Definition

Transport layer

In the Open Systems Interconnection (OSI) communications model, the Transport layer ensures the reliable arrival of messages and provides error checking mechanisms and data flow controls. The Transport layer provides services for both "connection-mode" transmissions and for "connectionless-mode" transmissions. For connection-mode transmissions, a transmission may be sent or arrive in the form of packets that need to be reconstructed into a complete message at the other end.

The Transmission Control Protocol portion of TCP/IP is a program that can be mapped to the Transport layer.

Related glossary terms: TP0-TP4 (transport protocols 0 to 4), physical layer, Transport Services Access Point (TSAP), Media Access Control layer (MAC layer), Layer Two Tunneling Protocol (L2TP), data link layer, OSI (Open Systems Interconnection), CDPD (Cellular Digital Packet Data), presentation layer, Application layer

This was last updated in September 2005

Posted by: Margaret Rouse

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- The Transport layer is the fourth layer of the OSI reference model.
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