The third layer of the OSI Model, the network layer, is where most network engineers focus their time and expertise. As Darragh commented in my post on the data link layer, Layer 2 is cool but Layer 3 ...

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 ...

When integrating a network stack into a new hardware platform and possibly a new operating system, performance is typically a critical design goal. When attempting to optimize network performance, it ...

Layers 7 through 4 are geared more to the application than the lower layers, which are designed to move packets from one place to another no matter what they contain. This top layer defines the ...

With all the attention garnered by the higher OSI layers, we sometimes forget that all seven layers are necessary for communications to work. So when troubleshooting, for example, don’t forget about ...