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The concept of layers
will help you understand the action that occurs during communication from
one computer to another. Shown in the Figure  are
questions that involve the movement of physical objects such as highway
traffic, or electronic data. This motion of objects, whether it is physical
or logical, is referred to as flow. There are many layers that help
describe the details of the flow process. Other examples of systems that
flow, are the public water system, the highway system, the postal system,
and the telephone system.
Now examine the Figure  "Comparing
Networks" chart. What network are you examining? What is flowing? What
are the different forms of the object that is flowing? What are the rules
for flow? Where does the flow occur? The networks listed in this chart give
you more analogies to help you understand computer networks.
Another example of how
you might use the concept of layers to analyze an everyday subject is to
examine human conversation. When you create an idea that you wish to
communicate to another person, the first thing you do is choose how you
want to express that idea, then you decide how to properly communicate it,
and finally, you actually deliver the idea.
Imagine a young boy seated
at one end of a very long dinner table. On the other end of the table,
quite a distance away, sits the young boy's grandmother. The youngster
speaks English. The grandmother prefers to speak Spanish. The table has
been set with a wonderful meal that the grandmother has prepared. Suddenly
the young boy shouts at the top of his lungs, "Hey, you! Give me the
rice!" and reaches across the table to grab it. In most places, this
action is considered quite rude. What should the young boy have done to
communicate his wishes in an acceptable manner?
To help you find the
solution to this question, analyze the communication process by using
layers. First there is the idea -- the young boy wants rice; then there is
the representation of the idea--- spoken English (instead of Spanish); next
is the method of delivery -- "Hey, you"; and finally, the medium
-- shouting (sound) and grabbing (physical action) across the table for the
rice.
From this group of four
layers, you can see that three of them prevent the young boy from
communicating his idea in an appropriate/acceptable manner. The first layer
(the idea) is acceptable. The second layer (representation), using spoken
English instead of Spanish, and the third layer (delivery), demanding
instead of a politely requesting, most definitely do not follow acceptable
social protocol. The fourth layer (medium), shouting and grabbing from the
table rather than politely requesting assistance from another person seated
nearby, is unacceptable behavior in most any social situation.
By analyzing this
interaction in terms of layers you can understand more clearly some of the
problems of communication in both humans or computers, and how you might
solve them.
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