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The OSI model is perhaps the best-known—and perhaps the most-loved—model in the networking world. It’s taught in every basic networking course, and just about every blog (other than this one) has some article explaining the model someplace or another (for instance, here is one of the better examples).
The reality is, however, that I’ve been in the networking business for 30’ish years and I’ve never once used the OSI model for anything practical. I’ve used the model when writing books because just about every book on networking has to have a section on the OSI model. I’ve used the model when writing a paper comparing two different protocols, back in the multiprotocol days (VIP versus IPX versus IP), but we don’t have those kinds of arguments very often any longer.
So, we all learn the OSI model, and yet I don’t know of anyone who actually uses the OSI model in understanding how protocols work, or how to troubleshoot a network. There’s the “it’s a layer two problem” statement, and that’s about the end its useful life, it seems.
Let me make a suggestion—learn, use, and teach the RINA model instead. Okay, so what is the RINA model? It is Continue reading