Wireless and Mobile Device Security, 2nd Edition

Networking and the Open Systems Interconnection Reference Model

Before examining how wired networks evolved into wireless networks, it’s important to have a fundamental grasp of basic networking. The logical place to start is the Open Systems Interconnection (OSI) Reference Model. Initially proposed in 1984, the OSI Reference Model was the industry’s response to the issues created by proprietary data networking and equipment development at the dawn of the networking era. Before this, most equipment manufacturers had developed their own proprietary methods for data networking. These included unique communication protocols, connection interfaces, and procedures for data storage and retrieval, to name a few. In some cases, vendors did this because ...