The OSI reference model

TLDR

Early successes of computer networks in the mid‑1970s highlighted the need for international standards, prompting ISO in 1977 to develop the OSI framework, whose Reference Model represents the highest level of abstraction. This paper briefly describes the OSI Reference Model. The paper first outlines the basic building blocks of the network model, then details the seven‑layer OSI architecture and discusses outstanding issues and future extensions. The authors present the seven‑layer OSI model and identify key outstanding issues and potential future extensions.

Abstract

The early successes of computer networks in the mid-1970's made it apparent that to utilize the full potential of computer networks, international standards would be required. In 1977, the International Standards Organization (ISO) initiated work on Open Systems Interconnection (OSI) to address these requirements. This paper briefly describes the OSI Reference Model. The OSI Reference Model is the highest level of abstraction in the OSI scheme. The paper first describes the basic building blocks used to construct the network model. Then the particular seven-layer model used by OSI is briefly described, followed by a discussion of outstanding issues and future extensions for the model.