To recap:
• The Application layer provides the interface to the user.
• The Transport layer is responsible for dividing and managing communications between the processes running in the two end systems.
• The Network layer protocols organize our communication data so that it can travel across internetworks from the originating host to a destination host.
For Network layer packets to be transported from source host to destination host, they must traverse different physical networks. These physical networks can consist of different types of physical media such as copper wires, microwaves, optical fibers, and satellite links. Network layer packets do not have a way to directly access these different media.
It is the role of the OSI Data Link layer to prepare Network layer packets for transmission and to control access to the physical media.
The Data Link layer performs two basic services:
• Allows the upper layers to access the media using techniques such as framing
• Controls how data is placed onto the media and is received from the media using techniques such as media access control and error detection
As with each of the OSI layers, there are terms specific to this layer:
Frame - The Data Link layer PDU
Node - The Layer 2 notation for network devices connected to a common medium
Media/medium (physical)* - The physical means for the transfer of information between two nodes
Network (physical)** - Two or more nodes connected to a common medium
The Data Link layer is responsible for the exchange of frames between nodes over the media of a physical network.
The Data Link layer exists as a connecting layer between the software processes of the layers above it and the Physical layer below it. As such, it prepares the Network layer packets for transmission across some form of media, be it copper, fiber, or the atmosphere.
In many cases, the Data Link layer is embodied as a physical entity, such as an Ethernet network interface card (NIC), which inserts into the system bus of a computer and makes the connection between running software processes on the computer and physical media. The NIC is not solely a physical entity, however. Software associated with the NIC enables the NIC to perform its intermediary functions of preparing data for transmission and encoding the data as signals to be sent on the associated media.
The two common LAN sublayers are:
Logical Link Control
Logical Link Control (LLC) places information in the frame that identifies which Network layer protocol is being used for the frame. This information allows multiple Layer 3 protocols, such as IP and IPX, to utilize the same network interface and media.
Media Access Control
Media Access Control (MAC) provides Data Link layer addressing and delimiting of data according to the physical signaling requirements of the medium and the type of Data Link layer protocol in use.
Some network topologies share a common medium with multiple nodes. At any one time, there may be a number of devices attempting to send and receive data using the network media. There are rules that govern how these devices share the media.
Contention-based Access for Shared Media
Also referred to as non-deterministic, contention-based methods allow any device to try to access the medium whenever it has data to send. To prevent complete chaos on the media, these methods use a Carrier Sense Multiple Access (CSMA) process to first detect if the media is carrying a signal. If a carrier signal on the media from another node is detected, it means that another device is transmitting. When the device attempting to transmit sees that the media is busy, it will wait and try again after a short time period. If no carrier signal is detected, the device transmits its data.
CSMA is usually implemented in conjunction with a method for resolving the media contention. The two commonly used methods are:
CSMA/Collision Detection
In CSMA/Collision Detection (CSMA/CD), the device monitors the media for the presence of a data signal. If a data signal is absent, indicating that the media is free, the device transmits the data. If signals are then detected that show another device was transmitting at the same time, all devices stop sending and try again later. Traditional forms of Ethernet use this method.
CSMA/Collision Avoidance
In CSMA/Collision Avoidance (CSMA/CA), the device examines the media for the presence of a data signal. If the media is free, the device sends a notification across the media of its intent to use it. The device then sends the data. This method is used by 802.11 wireless networking technologies.
Full Duplex and Half Duplex
In point-to-point connections, the Data Link layer has to consider whether the communication is half-duplex or full-duplex.
Half-duplex communication means that the devices can both transmit and receive on the media but cannot do so simultaneously. Ethernet has established arbitration rules for resolving conflicts arising from instances when more than one station attempts to transmit at the same time.
In full-duplex communication, both devices can transmit and receive on the media at the same time. The Data Link layer assumes that the media is available for transmission for both nodes at any time. Therefore, there is no media arbitration necessary in the Data Link layer.
The topology of a network is the arrangement or relationship of the network devices and the interconnections between them. Network topologies can be viewed at the physical level and the logical level.
The physical topology is an arrangement of the nodes and the physical connections between them. The representation of how the media is used to interconnect the devices is the physical topology.
A logical topology is the way a network transfers frames from one node to the next. This arrangement consists of virtual connections between the nodes of a network independent of their physical layout. These logical signal paths are defined by Data Link layer protocols. The Data Link layer "sees" the logical topology of a network when controlling data access to the media. It is the logical topology that influences the type of network framing and media access control used.
Logical and physical topologies typically used in networks are:
• Point-to-Point
• Multi-Access
• Ring
A point-to-point topology connects two nodes directly together. In data networks with point-to-point topologies, the media access control protocol can be very simple. All frames on the media can only travel to or from the two nodes. The frames are placed on the media by the node at one end and taken off the media by the node at the other end of the point-to-point circuit.
A logical multi-access topology enables a number of nodes to communicate by using the same shared media. Data from only one node can be placed on the medium at any one time. Every node sees all the frames that are on the medium, but only the node to which the frame is addressed processes the contents of the frame.
In a logical ring topology, each node in turn receives a frame. If the frame is not addressed to the node, the node passes the frame to the next node. This allows a ring to use a controlled media access control technique called token passing.
Data Link Layer Protocols – The Frames
Remember that although there are many different Data Link layer protocols that describe Data Link layer frames, each frame type has three basic parts:
• Header
• Data
• Trailer
All Data Link layer protocols encapsulate the Layer 3 PDU within the data field of the frame. However, the structure of the frame and the fields contained in the header and trailer vary according to the protocol.
The Data Link layer protocol describes the features required for the transport of packets across different media. These features of the protocol are integrated into the encapsulation of the frame. When the frame arrives at its destination and the Data Link protocol takes the frame off the media, the framing information is read and discarded.
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