Link layer

Key takeaways

Link layer belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Link layer to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Link layer from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

In computer networking, the link layer is the lowest layer in the Internet protocol suite, the networking architecture of the Internet. The link layer is the group of methods and communications protocols confined to the link that a host is physically connected to. The link is the physical and logical network component used to interconnect hosts or nodes in the network, and a link protocol is a suite of methods and standards that operate only between adjacent network nodes of a network segment. Despite the different semantics of layering between the Internet protocol suite and OSI model, the link layer is sometimes described as a combination of the OSI's data link layer (layer 2) and physical layer (layer 1). The link layer is described in RFC 1122 and RFC 1123. RFC 1122 considers local area network protocols such as Ethernet and other IEEE 802 networks (e.g. Wi-Fi), and framing protocols such as Point-to-Point Protocol (PPP) to belong to the link layer.

Definition in standards and textbooks Local area networking standards such as Ethernet and IEEE 802.3 specifications use terminology from the seven-layer OSI model rather than the TCP/IP model. The TCP/IP model, in general, does not consider physical specifications; rather, it assumes a working network infrastructure that can deliver media-level frames on the link. Therefore, RFC 1122 and RFC 1123, the definition of the TCP/IP model, do not discuss hardware issues and physical data transmission and set no standards for those aspects. Some textbook authors have supported the interpretation that physical data transmission aspects are part of the link layer. Others assumed that physical data transmission standards are not considered communication protocols, and are not part of the TCP/IP model. These authors assume a hardware layer or physical layer below the link layer, and several of them adopt the OSI term data link layer instead of link layer in a modified description of layering. In the predecessor to the TCP/IP model, the ARPAnet Reference Model (RFC 908, 1982), aspects of the link layer are referred to by several poorly defined terms, such as network-access layer, network-access protocol, as well as network layer, while the next higher layer is called internetwork layer. In some modern textbooks, network-interface layer, host-to-network layer and network-access layer occur as synonyms either to the link layer or the data link layer, often including the physical layer.

Link layer protocols In the TCP/IP model, the link layer is the set of protocols a host uses to communicate on its directly connected network. The particular link-layer or media-access protocol depends on the network technology in use. Link-layer frames are delivered on the local link rather than routed unchanged across networks; routing between networks is performed at the Internet layer by gateways or IP routers. Protocols and facilities associated with link-layer address resolution include the Address Resolution Protocol (ARP), which maps protocol addresses such as IP addresses to local network addresses such as Ethernet addresses; the Reverse Address Resolution Protocol (RARP), which was specified as a data-link-level protocol for obtaining a protocol address from a hardware address; and Neighbor Discovery for IPv6, which IPv6 nodes on the same link use to determine link-layer addresses and which corresponds in part to IPv4 ARP.

Relation to OSI model The link layer in the TCP/IP model does not correspond exactly to a single layer in the Open Systems Interconnection (OSI) model. RFC 1122 describes the Internet protocol suite as having application, transport, Internet, and link layers, and describes the lowest layer as the "link layer" or "media-access layer" protocol used by a host to communicate on its directly connected network. The OSI Basic Reference Model instead separates lower-layer functions into the physical layer and the data link layer. As a result, comparisons between the TCP/IP link layer and OSI layers 1 and 2 are approximate rather than exact. The difference in classification can be seen in protocols such as the Address Resolution Protocol (ARP). ARP was specified to translate protocol addresses, such as IP addresses, into local network addresses, such as Ethernet addresses. RFC 1122 treats ARP use on Ethernet and IEEE 802 networks as a link-layer requirement. In OSI terminology, however, ARP relates to both network-layer addressing and data-link-layer addressing, so its placement is not captured cleanly by a strict one-to-one mapping between the two models. RFC 3439 similarly cautions against treating protocol layers as strict implementation boundaries, noting that structured layering has conceptual advantages but may also impose ordering constraints and increase inter-layer complexity.

IETF standards R. Coltun; D. Ferguson; J. Moy (July 2008). A. Lindem (ed.). OSPF for IPv6. IETF Network Working Group. doi:10.17487/RFC5340. RFC 5340. Proposed Standard. Obsoletes RFC 2740. Updated by RFC 6845, 6860, 8362, 7503 and 9454 R. Braden, ed. (October 1989). Requirements for Internet Hosts -- Communication Layers. Network Working Group. doi:10.17487/RFC1122. STD 3. RFC 1122. Internet Standard 3. Updated by RFC 1349, 4379, 5884, 6093, 6298, 6633, 6864, 8029 and 9293. R. Braden, ed. (October 1989). Requirements for Internet Hosts -- Application and Support. Network Working Group. doi:10.17487/RFC1123. STD 3. RFC 1123. Internet Standard 3. Updated by RFC 1349, 2181, 5321, 5966 and 7766. J. Postel; J. Reynolds (February 1988). A Standard for the Transmission of IP Datagrams over IEEE 802 Networks. Network Working Group. doi:10.17487/RFC1042. STD 43. RFC 1042. Internet Standard 43. Obsoletes RFC 948. C. Hornig (April 1984). A Standard for the Transmission of IP Datagrams over Ethernet Networks. Network Working Group. doi:10.17487/RFC0894. STD 41. RFC 894. Internet Standard 41. S. J. Leffler; M. J. Karels (April 1984). Trailer Encapsulations. Network Working Group. doi:10.17487/RFC0893. RFC 893. Status Unknown. David C. Plummer (November 1982). An Ethernet Address Resolution Protocol. Network Working Group. doi:10.17487/RFC0826. STD 37. RFC 826. Internet Standard 37. Updated by RFC 5227 and 5494.

See also Carrier-sense multiple access Carrier-sense multiple access with collision detection Network interface layer security

References

External links

IEEE 802 Standards

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Link layer

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Link layer claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Link layer before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Link layer ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Link layer

In research: Link layer appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Link layer in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Link layer is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Internet Protocol, Internet Standards, Link protocols, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Link layer outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

How to study Link layer in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Link layer means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Link layer out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Link layer in simple terms?

In computer networking, the link layer is the lowest layer in the Internet protocol suite, the networking architecture of the Internet. The link layer is the group of methods and communications protocols confined to the link that a host is physically connected to.

Why does Link layer matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Link layer?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Link layer.