Overview
The Session Layer (Layer 5) manages the 'dialogue' between two computers. It establishes, maintains, and synchronizes the interaction between communicating systems.
Key Functions
- Session Establishment: Setting up the connection between applications.
- Dialogue Control: Managing which side transmits and when (half-duplex or full-duplex).
- Synchronization: Adding checkpoints to data streams so that in case of failure, only data after the last checkpoint needs to be retransmitted.
Examples
- NetBIOS
- RPC (Remote Procedure Call)
- PPTP (Point-to-Point Tunneling Protocol)