Palo Alto Networks (PANW) Certified Cybersecurity Entry-level Technician (PCCET) Practice Exam

The Internet Protocol itself provides the functionality of which layer?

1. Transport

2. Network

3. Data link

4. Physical

The correct answer is: Network

The Internet Protocol (IP) operates primarily at the Network layer of the OSI (Open Systems Interconnection) model. This layer is responsible for routing data packets across different networks and ensuring that the information can be sent from the source to the destination, even if those points are connected through various intermediary devices. IP is fundamentally designed to facilitate communication between different networked systems by defining addressing schemes (IP addresses) and providing protocols for packet switching and routing. At the Network layer, IP manages the logical addressing (such as IPv4 or IPv6 addresses) and facilitates the delivery of packets, regardless of the underlying physical infrastructure. This level of abstraction allows different networks to interconnect and communicate with each other seamlessly. In contrast, other layers defined in the OSI model serve different purposes. The Transport layer is responsible for end-to-end communication and data integrity, while the Data Link layer manages node-to-node data transfer and error correction, and the Physical layer is concerned with the transmission and reception of the raw bitstream over a physical medium. Thus, the functionality of the Internet Protocol aligns with that of the Network layer, confirming that the correct choice is indeed the Network layer.