address is a logical identifier assigned to a device so it can
communicate across a network. IP addresses can change esp. if its setup as
Dynamic by DHCP servers else static.
2 types are:
IPv4: 32 bit written as 4 decimals e.g. 192.168.1.23
IPv6: 128 bit written as 8 hexadecimals e.g. 2001:0db8:85a3::8a2e:0370:7334
Private IP: assigned and used within the local network by individuals
Public IP: assigned by ISPs
MAC (Media Access Control Address
• A MAC address is a physical identifier hardcoded into a device’s network
interface card (NIC). Not easily changed like IP addresses.
• Written as 48 bits with six pairs of hexadecimals.
Eg. 00:1A:2B:3C:4D:5E
• Synchronous
• Asynchronous
• Multiplexing
