Could anyone help find authoritative online sources and /or otherwise articulate on why it makes sense to go from the “top down” in the OST 7 -- layer model, instead of “bottom up”, when ...

Understanding Protocols and the OSI Network Model Getting a handle on the invisible part of your network—the protocols that are in use—can be of enormous value in helping you detect problems. By Bill ...

First off, howdy and welcome to the inaugural post of the EtherGeek blog. My name is Josh Stephens and I’m Head Geek and VP of Technology at SolarWinds, an IT management software company in Austin.

We recently advised that people in the business of planning, building and supporting computer networks should not lose sight of the mythical OSI Layer 8. We define Layer 8 as the human-to-human ...

Whether it’s wired or wireless, most data communications today happens by way of packets of information travelling over one or more networks. But before these networks can work together, though, they ...

Thanks for your comments on my first EtherGeek post on understanding the OSI Model. I especially enjoyed learning new ways to remember the OSI Model; for example: Please Do Not Throw Stale Pizza Away.

So far, we've talked about the tangibles of your network—the cabling infrastructure, as well as the switches, hubs and routers. Those are things you can see and touch. But there are invisible ...