!!! Overview
[{$pagename}] is a [Communication Layers] and conceptual division of methods in the layered [architecture] of [protocols] in the [network] stack.


[{$pagename}] is an [Communication Layer] that specifies the shared [protocols] and interface methods used by hosts in a [telecommunications] [Network]. 

[{$pagename}] abstraction is used in both of the standard models of computer networking: the [Internet Protocol] Suite ([TCP]/[IP]) and the [Open Systems Interconnection] model ([OSI-Model]).

Although both models use the same term for their respective highest level layer, the detailed definitions and purposes are different.

!! [Internet Protocol Suite] [{$pagename}] 
[{$pagename}] contains the communications [protocols] and interface methods used in process-to-process communications across an [Internet Protocol] ([IP]) computer [network]. 

The [{$pagename}] only standardizes communication and depends upon the underlying [Transport Layer] protocols to establish host-to-host data transfer channels and manage the data exchange in a [client-server] or [peer-to-peer] networking model. 

The [TCP]/[IP] [{$pagename}] does not describe specific rules or data formats that applications must consider when communicating.

!! [OSI-Model] [{$pagename}]
In the [OSI-Model] the definition of the [{$pagename}] is narrower in scope. The [OSI-Model] defines the [{$pagename}] as the [User Interface] responsible for displaying received information to the user. 

!! More Information
There might be more information for this subject on one of the following:
[{ReferringPagesPlugin before='*' after='\n' }]
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* [#1] - [Application_layer|Wikipedia:Application_layer|target='_blank'] - based on information obtained 2016-09-28