Episode 15: OSI Layer 4 — The Transport Layer

This episode examines the Transport Layer, which manages reliable communication between devices through segmentation, error checking, and flow control. It introduces Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) and User Datagram Protocol (UDP) as the two primary protocols at this layer, highlighting their differences in reliability, speed, and overhead. The Transport Layer ensures that data streams are properly organized, making it a vital topic for the exam and for understanding how applications interact over networks.

Examples are provided to illustrate when TCP’s reliability is critical, such as file transfers, and when UDP’s low overhead is preferable, such as streaming or gaming. The episode also discusses common troubleshooting issues at this layer, including port misconfigurations and firewall rules that block transport traffic. By understanding how the Transport Layer functions and how its protocols behave, you gain insight into diagnosing communication problems and supporting the smooth delivery of application data. Produced by BareMetalCyber.com, where you’ll find more cyber audio courses, books, and information to strengthen your certification path.