Lesson 7 - The Presentation Layer

   Introduction

Just as different human languages use different symbols to represent the same ideas, computers can use different symbols and methods to represent information. The primary job of the OSI Presentation Layer, (Layer 6), is to deal with the format of stored computer information. Thus, the Presentation Layer would be better named the "representation" layer. It is concerned with all of the problems of the representation of data that are transmitted between nodes of a network.

   Objectives

At the end of this lesson you will be able to:

1.	Name and describe the basic services of the Presentation Layer
2.	Describe common ways to represent information on a computer
3.	Understand how to make information travelling across a network secure
4.	Explain the reason for compressing information

Key Point
The Presentation Layer is the process concerned with how data is presented on the computer and represented inside the computer.

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