The OSI Reference Model

I would like to discuss more about networking on this Alibata blog. As the concept of networking became more widespread in the business world, the idea of being able to connect networks and disparate systems became a necessity. For this type of communication to take place, however, there needed to be a standard method. The solution came in 1978 when the ISO released an architecture that would achieve this goal. These specifications were revised in 1984 and became international standards for networked communication. It is important for network administrators to know the history and understand the function of this specification, which is called the OSI Reference Model.

The OSI model presents a layered approach to networking. Each layer of the models handles a different portion of the communications process. By separating such communications into layers, the OSI model simplified how network hardware and software work together, as well as eased troubleshooting woes by providing a specific method for how components should function.

Keep in mind that the OSI model is a complete conceptual reference.