Presentation Layer

Definition: The second highest layer (layer 6) in the OSI seven layer model is the presentation layer. It performs functions such as text compression, code or format conversion to try to smooth out differences between hosts. It allows incompatible processes in the application layer to communicate via the session layer.

What This Means: The presentation layer is the first one where people start to care about what they are sending at a more advanced level than just a bunch of ones and zeros. This layer deals with issues like how strings are represented. The idea is that the application layer should be able to point at the data to be moved, and the presentation layer will deal with the rest.

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