Hour 3. The Network Access Layer

What You'll Learn in This Hour:

• Physical addresses

• Ethernet frames

• LAN technologies

At the base of the TCP/IP protocol stack is the Network Access layer, the collection of services and specifications that provide and manage access to the network hardware. In this hour you'll learn about the duties of the Network Access layer and how the Network Access layer relates to the OSI model. This hour also looks at some common physical network technologies you'll find in the Network Access layer.

At the completion of this hour, you'll be able to

• Explain the Network Access layer

• Discuss how TCP/IP's Network Access layer relates to the OSI networking model

• Explain a network architecture

• List the contents of an ethernet frame

• Identify the methods that ethernet, token ring, and FDDI use for controlling access to the transmission medium