Technical data

TCP/IP Network Basics 7
Agilent Connectivity Guide 167
The Network Interface Layer
The lowest layer in the TCP/IP stack is the Network Interface Layer.
The primary responsibility of this layer is to define how a host device
(computer, instrument, etc.) connects to the network. The Network
Interface Layer acts as a host’s connection (interface) to the network.
There are no TCP/IP protocols associated with the Network Interface
layer.
The Network Interface Layer is used to send and receive packets. At the
Network Interface Layer, a header that contains addressing information
is applied to each packet. A part of this header is the host
hardware
address. The hardware address must be unique to the device and does
not change during the life of the device.
The hardware address, also called the Media Access Control (MAC)
Address, Ethernet Address, Physical Address, or Network Interface
Card (NIC) Address, is a 12-digit hexadecimal address. A typical
hardware address is 00:30:D3:00:00:23, where the first six digits
represent the manufacturer of the device and the last six digits represent
the serial number assigned to the device.
Application DNS - Domain Name
System
A protocol for translating a Hostname into an IP
address.
RFC 1034 and
RFC 1035
DHCP - Dynamic Host
Configuration Protocol
A protocol for obtaining TCP/IP parameters from
a central server.
RFC 2131 and
RFC 2132
FTP - File Transfer
Protocol
A protocol that defines how files are transferred
from one host to another on a network.
RFC 959
HTTP - Hypertext
Transfer Protocol
A protocol that defines how files are exchanged
on the Internet
RFC 1945 and
RFC 2068
* = IPv4 (current standard), ** = IPv6 (proposed new standard)
Layer Component Name Description Specification
NOTE
For a TCP/IP packet to be delivered to a device, the packet must contain
the destination device’s hardware address.