The TCP/IP layers
The TCP/IP layers is an interactive experiment in Networks & the Internet, a free simulation from StudyFi Lab that runs right in your browser.
On the way down the stack each layer wraps the data in its own header (encapsulation): TCP adds ports, IP adds addresses and the TTL, Ethernet a frame with MAC addresses and an FCS checksum. On the way up the receiver unwraps them one by one. The OSI model splits the same work into 7 layers. (With HTTPS the data would also be encrypted by TLS.)
Try this: Stop on the wire and find port 443 and the destination IP address. Then switch on OSI and see which three OSI layers the application layer covers.
Frequently asked questions
What does the “The TCP/IP layers” experiment show?
On the way down the stack each layer wraps the data in its own header (encapsulation): TCP adds ports, IP adds addresses and the TTL, Ethernet a frame with MAC addresses and an FCS checksum. On the way up the receiver unwraps them one by one. The OSI model splits the same work into 7 layers. (With HTTPS the data would also be encrypted by TLS.)
How do I try “The TCP/IP layers”?
Stop on the wire and find port 443 and the destination IP address. Then switch on OSI and see which three OSI layers the application layer covers.
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