protocol layer
<networking> The software and/or hardware environment of two or more
communications devices or computers in which a particular network protocol
operates. A network connection may be thought of as a set of more or less
independent protocols, each in a different layer or level. The lowest layer
governs direct host-to-host communication between the hardware at different
hosts; the highest consists of user application programs. Each layer uses the
layer beneath it and provides a service for the layer above. Each networking
component hardware or software on one host uses protocols appropriate to its
layer to communicate with the corresponding component (its "peer") on another
host. Such layered protocols are sometimes known as peer-to-peer protocols.
The advantages of layered protocols is that the methods of passing information
from one layer to another are specified clearly as part of the protocol suite,
and changes within a protocol layer are prevented from affecting the other
layers. This greatly simplifies the task of designing and maintaining
communication systems.
Examples of layered protocols are TCP/IP's five layer protocol stack and the OSI
seven layer model.
(1997-05-05)
Nearby terms:
protocol analyser « protocol converter « Protocol
Data Unit « protocol layer » protocol stack »
PROTON » Protosynthex
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