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

What layer of the OSI model does the IP protocol operate at?

1. Transport

2. Network

3. Data link

4. Application

The correct answer is: Network

The IP protocol operates at the Network layer of the OSI model. This layer is responsible for routing packets across the network from the source to the destination by providing logical addressing, which allows devices to locate each other on different networks. The Network layer ensures that data can be sent from any host on one network to any host on another network, using IP addresses for identification. Other layers deal with different aspects of the communication process: the Transport layer is responsible for end-to-end communication and error recovery, the Data Link layer provides node-to-node data transfer and deals with physical addressing, and the Application layer is where end-user software and services reside. Understanding this structure is crucial for grasping how data is handled within network protocols.