Relation To TCP/IP Model
The TCP/IP model describes the protocols used by the Internet. This model has a layer called the Internet layer, located above the link layer. In many textbooks and other secondary references the Internet layer is equated with OSI's network layer. However, this comparison is misleading as the allowed characteristics of protocols (e.g., whether they are connection-oriented or connection-less) placed into these layers are different in the two models. The Internet layer of TCP/IP is in fact only a subset of functionality of the network layer. It only describes one type of network architecture, the Internet.
In general, direct or strict comparisons between these models should be avoided, since the layering in TCP/IP is not a principal design criterion and the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) considers it "harmful".
Read more about this topic: Network Layer
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