Chapter

Data Link Layer

04
 Module Objectives
Module Title: Data Link Layer

Module Objective: Explain how media access control in the

data link layer supports communication across networks.

Topic Title Topic Objective

Purpose of the Data Link Layer Describe the purpose and function of
the data link layer in preparing
communication for transmission on
specific media.
Topologies Compare the characteristics of media
access control methods on WAN and
LAN topologies.
Data Link Frame Describe the characteristics and
functions of the data link frame.
4.1 Purpose of the Data Link Layer
 The Data Link Layer
• The Data Link layer is
responsible for
communications between
end-device network interface
cards.
• It allows upper layer
protocols to access the
physical layer media and
encapsulates Layer 3 packets
(IPv4 and IPv6) into Layer 2
Frames.
• It also performs error
detection and rejects
corrupts frames.
 IEEE 802 LAN/MAN Data Link Sublayers

IEEE 802 LAN/MAN standards are

specific to the type of network
(Ethernet, WLAN, WPAN, etc).

The Data Link Layer consists of two

sublayers. Logical Link Control (LLC)
and Media Access Control (MAC).
• The LLC sublayer communicates
between the networking software
at the upper layers and the device
hardware at the lower layers.
• The MAC sublayer is responsible
for data encapsulation and media
access control.
 Providing Access to Media

Packets exchanged between nodes may experience

numerous data link layers and media transitions.

At each hop along the path, a router performs four

basic Layer 2 functions:
• Accepts a frame from the network medium.
• De-encapsulates the frame to expose the encapsulated packet.
• Re-encapsulates the packet into a new frame.
• Forwards the new frame on the medium of the next network segment.
 Data Link Layer Standards

Data link layer protocols

are defined by engineering
organizations:
• Institute for Electrical and
Electronic Engineers (IEEE).
• International
Telecommunications Union (ITU).
• International Organizations for
Standardization (ISO).
• American National Standards
Institute (ANSI).
4.2 Topologies
 Physical and Logical Topologies

The topology of a network is the arrangement and

relationship of the network devices and the
interconnections between them.

There are two types of topologies used when describing

networks:
• Physical topology – shows physical connections and
how devices are interconnected.
• Logical topology – identifies the virtual connections
between devices using device interfaces and IP
addressing schemes.
 WAN Topologies

There are three common physical WAN topologies:

• Point-to-point – the simplest and most common
WAN topology. Consists of a permanent link between
two endpoints.
• Hub and spoke – similar to a star topology where a
central site interconnects branch sites through point-
to-point links.
• Mesh – provides high availability but requires every
end system to be connected to every other end
system.
 Point-to-Point WAN Topology

• Physical point-to-point topologies directly connect

two nodes.
• The nodes may not share the media with other hosts.
• Because all frames on the media can only travel to or
from the two nodes, Point-to-Point WAN protocols
can be very simple.
 LAN Topologies
End devices on LANs are typically
interconnected using a star or
extended star topology. Star and
extended star topologies are easy to
install, very scalable and easy to
troubleshoot.

Early Ethernet and Legacy Token Ring

technologies provide two additional
topologies:
• Bus – All end systems chained
together and terminated on each
end.
• Ring – Each end system is
connected to its respective
neighbors to form a ring.
 Half and Full Duplex Communication
Half-duplex communication
• Only allows one device to send or receive at a time
on a shared medium.
• Used on WLANs and legacy bus topologies with
Ethernet hubs.

Full-duplex communication
• Allows both devices to simultaneously transmit and
receive on a shared medium.
• Ethernet switches operate in full-duplex mode.
 Access Control Methods
Contention-based access
All nodes operating in half-duplex, competing for use of the
medium. Examples are:
• Carrier sense multiple access with collision detection
(CSMA/CD) as used on legacy bus-topology Ethernet.
• Carrier sense multiple access with collision avoidance
(CSMA/CA) as used on Wireless LANs.

Controlled access
• Deterministic access where each node has its own time on
the medium.
• Used on legacy networks such as Token Ring and ARCNET.
 Contention-Based Access – CSMA/CD
CSMA/CD
• Used by legacy Ethernet LANs.
• Operates in half-duplex mode where only one device sends or
receives at a time.
• Uses a collision detection process to govern when a device
can send and what happens if multiple devices send at the
same time.

CSMA/CD collision detection process:

• Devices transmitting simultaneously will result in a signal
collision on the shared media.
• Devices detect the collision.
• Devices wait a random period of time and retransmit data.
 Contention-Based Access – CSMA/CA
CSMA/CA
• Used by IEEE 802.11 WLANs.
• Operates in half-duplex mode where only one device sends or
receives at a time.
• Uses a collision avoidance process to govern when a device
can send and what happens if multiple devices send at the
same time.

CSMA/CA collision avoidance process:

• When transmitting, devices also include the time duration
needed for the transmission.
• Other devices on the shared medium receive the time
duration information and know how long the medium will be
unavailable.
4.3 Data Link Frame
 The Frame

Data is encapsulated by the data link layer with a header and a

trailer to form a frame.
A data link frame has three parts:
• Header
• Data
• Trailer
The fields of the header and trailer vary according to data link
layer protocol.

The amount of control information carried with in the frame

varies according to access control information and logical
topology.
 Frame Fields

Field Description
Frame Start and Stop Identifies beginning and end of frame
Addressing Indicates source and destination nodes
Type Identifies encapsulated Layer 3 protocol
Control Identifies flow control services
Data Contains the frame payload
Error Detection Used for determine transmission errors
 Layer 2 Addresses
• Also referred to as a physical address.
• Contained in the frame header.
• Used only for local delivery of a frame on the link.
• Updated by each device that forwards the frame.
 LAN and WAN Frames

The logical topology and physical media determine the

data link protocol used:
• Ethernet
• 802.11 Wireless
• Point-to-Point (PPP)
• High-Level Data Link Control (HDLC)
• Frame-Relay

Each protocol performs media access control for

specified logical topologies.
4.4 Module Practice and Quiz
 What did I learn in this module?
• The data link layer of the OSI model (Layer 2) prepares network data for the physical
network.
• The data link layer is responsible for network interface card (NIC) to network interface
card communications.
• The IEEE 802 LAN/MAN data link layer consists of the following two sublayers: LLC and
MAC.
• The two types of topologies used in LAN and WAN networks are physical and logical.
• Three common types of physical WAN topologies are: point-to-point, hub and spoke, and
mesh.
• Half-duplex communications exchange data in one direction at a time. Full-duplex sends
and receives data simultaneously.
• In contention-based multi-access networks, all nodes are operating in half-duplex.
• Examples of contention-based access methods include: CSMA/CD for bus-topology
Ethernet LANs and CSMA/CA for WLANs.
• The data link frame has three basic parts: header, data, and trailer.
• Frame fields include: frame start and stop indicator flags, addressing, type, control, data,
and error detection.
• Data link addresses are also known as physical addresses.
• Data link addresses are only used for link local delivery of frames.