[GRLUG] Poll: OSI Model/Protocol

[Dan Taylor]

On 06/05/2011 07:57 PM, Eric Beversluis wrote:
> I'd like to conduct a poll.
>
> Having exerted some (not very significant) level of effort, a number of
> years ago, acquainting myself with the OSI model/standard, I'm curious
> if I'm the only one who sees imposing this learning task on computer
> students as pointless.
>
> Item: in about 8 years since studying all that, I have seen maybe one or
> two references to the model and, as nearly as I can recall, none of the
> work I've done in this time has needed to utilize knowledge of the
> model.
>
> Item: the de facto standard for networking, TCP/IP, uses a significantly
> different model; nor have I seen any need to understand the TCP/IP
> layers in my work.
>
> I would guess designers and builders of hardware and certain programs
> would use knowledge of the TCP/IP layer protocols. But other than these
> users, who out there has had the need to be acquainted with the OSI
> model?
How often do you use Wireshark?  It certainly helps visualize a
breakdown of the 1s and 0s flowing across the network if you understand
the OSI model and the breakdown of communication protocol stack.
.
I'd argue that learning IPv4 subnet calculating by hand (required for
Cisco certs) has been a pointless task to learn.  There has never been a
time where I haven't had access to a calculator to do that task.  So
long as you understand the fundamentals of binary and hex math, network
and broadcast addresses, I personally don't see the need to do it by hand.

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