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Open Data-Link Interface

Open Data-Link Interface is a computer science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Open Data-Link Interface rather than just read about it. In short: The Open Data-Link Interface (ODI) is an application programming interface (API) for network interface controllers (NICs) developed by Apple and Novell. The API serves the same function as Microsoft and 3COM's Network Driver Interface Specification (NDIS).

Key takeaways

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

Reference excerpt

The Open Data-Link Interface (ODI) is an application programming interface (API) for network interface controllers (NICs) developed by Apple and Novell. The API serves the same function as Microsoft and 3COM's Network Driver Interface Specification (NDIS). Originally, ODI was written for NetWare and Macintosh environments. Like NDIS, ODI provides rules that establish a vendor-neutral interface between the protocol stack and the adapter driver. It resides in Layer 2, the Data Link layer, of the OSI model. This interface also enables one or more network drivers to support one or more protocol stacks.

See also Uniform Driver Interface (UDI) Universal Network Device Interface (UNDI) PC/TCP Packet Driver Virtual Loadable Module (VLM) NetWare I/O Subsystem (NIOS) Personal NetWare (PNW) DR-WebSpyder

References

Further reading

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Open Data-Link Interface

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Open Data-Link Interface claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In computer 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 Open Data-Link Interface 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 Open Data-Link Interface 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 Open Data-Link Interface

In research
Open Data-Link Interface appears in computer 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 Open Data-Link Interface 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
Open Data-Link Interface is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Computer networks, Computing stubs, Device drivers, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life
Look for Open Data-Link Interface 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.

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How to study Open Data-Link Interface in 20 minutes

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

Frequently asked questions

What is Open Data-Link Interface in simple terms?

The Open Data-Link Interface (ODI) is an application programming interface (API) for network interface controllers (NICs) developed by Apple and Novell. The API serves the same function as Microsoft and 3COM's Network Driver Interface Specification (NDIS).

Why does Open Data-Link Interface matter?

Because it connects several computer 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 Open Data-Link Interface?

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 Open Data-Link Interface.

Tags

  • Computer networks
  • Computing stubs
  • Device drivers
  • Macintosh operating systems APIs

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